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Who Wants Pizza?
"I am so sorry. I didn't see the stop sign. Are you okay?" Corey panted as he rushed over to check on the person he just side-swiped at a rural intersection.
"I'm okay. Did you call 9-1-1?" huffed Lenny, the victim in the crash.
"Yes. I am so sorry. I am new to the area. I don't know the roads yet," Corey offered, his quivering lips acknowledging it was a feeble excuse.
Lenny peeled off the remnants of the air bag that had deployed on him and reached for his phone. "Giuseppe, I got into a car accident. I am okay. I am going to be delayed by at least two hours because I will need to have my car towed.
Giuseppe shared his concern and ascertained where the accident happened. "For some reason, there are a lot of crashes at that intersection," the pizza owner lamented.
"Giuseppe, give the pizza to someone you think might need it," Lenny voiced and ended the call with a friendly farewell.
The two motorists toiled through the inconvenient task of exchanging information and waiting for the state trooper and tow truck to arrive.
"I moved from out west. My wife and I were looking for a change of pace from all the hustle and bustle of city life," Corey offered, in an attempt to pass the time with idle conversation.
Lenny forced a half-smile and grumbled that he had lived in the area for over twenty years.
The state trooper arrived, surveyed the scene, inked the damage to each vehicle on an accident form, and began his oral investigation by questioning Lenny first, with Corey standing a distance away. Lenny offered his version of the events in a somber tone while the road patrolman dotted it down without looking up.
Next up was Corey, and as the trooper approached, Corey blurted out his guilt that rivaled a deathbed confession. "I feel terrible for causing this," he added, which Lenny overheard, and softened his feelings toward the man.
Lenny was checking the damage on the passenger side of the vehicle when he noticed a pizza delivery vehicle pull off the road near the intersection. Lenny's eyes squinted, accompanied by a curious tilt of his head as Giuseppe exited his vehicle, opened the trunk, and balanced three pizza pies on one hand and soda bottles in a bag in the other.
"Who wants pizza!" Giuseppe bellowed theatrically as he neared the scene of the crash.
Giuseppe read the perplexed look on Lenny's face. "You said to give the pizza to someone who might need it. Well, here it is," Giuseppe exclaimed and placed the food on the hood of his patrons' car.
The state trooper finished up with Corey, and they both shuffled over to the welcoming aroma of the pies filled with delectable toppings.
"I brought your order and enough for everyone," the pizza man cheered as Lenny patted the generous proprietor on the back.
Corey took no time to dig into a slice. "Mmm, this is delicious. I was looking for a good pizza place when I relocated."
Giuseppe's eyebrows bounced toward the patrolman as a lure, but the visual and aromatic presentation of the food was enough for the trooper to relent. "What the heck, I was officially off duty and on my way home when I got the call," he reasoned, while licking his lips and basking in first, second, third, and fourth bite bliss.
Corey approached Lenny and offered a handshake. Lenny paused a moment, looked Corey in the eye, and reciprocated his request. "We all make mistakes. Every now and then, I need a reminder," Lenny expressed with a warm smile.
© Jon Moray
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| Jon Moray |
Jon Moray has been writing short stories for over a decade, and his work has appeared in many online and print markets. When not working and devoted to his family, he enjoys sports, music, the ocean, and sci-fi/Fantasy media. Read more of his work at moraywrites.com.
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