Having Purpose Ch. 01: The McFlurry

Hello, my name is Steve, and I'd like to share a story about how my life changed forever. Let's begin by getting to know a bit about me. I'm in my mid-30s, working at a well-known fast food chain. It's a minimum wage job, but it affords me plenty of free time and minimal responsibility (my role involves training new crew members, but that's about it). My co-workers are a friendly bunch.

I've always been a bit shy around women, maintaining mostly close female friendships but never having a real girlfriend. Occasionally, some of these friends would reach out when they were feeling a bit tipsy or amorous. It turns out I'm rather skilled with my tongue and have a good amount of stamina, though the women need to take the lead since my shyness tends to hold me back. In short, I find myself used somewhat like a living Sextoy by them. Not that I mind.

I don't have many hobbies. Most of my time is spent in front of my computer, watching TV shows, browsing YouTube clips, playing games, and, well, indulging in some adult content. Close friendships aren't a strong suit for me, and you could easily label me as socially awkward.

With this backdrop in mind, you might already guess what unfolds when an attractive woman approaches my counter to place an order. Yes, I'm all smiles and professionalism as I take her order. At work, I'm confident and composed, well aware of my capabilities. Sure, a little extra fries or an extra swirl of soft-serve might find its way onto her tray if she's pleasant, but that's the extent of it. Until one day.

One day, a young woman entered along with her group of friends. They seemed a tad tipsy, probably coming from a party. Yet, this one woman emitted an energy that left me perplexed. She was dressed entirely in black -- a crop top baring her midriff, a short skirt, fishnet tights, and Doc Martens boots. She was perfection personified. As she strolled confidently toward me to place her order, I found myself taken aback, trying to fathom how someone could be so strikingly beautiful. It wasn't love, at least not what I understood it to be. But there was an undeniable attraction from the moment our eyes met. One-sided, of course, even though she seemed to notice something in me, too. There was a fleeting moment in her gaze, a spark of interest or maybe curiosity, that made my heart skip a beat.

After an intense 15 seconds of gazing, she broke the silence with a commanding yet amused tone, "Can we order now?" It took me another moment to regain my composure, and I replied apologetically, "My apologies, yes, of course." At that instant, I noticed a faint smirk forming on her exquisite lips. She then turned to her friends and inquired about their orders. They settled on some soft-serve ice cream. She swung her attention back to me, delivering her verdict, "We'll have six McFlurries, each a different flavor, just make sure none of those gross Oreos make it in." Before I could even respond, she turned back to her friends, effectively dismissing me.

Typically, I'd finalize the order and move on to payment. However, this time, I thought it best to expedite things and deal with the payment afterward, so as not to inconvenience any potential future customers (not that there were any at that moment). With deft hands, I prepared the McFlurries and returned to the counter, only to find them absent. After a quick scan, I spotted them outside. Balancing the desserts on a tray, I ventured out to them. She caught sight of me, her smirk now more pronounced, refusing to avert her gaze. She maintained direct eye contact as I approached the door. It seemed as though one of her friends intended to hold the door open for me, yet she silenced them with a subtle gesture. I fumbled with the tablet to open the door, my cheeks flushing in embarrassment. Finally stepping outside, I was met with her scrutinizing gaze.

Without hesitation, she remarked, "There you are, took you long enough." Perplexed, I replied, "Yes, sorry, I didn't notice you had gone outside." I wasn't entirely sure why I felt the need to apologize once again. The group hadn't paid for their order, nor had they waited. Her friends converged and claimed their ice creams from the tray I held. With only one left, she approached me, eyeing it with a hint of disappointment. She voiced her complaint, "But I wanted strawberry; this is chocolate." And again, I apologized, "I'm sorry, your friends already took the strawberry ones." A slight smirk danced across her lips. "It's alright, it's been quite a wait. I can manage a little longer while you prepare another one." She plucked the chocolate ice cream from the tray.

Hurrying to assemble another McFlurry, I returned outside. To my surprise, she was alone, listlessly poking at the chocolate ice cream with her spoon. As I approached the door, she scooped a spoonful into her mouth. Our eyes met once more, and she promptly spat the ice cream back into the container. Her smirk broadened into a genuine smile, her face brightening. "Finally! I had to try it for myself. Definitely not my flavor," she declared, holding the ice cream out to me. "But you should have it; we wouldn't want it to go to waste." She accepted her McFlurry from my hand and rejoined her friends, glancing back with a wave and a smile. Meanwhile, I found myself taking the first spoonful from the very same McFlurry she had just spat in.

Since there were no customers and I was working alone, I could really enjoy eating it without feeling any disgust at what I was doing. It was simply delicious. When I finished, I realized they hadn't paid for their order. Given that I was alone in the store, I decided to delete the order. I closed up the store shortly afterward and took care of the cleanup. She never left my mind after that encounter.