The Safe Choice

You order a plain cheeseburger. No peanut butter. No fried mac and cheese topping. Just meat, cheese, and a bun.

It arrives quickly, efficiently, and unremarkably. You take a bite. It is fine. Perfectly fine. Exactly what you expected, nothing more.

Around you, the restaurant hums. The playlist blares 90s alt-rock: a band you once loved, now playing in the background. At the next table, someone laughs ecstatically as their peanut butter burger drips onto the plate. They moan in revelation, whispering, “I didn’t know food could do this.”

You stare at your burger. You chew. You swallow. It fills your stomach but leaves your soul untouched.

On the wall, a Texas longhorn skull, or perhaps just décor from Hobby Lobby, seems to sneer at your lack of courage.

You will live another day, yes. But late at night, years from now, you will still wonder what could have been.

Try Again?