Time Machine in a Tortilla

 

 

1975

7:00 AM

Bay St. Santa Monica, Ca.

Surf Liquor, Main Street

Santa Monica Ca.

 

Cashier: Burrito. Chocolate milk. $1.24.

Me: Uh… uh huh. Here ya go.

Cashier: Thank you

Me: Cool.

 

In my senior year of high school, 3 buddies and I cut 1st period gym. We had a deal with our gym teacher, Mr Wageman (pronounced Way-guh-mun). We said we couldn't make it to 1st period gym, that was the time we went surfing. “Please don’t fail us, it’s still physical, right? Ya know, like swimming and stuff?” We took our 8mm camera and captured what we could. A week before the end of the semester, we presented Mr. Way-guh-mun a 7 minute film, unedited, raw as a head of lettuce. He gave us all Cs. We took it.

 

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeee Fast forward 40 year, 39 1/2 actually, but for dramatic effect, let’s say 40.

 

Feb. 4, 2014 5:15 PM I walked into our corner Exxon/7-11 with the sole intent of purchasing a regular, non flavored chap-stick. They only had 3 packs. Cherry. Fine. I glanced down to my right and saw a small 3X3 refrigerator, shiny and quite sturdy. 3 shelves. Apples on top, bananas and some packaged carrot cake squares tightly wrapped in cellophane on the bottom. The good ones with the cream cheese icing… and there on the middle shelf, surrounded by like combinations was my senior high school breakfast for 9 months. A 7-11 beef, bean and green chili Burrito Grande! Except for the conscientious calorie, fat and sodium counts as well as other serious warnings on the back of the wrapper, the packaging looked just as I remembered. I asked if they were fresh… "Come today”, Ghayoor assured me.

 

A buck sixty nine. The price is no issue. The gastrointestinal system is. And so is the acid reflux and possible scalding of the roof of my mouth as the “Grande” comes out of the microwave at roughly 2400 degrees. Like lava, only with green chili. I bought it. Pretty sure I was going out on a job that evening, I thought I’d save it for when I return some time estimated at around 11 PM. A perfect time for my re-acquainting of the Grande. As I got closer to the refrigerator, I stop. In my haste to leave 7-11 and the excitement of the Grande… I forgot to buy a carton of chocolate milk.

 

Now you may say, surely you can pull together some chocolate milk within your well stocked home.

 

I too, had that thought. But then I realized, this must be breakfast. So when I return from dropping my 7th grader off at school at 8:10 tomorrow morning, I will stop at the same 7-11, and without the previous hesitation I had the day before, I will add the 5th element, so to speak. I am seriously considering enjoying my Grande and chocolate milk outside, barefoot with sand in my shorts. No doubt it will be as good now... as it was then. Surf’s up, y’all