Citizen Burger

As silly as it seems to document a burger joint, this place will always hold a weirdly large place in my heart. Last April, an old flame reached out to reconnect and our first date was here. It was also the first time dining out in Charlottesville “post” covid. As we chatted and ate the greasy burgers in front of us, it was the first time in a year that I felt comfortable around guys (my anxiety since 2020 had been horrid). This first date would lead to others and would lead to a cliché, torrid affair. It was the first time I saw I deserved to be treated, but like all torrid affairs, it would end in heartbreak. Regardless, every time I walk past citizen burger, I get a weird heaviness in my heart. Not the bad kind though, but the grieving kind that reminds you of something found, then something—rather someone lost.