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Devil lady

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.