The Smile Always Fades

23. Pepperoni Please

A few days had passed since the soiree and the lovely night with Steven. Cassy had given Anna so much flack about meeting, talking, and dancing with him that she had Anna blushing a bright red hue before they even made it to the condo from the taxi ride home. But Anna had some leverage and just bantered back with teasing comments about Timothy.

Anna only had two more days before she had to get on a plane flying back to Oregon. She didn't want to leave--she and Cassy had been having so much fun together--she knew she'd feel a bit lethargic once she got back home. Cassy always seemed to make Anna feel more bubbly and happy to live life, even while paralyzed she had an optimistic view on life, at least that's what Anna could see.

"So Anna," Cassy said once the girls had finished their morning routines. "How about going and getting ourselves a real slice of New York style pizza?"

"Just because I've never been to New York before, doesn't mean that I've never had New York style pizza," Anna countered.

"Well sure, but you've never had New York style pizza in New York." She had a point.

An hour later, Anna found herself standing and looking at a neon green and pink sign that flashed "Tony's Pizza Pizazz." Pizazz? Anna thought. Who uses that word anymore? And why use it for a pizza shop?

"The pizazz is in the flavor of the pizza," Cassy explained, reading Anna's mind.

"Oh, cool..." Anna wheeled Cassy in and the moment they made it through the doors, Anna was hit by a wall of deliciousness. The different smells of cheeses and meats, veggies and sauces made Anna's mouth water and head spin. She became greedy with hunger and immediately shifted her eyes to the menu, trying to figure out which kind of style she'd want. The place was dimly lit, not for a fancy or sensual effect, but Anna took it as a more calm and laid back place to eat and hang out. She could see a young man out of the corner of her eye throwing a large round sheet of pizza dough in the air and catching it before it went splat on the red brick floor. It seemed like quite an art to be able to kneed a piece of dough like that, and a lot of hard work, but this guy made it seem effortless.

"The Meat Lover's is pretty good," Cassy suggested. "But my favorite is the Mediterranean Delight. My mouth is watering just by thinking about it! You know, they make the pizza right in front of you and then cook it in a clay oven, it makes the pizza amazingly crispy but not too burnt."

"Hmm, sounds good." Anna moved out of the way for an overweight man rushing to the pick up counter to get his pre-ordered pepperoni slice. She watched him as he looked at the pizza as if it were the answer to all of life's questions and he took a deep whiff of the pie's fumes. Good grief, I want what he's having.

"Ready to order?" Cassy asked.

"Sure." Anna pushed the wheelchair and they made it to the young guy who was flipping pizza dough just a moment ago, he was now running the cash register.

"I'll have the Mediterranean Delight," Cassy confidently said, like she had done this a hundred times before...she probably had. "And..." Cassy looked over at Anna expectantly.

"Oh! And a Pepperoni, please." The man looked at Anna and gave her a faint smirk, "please" was something he rarely heard.

What did I say? Anna wondered to herself. She just smiled back.

The process of the pizza being made in front of her blew Anna's mind. She had never seen something like that from where she lived. How could a place in the same country be the polar opposite to how she herself lived? Cassy must have had culture shock for quite a few months after moving here...along with other changes she had to go through, of course. The slices were thrown out on the pick up counter in no time, which impressed Anna, she could tell that these guys had been making pizza's for quite some time to be able to whip one out in eight minutes tops.