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It's weird how smells play such an important role in how we remember critical events from the past. Anytime I look back on that fateful afternoon, I feel hungry because I smell French fries and grease. I like that smell, so it puts me in a happy mood, like how a little kid feels. I smell fries when I think about that amazingly special day that turned out to be so symbolic in my life. Who would ever guess? Who am I kiddingthose scents make me feel like a little kid because that is just what I was at the time. I was five.

"Are you excited?" My mom asked me this as I started fingering the latch to my seatbelt.
I kept looking forward, out the windshield and into the congested parking lot.
"We aren't late, are we?" I ignored her question, asking one of my own.
"Is everyone already here?" I began peppering her with my worries while still answering her question without knowing it. I am excited. In fact, I can't wait to get in there and see who's there. Some of these kids I really like. Some of them have names I don't even know, but we have fun at P.E. The last time one of us had a party here, we were here for hours. I love McDonald's.

There are so many cars moving around out here in the hot, sun-baked parking lot. I can't even see the glass doors of the restaurant, but I know which way to walk. The cars are lined up on the side of the building and someone is talking right from their car, to the lady in the window. A long car like Dad's is backing up and Mom gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. Her hand is smooth and warm, but it is strong, too. I know better than to pull my hand away because we're in a parking lot and cars are actually moving around. Dad's rules about walking behind cars in parking lots are automatically running through my brain. Always look at the lights on the back of the car. Always look to see if there is someone in the driver's seat. Expect the car to back out at any time. Don't walk behind the cars if you can avoid it. I'm with Mom, so it's okay. This guy sees us and he's not being dumb and backing up on us.

There are so many people inside that I feel like we're at the State Fair getting ready to eat everything. Everyone is in line, like at the movies. I smell French fries. I'm so hungry and I start looking at the pictures of all the food and I want to eat right now. The color pictures up high on the wall behind the counter show all different sizes of hamburgers and some pictures are of pie and ice cream sundaes. I never eat ice cream here because

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