Just a Pizza Guy

Just a Normal Day

"Alright, Sam! We got one order at 23rd Street and one at 33rd Street! I'm counting on you to get both delivered pronto!" Jake shouted over all the hustle and bustle going on in the restaurant, Pizza Time Central. Samuel nodded, already coming to grab the boxes from Jake.

"Addresses on the boxes?" He asked coolly. Jake nodded. "I'm on it. Be back soon." He quickly turned headed for the door. Jake grinned. Samuel was the only one capable of pulling off what was considered an "impossible run." It entailed two orders that came at roughly the same time and the time it would take to reach the first stop would give the deliverer not enough time to reach the second stop before half an hour was up. Once a half hour was up, the pizza would be deemed too late and be given for free. Pizza Time Central's motto was, "If it ain't fast, it ain't Pizza Time." It wasn't a catchy motto at all (Samuel still doesn't understand why it's worked for decades), but it does stress the speed of good service. Usually each order would be given to a separate person to guarantee the birds got into the nests, but with Samuel the "impossible run" was no longer impossible. Samuel's modesty only made Jack even more pleased with his dependability. However, Jack didn't know the true reason Samuel was never late. Samuel always talked about getting lucky with lulls in traffic as cars always filled the streets, but the truth was, Samuel could make his bike outpace cars.

After Samuel walked outside and strapped the boxes to his bike, he took off and opened his backpack. He pulled out a zaplock bag with cheese pizza and quickly opened it and devoured the slice. He smiled in approval and mounted his bike.

"Gotta go fast," he thought to himself. He started off slow, mentally checking where he needed to go and the route to get there. He had run all over the city on foot and bicycle so many times before he had taken to heart where all the streets were. Once he was sure of the best route to the first stop, he began to speed up, and his narrow black olive-like eyes carried a glint in them. Strands of his pale blonde hair stuck out and rustled as he flew between cars, around people, and down the streets of New Koyto. New Koyto is a large and lively city of roughly 8 million people. It's buildings tower high above and reach for the clouds. Samuel remembered the days he first came to the city with his father and brother. He remembered how he stared up at the skyscrapers in wonder and awe. They're still cool, but he isn't quite so awed now. They're just another part of the city.

"Not bad," he said to himself as he stopped outside the first stop and checked his watch. 5 minutes. This has to be one of his best times for reaching 23rd Street. As he locked his bike to a nearby bar for bicycles, he glanced behind him, having an odd feeling. People were quickly walking by as always, not really noticing each other due to their phones or staring dead ahead like a robot with earbuds in, but then he saw the cause of his odd feeling. A young boy was lagging behind everyone going across the street at a crosswalk. It wasn't unordinary for young kids to be engrossed in their phones, but the sign that signaled it was safe to walk was counting down to zero. Everyone else crossed to the sidewalk, but the boy was still in the middle of the road when the sign hit zero. Samuel froze as he saw a car down the street speeding along, and the boy was directly in its path. He was going to be hit! Without thinking, he rushed to the boy and grabbed him, carrying him to the other side in the blink of an eye, the speeding car zipping by without a care. The boy froze up in surprise and stared at Samuel.

"Be more careful! That car almost hit you!" Samuel chided. The boy glanced at the car speeding down the street. He paled.

"I-I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention," he apologized shakily. Samuel could tell what almost happened was sinking in. He sighed and patted his shoulder awkwardly.

"It's okay, just be more careful, okay?" Samuel said softly. The boy nodded.

"Thank you, mister," he said gratefully, bowing. Samuel bowed back.