Broken Beauty

Oliver

I knew that night was too good to be true. That was too fast of a recovery. Things felt strange.

"Daisy, are you sure you're okay?" I asked her, after she started limping a bit.

"I'm fine. Doctor said I don't need crutches anymore. I'll be okay."

"I can carry you"

"Oliver- I'm okay."

I held the door of the pizza parlor open for my princess, and we were welcomed by the familiar scent of pizza and sound of arcade machines.

"Oh my stars!" Loraine exclaimed from behind the cashier. She rushed over to us, and gave us a big hug. "Daisy and Oliver. You guys are so... Old!"

Loraine started getting teary eyed. She had watched us grow up. She owned the pizza place, which served the best pizza in town.

She didn't mention Daisy's face, nor make any facial remarks. All she saw were the two blue eyes that had grown up with her since she was just a toddler.

"Just a cheese pizza," Daisy and I said in sync. All three of us laughed and I paid the $4.75 for it.

As we waited for the pizza to cook, Daisy and I ran to the arcade to play our favorite game. I pulled up a chair for her.

The game was a little ball, going through a maze. It was easy, and fun. At the end you get to keep the balls. We used to bounce them on the side of the school in-between classes. I still have all of mine, a shoe box-full under my bed. I thought of donating them once but I couldn't seem to let go.

Daisy won a pink ball and I won a yellow and brown striped one, that looked like a disoriented bumble bee.

We sat down on the same table as we were kids. Last time we were here, Daisy choked on a pizza crust and had to be saved by Loraine. Neither of us eat the crust anymore.

The pizza sat between us. I held her hand on the table top.

We bit into the Pizza. It was still just as fantastic as I remembered.

It's funny, how just when your life gets good, it all crumbles down again. Literally.