“Hey Dave.”
Dave, one of the Dallas Mavericks’ lead nutritionists and the formulator of all the players’ individualized meal plans, looked up from his computer to see Luka Doncic standing in front of his desk. “Hey Luka. It’s cool that a star like you can lower yourself to associate with us commoners,” he joked.
“I love all you guys,” Luka replied, smiling. “I got a favor to ask you.”
“Sure.”
“Do you think the team chefs could make me some,” Luka started, before pausing to remember the correct terminology. “Supreme crunchywr-I mean, Crunchwrap Supremes for my meals?”
Dave sat still for a moment, then began laughing. “I see that a certain young Slovenian has sampled the delicacies of Taco Bell for the first time.”
Luka shrugged and smiled sheepishly. “Dwight took me. It was tasty, but it was only the one time.” This was a lie. He had enjoyed Taco Bell food on three separate occasions. He felt bad about lying to Dave, but he rationalized it by telling himself that, if this plan succeeded, he wouldn’t need to actually go to Taco Bell to get their tasty food. The team chefs could make healthy versions of it for him instead.
“That’s good,” Dave replied, adopting a more serious demeanor. “American fast food, while tasty, is not something that should be consumed regularly. The sodium and fat content of that food is way out of line with what an athlete should be eating.”
“Yeah, I got that,” Luka said, feeling guilty. “So. Crunchwrap Supreme?”
Dave shook his head. “Deep fried tortilla, sour cream, cheese, and red meat? That’s a no-go.”
“Maybe the nacho fries then?” Luka asked hopefully. Thinking about all these Taco Bell food items was making him hungry.
“Maybe,” Dave answered. “But they’d have to be baked, not fried, and there’d be no dipping sauce. That fake cheese is pure cholesterol.”
Luka felt his mood deflate. The cheese sauce was the best part of the whole thing. It could be put on any food to make it tastier. “Oh. Oh well. Just thought I’d ask.”
“Anything else you got for me?” Dave asked.
“Nope,” Luka replied. “See you around.” He left the office and found himself alone in one of the hallways of the Mavericks’ practice facility. Surreptitiously, he got his phone out of his pocket and opened the GrubHub app. There, he could see that it had already, based on his preferences, located the closest Taco Bell and was offering him the easy opportunity to place an order. Looking at Dave’s office door, then back at the phone, sweat began to bead on Luka’s forehead.