There is always a story behind a person's passionate undertakings. Every persistence, desire to overcome trials—these urges were influenced by such an impressionable event in the past, that the person was compelled to succumb to any means necessary just to quench one's needs.
With a chicken leg in one hand, and a cup of Coca-Cola in the other, a content Mark was thoroughly enjoying himself in McDonald's.
One glimpse at the boy, and his face would express just how satisfied he was. After all, satiating his craving for fast food was long overdue. Usually, the opportunity for such kind of fast food was uncommon due to their current life situation. However, as Mark had discovered Brian's little secret, he used it as a leverage, and bargained it for the food that he had been longing to have for so many days.
Like any other kid, his top recommendation was Mcdonald's. So there they went, ordered a lot of food on the menu, and sat down to have his little dream come true. As part of his job, Tony stood in the corridor and watched over the father and son. For a while now, he had been suppressing the urge to burst out in laughter. It was the first time for Brian to take Mark to such a place, and thus, they appeared to be in a rather comical situation. His restraint, which was on the verge of failing, only left him with a weird, distorted look on his face.
As Brian was seated with Mark on the other side of the table, his eyebrows creased at the sight of the Hamburger and Coca-Cola that was placed in front of him. Stealing a glimpse at Mark, he wondered how to start eating such a meal. As far as he could remember, Shirley never brought him to any of these fast food chains when he was a little boy. Now, however, he found himself in such an establishment, and it was all because of his son. Being Mark's father, this was the first time he took him there as well.
When Mark saw that Brian had not touched his food yet, he frowned in wonder and looked up at him. "Uncle," he said with a hint of uncertainty, trying to get his attention. "Do you not like the food?"
Averting his gaze from the food to the boy's earnest face, he put on a grin and shook his head in denial. "No, I like them as much as you do. I was just thinking which one I should begin with," he said, easing Mark's tension. He was not about to spoil Mark's day just because of these food. When he noticed the boy return back to his light-hearted and elated self, Brian began to take a sip of the soda.
"Uncle, why don't you try these chicken wings out?" suggested Mark, pushing the box of chicken wings towards him. "They're mighty tasty. Give it a try." He then added, "Look, there are plenty of them. I can't eat it all by myself, and Mom always reminds me not to waste or throw food away." The entire time he instructed Brian, his face turned into serious mode.
Tilting his head in a dubious manner, Brian knotted his eyebrows and wondered how to eat them. It seemed like a difficult task for him. However, at this point, he had no way of getting out of Mark's request. Embarrassing as it might be, he did not want to disappoint the boy. So, awkwardly, he grabbed a chicken wing from the box and started gnawing it in an elegant yet bizarre manner. Out of nowhere, a memory of Wing or Shawn taking him out to eat in a similar fast food when he was very young popped up in his mind. When he turned seven or eight, the casual fast food trips came to a complete end, and he was taught to eat meals which required a fork and knife instead of grabbing them by hand.
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