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pizza and pinball

8/28/16

3:00
dinner break
four new texts
“are you at work?”
“do you have anything going on tonight?”
“hey would you like to go for pizza”
“we can go to Jerry and Sal’s, it’s right near your house and your work”
 
I picked you up after work
we pulled into the parking lot at 6:30
ordered a large pepperoni pizza and garlic bites
spent the next five minutes trying to snort Coke
“who eats pizza with a fork, anyway?”
our pizza came, cheesy and covered in grease
the cheese made it impossible to separate slices
you ended up taking two slices home
making my car smell like pizza for a while
 
7:00 was too early to go home
so we headed downtown
to the arcade
which is open until 11 pm on Sundays
spent an hour and a half
just playing pinball,
skee ball,
bowling,
Atari
and requesting our favorites on the jukebox
praying this night would never end
 
of course it couldn’t last forever
and you climbed back in my car
we headed back to your house
with your pizza
and the memories
of the best night ever
of two kids in love
trying to get it right
trying to have fun
while we still can
 
my car still smells like pizza
no matter how much car freshener I use
I saved the game card from the arcade
tucked away in my wallet
the memories will still remain
even after I graduate this year
you’re still only a freshman
you have plenty of time left
but don’t forget
those nights we spent together
doing stupid, crazy things
the rides in my car
and nights of pizza and pinball

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