Hot pizza
by Cheryl, posted on June 24th, 2011 in Red Writing Hood
I left the bar and the boy with the turquoise eyes and wobbled down the sidewalk in search of a cab.
I had not had more than an occasional glass of wine since Justin died. And so three beers on an empty stomach made me wonder what happened to my feet.
I stopped and looked down, half-expecting my havaianas to be a few inches off the concrete, or possibly completely gone. But there they were, the bling politely winking at me.
There were no taxis in sight but there was a pizza by-the-slice place at the corner and I floated down there, the spicy scent of tomato sauce and oregano hitting me before I even opened the door. The windows were steamy and the place was busy, but not like it would be after midnight when the bars stopped serving food. I ordered two slices of pepperoni and a Coke and found a high table where I plopped down my plate and shoved half the slice into my mouth – which is when I lost half the skin on the roof of it.
I guzzled down some Coke and then I burped, not quite getting my hand in front of my face to block it. Which is exactly when the Windex-eyed bartender suddenly appeared in front of me.
“Bless you!” he said, smiling widely.
I should’ve been mortified. But I instead toasted him with my second slice of pizza.
“Saw you wander down here when I stepped out to get some air on my break. I was hoping I could get your number. I should’ve asked before you left.”
He looked expectantly at me.
“Sorry, ” I said after another swallow of Coke. “I’m married.”
This story is a work of fiction inspired by the prompt, “Write a 300-word flash fiction piece on the topic of life,” for The Red Dress Club. It is the continuation of the story of Cam: Part One, Part Two, Part Three and Part Four.
Tags: cam, fiction, hot mess, red writing hood, the red dress club, widow
Cheryl Reply:
June 25th, 2011 at 1:05 am
i feel like i’ve been there, except for the Windex eyed bartender. But the pizza and burping? For sure!
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