I know it may be hard to believe that in the U.S. in 2008 there are people who have never had Taco Bell, but my stepson, Jacob was one of those people. He is 12 years old and had never had the pleasure of soft tacos from the land of Mexican fast food.
All of this changed today!
Jake and I were out for a day of errands and then a visit to the office. Lunchtime fell right in the middle of our errand running, so I gave Jake the choice of anywhere he wanted that was not a sit-down meal. Jake has a passion for food… he is actually a foodie at the age of 12. So for him to make a decision on where to eat is a difficult task. After about 15 minutes of him being in fast-food-indecision-land, I asked him if Taco Bell would work. I only have been a part of Jacob’s life for a little over a year, so when he told me he had never had Taco Bell, it was a fait accompli.
We did the drive-though, and Jake asked me to order for him. so I choose a Baja Chicken Gordita and 2 Soft Tacos for him and two Soft Taco Frescas for me.
We took the bag of Mexican goodies to the office, which was only 5 minutes away and Jake savored the meal as he washed it down with two cans of soda.
While there are people that are out there that will call me a crazy parent for making this a story about parenting, but there are times in a child’s life that you just feel lucky to be a part of it. Fast food is not a norm at our house, but the fact is that it is a part of an American life. And my happiness has never been greater than when Jake turned to me and said, “That was really good. I am glad you took me there.” That $8.04 Taco Bell meal may have been the best part of the week. I am lucky to be a dad.