Status: complete (:
Mr. Jesse, The Pizza Thrower
The End of the Beginning
I woke up that morning feeling the same shit I'd been feeling for seven years. I'm twenty-five now, you do the math. I get out of bed and walk to my little dirty bathroom in my little dirty apartment. Not enough time to clean it.
Splash water on my face. Lean on the sink. Look up at my reflection. The water drips off my face. I feel like shit. The city begins to wake up. Car horns, sirens, and airplane engines. I sigh.
It's the same thing every day.
Wake up, go to work, come home, sleep.
I really do hate my life.
Like most people, I was shoved into a lifestyle I did not want. I'm a pizza thrower for a sort-of upper class chain restaurant, but if I had it my way, I'd be a historian working for a prestigious museum.
My parents died right after I graduated high school. I had a scholarship to Brown University, but my younger brother was still in school. WE had no relatives. I could have gone off to school and left my brother to a foster home, or I could have given up my scholarship and helped support my brother. I chose to help my brother.
Upon graduating, he received a full scholarship to West Point and is currently in the Air Force. I haven't spoken to him in years.
Sure, I chose to help my brother, but the situation was thrust upon me.
I'm not stupid. I got average grades in everything except history and literature. In those two I excelled beyond my years. I wanted that scholarship so bad, so I worked my hardest in all my other subjects in order to get the full scholarship.
My shoulders slumped, defeated.
A few hours later I was at work. Throwing pizzas for people I didn't, nor did I want to, know. I spoke to a few people. Mike and Reggie, both attending the near by college, looking for some extra cash.
Kay, one of the waitresses, came by and hinted she'd like to go out with someone. I paid no notices. I don't focus on trying to date anyone. I focus on not becoming homeless.]
Lunch rush came and went. It was pretty quiet for a while. Right before the dinner rush. Something changed.
Two girls walked in. They were seated in a booth to the left of my throwing station. They were both quite attractive. One had dark hair, big eyes, and a small nose. She had a bit of an alluring smile that made you want to go and speak to her. The other girl was a little short, but very curvy with tanned skin and mahogany hair. She had big eyes, a big smile, and an intense air about her. Like if I went and tried to speak to her, I'd freeze up and not know what to say.
They sat there, and Kay took their orders. I threw more pizzas.
I could hear them talking, the two girls I mean. They had low animated voices. I felt drawn to them, somehow. I wanted to sit near them and just listen to them speak. To bask in the beauty of their voices.
Thirty minutes after the two girls had arrived, I had my break. I took off my apron and went out the back door. Sitting on the curb, I rested my elbows on my knees and shighed. 15 minutes and I go back to throwing more pizzas.
"I've never seen you at the University." I heard someone say.
Startled, I looked up and saw the curvy girl from across my station. She stood with her hands behind her back, looking up towards the sky. They way the sun light hit her made her appear almost angelic.
"I'm friends with Mike, and he told me about this place. Said most of the people that come here got to the University, but I've never seen you around."
She looked down at me and smiled that big smile. I stared at her for a few moments. Her eyes were a deep brown, and I felt like I'd lost myself in them. She was easy to read, but there were things i could not see. It made me want to know what she was thinking.
"Uh...N-no. I'm not a college student."
"Oh, so you're just working here...like..." She paused, confused. It made me smile. She was a beautiful girl.
"yes, this is my full-time job."
She sat next to me and smiled "I'm Sara."
"Jesse." I stared at her.
Why was she speaking to me?
"Did you want to go to college?" she asked, then pursed her lips. "I'm sorry, that was probably too personal of a question."
I smiled at the ground "No, it's fine. I did want to go to college, though."
"What happened?"
"Reality kicked in" I replied bitterly.
Sara wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her head on her knees. Looking past me, she said, "I've always wanted to attend this University." she said fondly.
Another pause.
"Do you still wish you could go to school?"
I nodded. "I wanted to be a historian. Work at a really nice museum, become a professor."
We were quiet for a while.
"Well Mr. Jesse, the Pizza Thrower..." she pulled out a small slip of yellow paper, "You should give me a call sometime, and maybe I could hook you up with a history program at the University."
I took the slip of paper and stared blankly at her.
Sara winked, stood up, and slowly walked away with her hands behind her back.
First thing that went through my head?
'God she is so different from anyone I've ever met."
Second thing?
