You can’t put a price on this cheeseburger.
—
Four months ago I met Mark, three weeks ago I knew I had fallen in love with him, two days ago he delivered me a cheeseburger. That one burger has made me fall even more in deeply in love with him.
Aged Dutch cheese and bacon atop a burger, perfectly grilled to medium rare, all sandwiched on a gluten free bun, something I know he stopped at a speciality food store to pick up that afternoon (yes, I’m allergic to wheat). But it didn’t stop there, grilled corn on the cob, and a perfectly roasted marshmallow at the center of a dark chocolate s’mores, just like we had oohed and aahed about a couple weeks earlier.
It wasn’t the best cheeseburger in the history of cheeseburgers, but it might just have been the one crafted with the most love.
This cheeseburger was his way of saying: I know how to take care of you. I want to take care of you.
|
It was a Monday and my first day back at work after vacation, which makes for a double rough day, but then I learned a close friend and colleague’s position was being eliminated. I’m sad for her, but also worried about my own career path.
I texted Mark, not because he can solve my own anxiety-induced reaction to the news, but because hearing how his day is will bring a smile to my face and make me feel better, if even momentarily. We talk, he wishes me a good rest of the afternoon.
What I didn’t know is the hours in between lunch and dinner, he went to the store to buy all the love burger ingredients, including the gluten free bun. I love food but historically I’m a really bad eater – wine and cheese is a typical dinner for me. Except when I am upset – I am an emotional eater and tend to swallow down my feelings one cookie at a time.
Mark knows this. And rather than leave me to my own poor gastronomic choices, he surprised me with dinner. This cheeseburger was his way of saying: I know how to take care of you. I want to take care of you.
He didn’t have to tell me he loves me. He didn’t have to tell me he’s ready for a commitment or in it for the long haul. This single act of cheeseburger, tells me everything I need to know, which in my book, is more valuable than any flowers, jewelry, trip, or more – I would call it priceless.
◊♦◊
Photo: Getty Images
I love this post-genuinely and honestly written. Looking forward to more from the writer in the near future.
The way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach?
The little things. My wife cooks for me all the time. When she works late she’ll come home to her favorite salad, tossed and ready. Whether I have one made up or make it myself, it makes a difference. I practically one her with a single breakfast.
The little things. It’s all about the little things.
Good story.