Free Taking Chances by Loni Flowers

on an official date or not, he always remembered his manners.
    Opening his menu, he asked, “What do you like on your pizza? Or rather, what do you not like on it?”
    “Hmm, well I don’t like a lot of sauce because it just makes the whole pizza taste like it. Oh, and I don’t like olives or green peppers.” She scrunched up her face in disgust. “I like everything else though.”
    “Well, that narrows it down,” he laughed. “Okay, what toppings do you want on it then?”
    “Oh, I don’t know. It’s been forever since I had a pizza. I’m sure I’ll like whatever you pick.”
    “Alright, have you ever had pineapple on your pizza before? It’s delicious. Pineapple and ham, that’s what my grandparents and I used to eat on Monday nights.”
    “Okay then, let’s get half pineapple and ham and half bacon and cheese. I love cheese.” Clair grinned. “Is that okay?”
    Before Alex could answer, the waitress approached their table, welcoming them to the restaurant. “You two know what you want, or do you need another minute or two?”
    “No, we’re ready, I’ll take a Coke and she’ll have…” Alex looked to Clair for a response.
    “Coke too, please.”
    As the waitress wrote on her notepad, she asked, “And what kind of pizza will you be enjoying tonight?”
                  Alex rattled off their order. The waitress promised to bring their drinks and breadsticks right out while they waited for their pizza. After the waitress left, Alex tried to keep the mood light. He hated seeing her cry and he didn’t want to make her sad again by asking any more personal questions.
                  “So, do your parents live around here?” Clair asked.
    That was always the dreaded question he didn’t like answering. But he couldn’t tell her that, especially after everything she’d told him about her father.
    “No,” he said somberly. “They were hit by a drunk driver when I was seven.”
    “Oh, Alex,” she said, placing her hand on top of his, “That is horrible. I’m so sorry. I’m an idiot; I shouldn’t have wished my father were dead earlier. If I’d known…”
    “It’s okay,” he replied as he waved his hand, brushing the comment off. “I don’t remember much about them. It happened a long time ago.”
    “You were so young. Do you have any older siblings?”
    “No, I was an only child and so were my parents. So my mom’s parents raised me. They were the only family I had left.” Clair squeezed his hand tighter.
    “All I remember are pictures of them with me sitting on their laps. I can still see their faces, but only from looking at their pictures.”
    “My grandparents were like my parents. Grandpa died of a massive heart attack when I was seventeen. We did everything together. Every Sunday we worked on his old cars, restoring them to mint condition.” He chuckled, “That guy could fix anything. Those were the days we talked about everything under the sun. I could tell him anything and he’d always listen and give me advice. Though, I don’t think learning about the birds and the bees was much fun,” he said, laughing. “Gran died two years after Grandpa. She got real sick and was always in and out of the hospital. Since it was just the two of us, I took care of her the best I could. Before she got sick, I was going to the local community college to get my basic classes out of the way and later transfer to a university. I had to drop out not long after, though, to take care of her. I hated to do it, but I have no regrets. It was worth it, if only to be with her ‘til the end. The doctors ran test after test on her and could never diagnose her sickness. When she did die, they said it was from ‘natural causes’, but I really think she just gave up without Grandpa. They were together for some fifty-odd years.”
    “Wow. I can’t imagine what it’s like losing the love of your life… after all that time. That’s every girl’s dream, to find a love