No one expected too much of me. I was an only child, and my parents were pretty overprotective. When I rode a bike, I wore a helmet. When I skateboarded—not for long—I had the helmet, plus the pads for knees and elbows. My parents pretty much drove me anywhere I needed to go. School was easy and I didn’t have to try that hard. I’d had a couple of girlfriends but they were more like friends than girlfriends. At sixteen I was a virgin, and it was not a big deal to me. Sure, I was horny sometimes, but actually having sex with a girl seemed so... well, complicated, that I wondered if it was worth it. And there were stds to worry about and possible pregnancy and even AIDS. Are you starting to get the picture? The job at Burger Heaven was an out-there thing for me. My father tried to convince me not to take it and said he’d up my allowance. My mother said I should concentrate on school and my “social life.” “What social life?” I had countered. And then I was in line at Burger Heaven one day and saw the sign for help wanted.
