Page 33 of Fun and Games
I was sohungry I was willing to eat anything, so Mason suggested we get burgers from a place he knew.
"It's got this retro style," he said. "And the food is amazing."
"I'm totally up for burgers," I told him. "I'm so hungry I'd be willing to eat that burnt toast you made this morning."
"I don't always burn toast," he said. "Only when I'm distracted by something."
"And what exactly was distracting you this morning?" I asked.
"It may have had something to do with the sexy naked girl lying in my bed when I woke up," he replied.
We got to the burger place, and sure enough, it had those old-school red plastic booths and waitresses in fifties-style poodle skirts. We took a seat at one of the booths and both ordered a burger, fries and a shake.
"Vanilla bean?" Mason asked, referring to my shake flavor.
"If you say anything about vanilla being boring or plain I'll walk out here and now," I replied.
"I wasn't going to say anything like that," he said. "But I half-expected you to order one of the more exciting flavors, like mint chocolate double fudge or something."
"What would make you think that?" I asked.
"You said before you like to experience everything life has to offer," Mason said. "You seem like the kind of person who tries interesting food, who tries out new and interesting things."
"I wasn't always," I said before I could think better of it.
Mason tilted his head at me with a considering look.
"Vanilla has always been my favorite since I was a kid," I said, moving on quickly. "Everyone else would ask for chocolate cake, and I'd be the one asking for a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert. What about you?" I asked Mason. "You got strawberry, right? Any reason why you like that one?"
"I figure, it's a fruit, isn't it?" he asked. "So it's gotta be healthy."
"I like strawberry as much as the next person, but I don't think it works like that," I said.
"This place has real chunks of strawberry in their milkshakes," Mason argued. "That's got to count for something."
"And I suppose my vanilla flavor counts as a vegetable since it's got vanilla bean particles in it?"
"Beans are a legume, not a vegetable," Mason said. "If we're playing hard and fast with the nutrition pyramid, remember chocolate comes from cocoa beans. That's basically a plant."
"Fries are potatoes," I said. "And I'm sure there's a slice of tomato, lettuce and pickles on the burger. We're basically eating salad at this point."
We both shared a laugh.
Once the burgers and half the fries were gone, Mason tossed his crumpled napkin on the tray and sat back, eyeing me.
"When you said you weren't always like that," Mason began, "what did you mean?"
"What?" I asked after I swallowed a mouthful of fries.
"I mentioned that you seem free-spirited, and you said you weren't always that way," Mason replied. "Were you more of a cautious kid?"
I put down a forkful of fries, wondering how to explain. I didn't want to get into the details of my vagabond ways.
"It's not so much that I was cautious," I said. "I had all these travel plans. All these dreams. There's so many fun things I've wanted to do, so many places I wanted to visit."
"I get that," Mason said, eyes lighting up. "Traveling and seeing different cities was the best thing about being in the music industry. Touring was always my favorite part. What did you want to do?"
"The usual things most people dream of," I said. "Going to New York to see a Broadway show. Visiting a small little village in France and trying out all the wine. Going on a safari. Hiking the Incan trail."
