Ronald and Hamburglar were listening to the radio on a sunny summer afternoon at Ronald's beach house. They sat in lawn chairs stretched out to lounge in the sun with an umbrella overhead. Ronald lounged around in his wig and face paint like the whole clown he was. Hamburglar rested in shorts while shirtless. They talked about the clouds, the sun, and everything around them. The air sizzled and the radio produced a faint static over the hottest tunes in McDonaldland. The chatter went silent and made way for a radio voice to announce the next song, "Now it's time for a throwback. From the 80's, the biggest musical superstar in the history of McDonaldland, here's Mac Tonight with 'Blast Back'".
The song was an 80's throwback in rockabilly getup. Hamburglar had never heard it before and it took him by surprise. He knew about Mac from news and what he had seen on television, but never had he cared to listen to anything but his biggest hits. Through his shades, he could see Ronald smiling quaintly through his own. They were both silent for the first few seconds of the song. Ronald had fond memories of Mac and his time in the spotlight.
"Ronald? You knew Mac, right?"
"Yeah..." Ronald smiled to himself with the thoughts of an old friend.
"What was he like?" Hamburglar pondered aloud.
"He was cool, you know, the kind of person who would answer a simple question like that with a joke."
Hamburglar sat up in wonder, "What ever happened to him?"
"He just disappeared. Some say he got killed, some say he killed himself, some say he just ran away. Some say they've seen him out in the east, but...we don't know if it was really him or an impersonator," Ronald's smile was still audible in his words, "You remember Mac, don't you?"
"I never met him," said Hamburglar, "But I remember when he was hired, and I remember everyone talking about him. I remember people accusing him of saying some pretty nasty racist stuff, but I don't ever remember anyone having proof of him saying that stuff."
Ronald seemed to ignore this, "Well, when he got older he started to pick up less work, but he was still very well-mannered, well-composed, but witty. He was very charming. He remains a chick magnet to this day."
"I remember when he got accused of doing some pretty damning stuff. I remember when accusations came out, nearly overnight, that he had been acting a little, you know... But I don't know enough about it," Hamburglar's voice got lower.
"None of it's true. He just had a hard time of it. Everyone gets accused of things. Look at me, look at yourself," Ronald clarified, "You're a criminal. I'll always forgive you, but will the public?"
"I guess not," sighed Hamburglar.
Later that night, Hamburglar questioned the morality of himself, the public, and of the immortal judge. He sat awake in his pajamas and contemplated how all living creatures would be judged in the eyes of God. In all of McDonaldland, had so many people really been so quick to incriminate Mac? He thought to himself, what do they think of me? Hamburglar was, is, and always has been, a questionable figure to the public. He was infamous for his deeds and yet received admiration for his comical attitude. Was this the case for Mac, or was there more to this story?
Hated for his work and loved for his personality, Hamburglar considered that it may have been the opposite of his own situation. Then again, he thought, it really wasn't. Mac was loved for his work, but was never outwardly cruel, according to Ronald. Hamburglar fell asleep that night thinking about what it truly meant to be a public figure, and how he and his friends would be remembered for years beyond.
