But Then What Happened?

I met ‘Mouse’ in late 1975. I was 16 and had just been hired for my first real job. It was at a fast food joint in Norwalk, California called Pup ‘n’ Taco. Mouse had worked there awhile and he helped train me in the fine art of rolling a burrito, making a taco and all the other duties associated with the preparation of quick and inexpensive Mexican cuisine.   Mouse was my age. We were both about halfway through our junior year of high school… although we attended different schools.   He was introduced to me as ‘Mouse’ and knowing that it couldn’t be his actual name, I wondered how he had picked up the nickname. When he spoke, I presumed I had my answer because his voice was sort of high pitched and squeaky… you know… like a mouse. I worked under that assumption for months but eventually was told the story about how he earned that moniker.   Mouse was very shy and spoke as little as possible. One day, a customer came through the drive through lane and placed he...