Bruce’s Confession – A Rekindled Romance With A Special Childhood Friend

In this day and age of Facebook, SnapChat, Stalkers.com, and other intrusive internet alternatives to create drama in our lives we're constantly hearing stories of former flings rekindling into full blown court cases.

This is not one of those stories. This is a story of passion, perfection, and love. It's okay my wife knows about it and she understands that she took a big step down when she married me.

When you grow up in a very small town like I did, the chances of you meeting or connecting with anything that isn't from right there in town is small. To say I was a sheltered child is a bit of an understatement. Still on one fateful day the universe aligned and I was thrust together with what I thought was going to be the absolute love of the rest of my life.

We met at a restaurant. It was crowded and noisy and my Mom was there too. It was awkward at first like all first time romances are. You're not sure which way to turn your head to insure proper lip and tongue contact. You don't know where to look after the embrace has been released. Your Mom is telling you to stop, you are an embarrassment.

Through my teenage years and most of the days at my many different college and radio station stops we managed to find time for each other everyday. Sometimes our meetings were strictly in public, other times we'd retreat to the privacy of my apartment or a solitary parking lot beneath the shade of the oak trees.

Even after I got married and dare I say on our honeymoon I still stole a few moments of passion with my secret love. I never thought it was wrong. I never tried to hide it. It was a 100% pure all American relationship. It was then I  found out I was not alone. There were a lot of others just like me. I'd probably seen them at lunch or after school or sitting in their cars too. I just never made the connection. We were all in love. Then it stopped.

I found myself attracted in another direction. Sadly this new love was a part of  the same family so I am sure there were awkward moments when I'd leave with my new found love and the former flame was left behind. The new courtship wasn't bad. In fact it really had its moments and I felt so grown up and mature after every encounter.

Yet something was missing, I wasn't getting every thing I needed or wanted out of the new relationship. Still it went on for several years and I guess I did what a lot of people do, I settled for what was familiar. I actually had forgotten about how much I missed that first love until my recent road trip to Atlanta.

It was shortly after one in the afternoon and we were all hungry so I pulled into McDonald's in Greenville Alabama. It's not the most picturesque town you'd ever hope to see, at least from the highway, but the people are very friendly. We went to the counter to  place our order and that's when I noticed my long lost love. I tried to deny it but the feelings were too strong. I knew we had to reconnect and it was going to be now or never.

Either the reunion was going to be a full blown Oprah hug fest or it was going to get ugly like every episode of Maury Povich. I called out the name I remembered and with one glance the fire was burning deep again.

After seeing us together my wife even suggested that "we get a room". It was a passionate reconnection to my childhood, to simpler times, to something that will always make me feel good and satisfy the hunger within. I don't know how long it's been since you've had a Big Mac, but for me it had been too long.

With one bite I was ten years old again. There were trees to climb instead of miles to drive. There was a simple joy of two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions on that soft warm sesame seed bun that took away the weariness of the road. I was right where I needed to be, holding something that I have always truly loved.

I am sure I will go back to the Quarter Pounder with Cheese every now and then but I think in the very near future, I've got some catching up to do with a special flavor of what life used to taste like. You never forget your first Big Mac.