'Will I see her again?'
Third and final thing?
'Is there hope for Mr. Jesse, the Pizza Thrower?'
...It all depends on the path I choose.
Splash water on my face. Lean on the sink. Look up at my reflection. The water drips off my face. I feel like shit. The city begins to wake up. Car horns, sirens, and airplane engines. I sigh.
It's the same thing every day.
Wake up, go to work, come home, sleep.
I really do hate my life.
Like most people, I was shoved into a lifestyle I did not want. I'm a pizza thrower for a sort-of upper class chain restaurant, but if I had it my way, I'd be a historian working for a prestigious museum.
My parents died right after I graduated high school. I had a scholarship to Brown University, but my younger brother was still in school. WE had no relatives. I could have gone off to school and left my brother to a foster home, or I could have given up my scholarship and helped support my brother. I chose to help my brother.
Upon graduating, he received a full scholarship to West Point and is currently in the Air Force. I haven't spoken to him in years.
Sure, I chose to help my brother, but the situation was thrust upon me.
I'm not stupid. I got average grades in everything except history and literature. In those two I excelled beyond my years. I wanted that scholarship so bad, so I worked my hardest in all my other subjects in order to get the full scholarship.
My shoulders slumped, defeated.
A few hours later I was at work. Throwing pizzas for people I didn't, nor did I want to, know. I spoke to a few people. Mike and Reggie, both attending the near by college, looking for some extra cash.
Kay, one of the waitresses, came by and hinted she'd like to go out with someone. I paid no notices. I don't focus on trying to date anyone. I focus on not becoming homeless.]
Lunch rush came and went. It was pretty quiet for a while. Right before the dinner rush. Something changed.
Two girls walked in. They were seated in a booth to the left of my throwing station. They were both quite attractive. One had dark hair, big eyes, and a small nose. She had a bit of an alluring smile that made you want to go and speak to her. The other girl was a little short, but very curvy with tanned skin and mahogany hair. She had big eyes, a big smile, and an intense air about her. Like if I went and tried to speak to her, I'd freeze up and not know what to say.
They sat there, and Kay took their orders. I threw more pizzas.
I could hear them talking, the two girls I mean. They had low animated voices. I felt drawn to them, somehow. I wanted to sit near them and just listen to them speak. To bask in the beauty of their voices.
Thirty minutes after the two girls had arrived, I had my break. I took off my apron and went out the back door. Sitting on the curb, I rested my elbows on my knees and shighed. 15 minutes and I go back to throwing more pizzas.
"I've never seen you at the University." I heard someone say.
Startled, I looked up and saw the curvy girl from across my station. She stood with her hands behind her back, looking up towards the sky. They way the sun light hit her made her appear almost angelic.
"I'm friends with Mike, and he told me about this place. Said most of the people that come here got to the University, but I've never seen you around."
She looked down at me and smiled that big smile. I stared at her for a few moments. Her eyes were a deep brown, and I felt like I'd lost myself in them. She was easy to read, but there were things i could not see. It made me want to know what she was thinking.
"Uh...N-no. I'm not a college student."
"Oh, so you're just working here...like..." She paused, confused. It made me smile. She was a beautiful girl.
"yes, this is my full-time job."
She sat next to me and smiled "I'm Sara."
"Jesse." I stared at her.
Why was she speaking to me?
"Did you want to go to college?" she asked, then pursed her lips. "I'm sorry, that was probably too personal of a question."
I smiled at the ground "No, it's fine. I did want to go to college, though."
"What happened?"
"Reality kicked in" I replied bitterly.
Sara wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her head on her knees. Looking past me, she said, "I've always wanted to attend this University." she said fondly.
Another pause.
"Do you still wish you could go to school?"
I nodded. "I wanted to be a historian. Work at a really nice museum, become a professor."
We were quiet for a while.
"Well Mr. Jesse, the Pizza Thrower..." she pulled out a small slip of yellow paper, "You should give me a call sometime, and maybe I could hook you up with a history program at the University."
I took the slip of paper and stared blankly at her.
Sara winked, stood up, and slowly walked away with her hands behind her back.
First thing that went through my head?
'God she is so different from anyone I've ever met."
Second thing?
'Will I see her again?'
Third and final thing?
'Is there hope for Mr. Jesse, the Pizza Thrower?'
...It all depends on the path I choose.