Look What I Found, Wilma

 

Brandon Manitoba was a great town to live near. We lived on the military base about 20 minutes away but we shopped and saw movies and especially drive-in movies in Brandon. Brandon was where the K-Mart and the McDonald's were. Brandon was where the coolest record store could be found along one of the downtown streets that we knew so well.

 

We used to take the bus every Wednesday in the Summer. It took us to Brandon for the day. We'd get some cash from our folks and get dropped off downtown. Go to the record store and the newsstand and then take the bus to K-Mart where they picked us up to take us home. It was the best kind of summer bumming around the big city.

 

One day in particular I remember when we had spent all our money on records and comics so we had only enough left over for one order of small fries...between the two of us. As we divided up our tiny haul, I looked over to see a baby with her mother. Both of them EACH had a Big Mac and Large Fries. There was no way a baby was going to eat an order that big. I though maybe a father would show up but nope. That baby had a full meal and we wanted it. We plotted and schemed and waited for our opportunity. To this day I am amazed how easy it was to talk each other into this scheme.

 

I remember at the time thinking that as long as I didn't look back after doing the deed, it would be okay. My buddy got up first and when the mother was distracted getting more ketchup for herself, I followed him. He grabbed the fries and the drink and I grabbed the Big Mac and we were out the door. We had stolen food from a baby in McDonalds. And the worst part was to my 14 year olds' code of morality this was a perfectly noble thing to do. That baby would have never finished that meal. It would have gone in the garbage. Plus what kind of parent feeds their baby a Big Mac? That is insane when they make a more baby friendly small cheeseburger.

 

Nothing tasted better than those fries and that burger split between us as we cowered around the corner of the bus stop.

 

And, you know what else? I did look back to see the look on the Baby's face. He knew he'd just been jacked but there was nothing he could do about it. He didn't even cry. I don't think he realized what had just happened to him.

 

This was the old Armoury where 82 Brandon Air Cadet Corp met every Friday night. We'd take the bus from the base and get donuts from Tim Hortons for the drive home. Then it was off to one of our houses for pizza and The Midnight Special.

 

 

The Cecil Hotel was the local dive bar. I like that the best hotel was in easy walking distance from the worst one.

 

I loved going for breakfast at the Voyageur restaurants after a night of movies at the Drive-In. They cut your toast diagonally there. That part always impressed me the most. Eggs were eggs but FOUR pieces of toast was always better than two.