It has been said that each one of us gets one GREAT LOVE in our lifetime. One of those loves that rivals a Matthew McConaughey rom-com. A heart-beating-out-of-your-chest, country-song kind of love. A love so strong and so real that you would do absolutely anything for your other half.
I have been lucky to have a love like this for the past seventeen-and-a-half years. I have never been let down. I have never questioned whether what we had was real or not. I have never had any reason to believe that infidelity was ever committed. I am so blessed every single day. Each time we reunite, I fall in love all over again.
Year after year, I know I can go to my companion with anything, and I will be loved and supported no matter what I am going through. Our story is set in three parts, in three different locations. Each location holds special memories that I will never forget, and in each location, I grew and discovered more and more about myself. Without McDonald’s, I would not be who I am today.
Chapter I: 4720 Broadway St, San Antonio, TX 78209
My maternal grandmother, Nanny, was the one who introduced us. She would pick me up from daycare nearly every afternoon during the week and take me through the drive-thru. At the tender age of three, I fell hopelessly in love with the Supersize French fry, and each time we went, I would devour an order all by myself. God bless Nanny for taking me and always getting me a Supersize fry, even when my mother told her not to. Those times, sitting in Nanny’s backseat and going to town on hot, fresh French fries, are some of my earliest (and) best memories.
As I grew older, my mom would take me there around two to three nights per week, and I think that’s when my bond with McDonald’s was truly solidified. From 1997 to around 2000, I was ordering Happy Meals with hamburgers, but once I moved to Austin from San Antonio, I switched to getting Chicken McNuggets, and the rest was history.
Chapter II: 3300 Bee Cave Rd, West Lake Hills, TX 78746
In 2010, I started attending a Catholic high school about 15 minutes from this location. As my appetite and I both grew, so did the size of my order. On a typical day, I would order a 10-piece Chicken McNugget with a large fry and a large Coke.
The McDonald’s Coke, much like their fries, is something special. I have heard that McDonald’s has their own Coke formula, and that there is sugar in the ice machine. I have also hypothesized that the size of the signature red-and-yellow straw that is manufactured for the Golden Arches. Whatever the case may be, a McDonald’s Coke is not like a regular Coke, but is so much more.
As soon as I learned to drive, I was constantly going to get McDonald’s before football games, and when my friends and I were feeling daring, we would skip mass and pile in my car, and I would drive like a bat out of hell so we could all order, eat, and get back to school on time to avoid getting demerits. It was around 2012 when I came to the realization that I would be leaving home to go to college, and subsequently this McDonald’s location. Luckily, we were not apart for very long.
Chapter III: 801 University Dr, College Station, TX 77840
The fall of my sophomore year of College, I transferred to Texas A&M University, a decision that will keep me smiling for the rest of my years, just like McDonald’s has. I was blessed to move to an apartment within walking distance of this location, and it was my savior that first semester. I was alone and friendless and depressed, and my signature large fries never failed to cheer me up. I could even go as far as saying that McDonald’s saved my life, because they don’t offer delivery, so I was forced to get out of bed and go interact with the world. I know our unfailing love will last a lifetime.
After a night out on Northgate, there’s absolutely no greater feeling than walking in and getting an order of fresh French fries, something this location does quite well. I tell every single person I come across about the love I have for McDonald’s. Some ask, “Why? It’s disgusting!” Some say, “That’s really weird…” Others have said, “You realize how many calories are in a Value Meal, right?” They just don’t understand the bond that we have. Through the highest peaks and the lowest valleys that I have walked through in this life, McDonald’s has never left my side. I truly believe in McDonald’s, and I can only hope that, at the end of the day, McDonald’s believes in me too.
