I stopped at McDonald’s while I was in Michigan to get myself breakfast each morning before heading off to record the audio version of Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life Through the Power of Storytelling.
It turns out that my standard McDonald’s breakfast in Michigan amounts to $6.66.
The woman who took my order saw the price and said, “Oh, I hate when that number comes up across my register.”
I smiled, knowing that 666, the supposed number of the beast from Revelations, is a questionable interpretation of the number at best. Also, I don’t think that God or the Devil would care if my combination of sandwich, hash brown, and drink amounted to that number.
The next day, I returned to the McDonald’s. The same woman was manning the same cash register. I placed the same order, and once again, $6.66 appeared on the register.
“Were you here yesterday?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said.
“You ordered this yesterday,” she said. “Didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Why would you do that?” she asked, sounding exasperated. Annoyed, even. “If you know it costs $6.66, why wouldn’t you change it a little? Order a smaller drink or an extra hash brown?”
Possible answers flashed before me:
- I’m not a crazy person.
- I don’t allow Biblical numerology to alter my consumer decisions.
- I’m not superstitious.
- I’m still not crazy.
Instead, I said, “It’s not something I worry about.”
“You really should,” she said, now visibly annoyed.
I returned to the McDonald’s the next day, thrilled about the possibility of bringing $6.66 to her resister (and her life) once again.
I’ve never been so excited to order breakfast in my life.
Sadly, she wasn’t working. I ordered a Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit instead of my usual Egg McMuffin.
I was working hard. Sitting alone in a recording studio all day. Reading a book that I already knew well. I deserved a biscuit.
But bringing $6.66 back to that woman’s life one more time would’ve been better.
