cou[rage] for the r[love]ution

“Ow.” The girl absentmindedly bumped into the doorframe. She entered the pizza shop with her nose buried in a book, only half paying attention to where she was going. She glanced at the menu and decided on a small, cheese pizza. Plain, no toppings. Her eyes darted back down to the book she was reading and she waited for the woman in front of her to decide on an order. 

“Ok, so you want a medium fry then? Its pretty big, its probably what you want,” said a low, calm voice behind the counter.

“No… hm. I’ll take the small.”

The low voice sighed. “Two dollars, please.”

The woman paid her bill and stepped aside. The girl with the book stepped forward, still reading. The low voice behind the counter cleared her throat and the girl jumped, startled, putting her novel on the counter. 

“Oh, sorry…” she began to apologize. Her words trailed off. She blinked a few times at the waitress and seemed unable to form words. The waitress glanced down at the girl’s book. She looked back up at the girl, raising an eyebrow and smiling slightly. The girl shook her head as if to snap herself out of a trance. “I’ll take a small cheese pizza, please.”

The waitress thought for a second and replied, “I think its actually cheaper to get a large today. Its a special we have every week. You probably want to do that.”

“Oh, okay.”

“That’ll be eight dollars.”

The girl paid and sat down. She opened her book again to read, but found herself staring behind the counter. The waitress looked over at her and the girl quickly busied herself with her book. 

Several minutes later, the waitress put a pizza box on the counter. “Hey,” she called over to the girl.

Startled for a second time, the girl looked up and realized her order was ready. She took it off the counter and caught the waitresses’ eye. “Thanks,” she said, blushing. The waitress smiled. “No problem,” she replied. “Do you, uh, need napkins or something?”

“I should be okay, I think. But, um, thanks,” the girl said slowly.

The waitress smiled again as the girl hesitantly turned back towards the door. She bumped softly into the doorframe for a second time. “Ow,” she said, walking out the door and onto the sidewalk before allowing herself a final glance into the pizza shop’s window.