I DREAM OF A HAMBURGER
I lie in bed, a tall, skinny girl of 10 years old, powerless and puny. Since I didn’t feel well, I stayed in
my room. Excused from answering Daddy’s calls, “Hey, get us another beer.”
Sounds of Mama, Daddy, and his drinking buddies drifted in from the living room.
I didn’t like to lay in bed, but at least I wasn’t Daddy’s little waitress for the men with groping hands. I
was safe in bed, and hungry. Not up to par, but hardly ever so sick I didn’t want to eat. I had dreams
of a big, fat, juicy hamburger, with ketchup, mustard, relish, onions, lettuce, and tomato. Better yet, on a
toasted bun.
Mama fed us, and always managed, with her small food budget, to keep her family from
going hungry. We survived on beans, macaroni, and brown bananas. With an occasional pork chop or a
burger. A neighbor who worked in a grocery store kept us supplied with outdated bananas. For special
treats, Mama made the most delicious banana bread, and home-made pies with those spotted bananas.
Daddy never went hungry. He made Mama cook for him every night. Around 2:30 am., after the bars
closed, he’d drag in and order Mama to get out of bed and cook a T-bone, or a Porterhouse. The aroma
of steak and mushrooms rolled into our room. The only thing we kids ever got was a whiff to savor.
Daddy worked hard through the week and needed his nourishment, so the steak was only for him. I’d
never sampled his delicacy, but I longed for a big fat, juicy hamburger.
The sound of someone coming into my bedroom startled me out of my daydreams. A man peeked
around the curtain. Oh, no, 
not another one of Daddy’s drunken friends to fear. He came closer, but not
too close. He acted friendly but in a rather genuine way.
“Hi kiddo,” he said. “Are you flaked out in here? Or are you still movable?”
“I’m OK,” I managed to whisper, grateful he wasn’t trying to touch me.
“Do you need anything?” He asked.
“No, I’m fine.”
“Don’t worry,” he said, “I’m not going to hurt you. I wanted to make sure you’re alright and find out if
you’re thirsty, or hungry?”
“Well, I squeaked, “I’d like a hamburger with the works.” Dork, now where do you think he’s going to
get a hamburger?
“A hamburger?” He laughed. “I thought you were sick?”
He turned and left the room.
I must have dozed off for a few minutes when someone surprised me and pulled back the curtain. The
polite man from earlier had returned. A Divine fragrance filled the room, coming from a bag he carried.
He walked over next to my bed, “Here,” he smiled, “special made, just for you.” He handed the brown
sack to me, turned, and hurried out of my bedroom.
I tore open the bag and pulled out a huge hamburger. Super thick beef, resting between a freshly toasted
bun. Melted yellow cheese ran out the sides of the still-warm burger. Mustard, ketchup, relish, lettuce,
tomato, and a thin slice of white onion rested on top of the meaty ground beef. Unbelievably juicy. My
mouth barely fit around the burger, but I managed, and it tasted scrumptious. Eating was messy, but
flavorful, and so worth all the drips. Daddy’s T-bone couldn’t compare to the Grilled Giant.
Honestly, the most awesome hamburger I ever had, even to this day, many years later. But, more
importantly, the man who came into my room with no intentions of harming me, touched my soul. He
wanted to do something to help a lonely, sick, child. He left his drinking friends—and he didn’t grab a
quick McDonald’s kiddie meal—he drove to the nearest restaurant, waited while they cooked his order,
and hand-delivered it back to me.
I don’t remember his name, but I will never forget his kindness. “Thank you, whoever you are. You
made an impact in the life of one sad little girl. To this day, whenever I eat a hamburger, memories
flood back of you.”
Total Word Count 701 August 10, 2013