Beyond Control

12

If there were any good things about our country, we typically had good weather. I'm not just talking about good temperatures and sunny days; I'm talking about the beautiful skies that were painted for us to admire. Today's sky was filled with puffy clouds that occasionally hid the sun and gave us a nice breeze. We were walking across the street as I marveled at the beautiful sky.

What? Just because I'm a guy doesn't mean I can't appreciate nature's beautiful artwork.

"I'm hungry," Xavian complained from the back seat, rubbing his stomach. "Can we get some food?"

Emily and I shared a laugh. Turning around, he was making a pitiful face as if he really had to go to the bathroom. "What do you want to eat?"

"Pizza."

There was no hesitation in his answer. I turned to Emily. "Is that okay with you?"

"I'm hungry, too," she replied. "Pizza sounds great."

"Sounds good to me," I stated as I cranked the engine and started to pull out of the parking lot. "Does anyone know any good places?"

Nobody answered for a couple of seconds. Xavian pulled out his phone. "I'll look."

I turned north and drove further toward downtown Fera. After a minute, I glanced at him through the rearview mirror. "Find anything?"

"Uh, I think so. There's this restaurant that's only a few minutes down the road that looks pretty good."

"Lead me there."

"All you have to do is stay on this road and turn right on sixteenth," he said. "It's about a block down the road."

I drove until finding the street I needed to turn on and did what Xavian directed. About a block down was an attractive pizza shop that advertised its homemade and hand-tossed pizzas. It made my stomach rumble.

Turning off the ignition, I stepped out and helped Emily from her seat, much to her gratefulness. We walked into the store and waited to be sat by the host, who was walking out of the kitchen. He greeted us with a pleasant smile.

"Good afternoon! Just the three of you today?"

"Yes," Xavian answered.

The host, who looked no older than us, marked a table on a chart and looked up at us. "Right this way."

He led us to a booth not far from the front doors which had a great view of the pretty weather. After setting down the menus, he told us the waitress would be with us shortly. Emily and I sat next to each other, and I was surprised that Xavian didn't comment on it.

I scanned through the menu. Besides the obvious and endless choice of pizza, they offered a variety of pasta, salads, and a few sandwich options. A few dishes had pictures to advertise what they looked like, and I couldn't settle on one thing. Was I in the mood for a pepperoni and sausage pizza, or did I want pasta? There was a salad dish that looked appetizing as well.

Our waitress came after a minute, and she was a short, darker-skinned girl who looked to be in her early to mid-twenties. "Hey guys! My name is Jordan. How are we today?"

"Good," Emily answered with a kind smile. "How's your day been?"

Jordan seemed taken aback by her question. "My day is fine. Thank you for asking. Not a lot of people take the time out of their day to ask about my day."

I chuckled. "I understand. People are self-centered these days."

"Enough about me, though," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "What can I get you to drink?"