Pizza Town
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No one notices the copperhead slither its way through the back door of Pizza Town and under a booth where a family awaits their pizza.
David doesn’t notice because his attention is locked on Marie, hoarding the dipping sauce for the breadsticks. She has it pulled over directly in front of her and is slowly stirring it with an oily finger of seasoned bread.
“Could you pass the sauce?”
No reply.
David sticks out his lips in building annoyance.
Then he strikes. Shooting his hand forth like a gun, he snatches the bowl of pizza sauce out from before his sister, spilling a good bit on Marie’s arm and the table.
“Hey!” squeals Marie, slapping David’s shoulder and reaching to get the sauce back even as he shields it from her attack.
Dad looks up from his phone. His eyes are ready to jump out of their sockets.
“What is happening?” he begins in a booming voice, though low in volume. “How old are you two?”
(David is fourteen and Marie is twelve, in case you are wondering. Way too old for such behavior in a restaurant, don’t you think?)
David and Marie, of course, know that their dad isn’t waiting for them to answer. They are waiting for further correction…and a consequence.
But Marie decides not to wait. “I’m sorry, Dad,” she says quickly. She hopes this will reduce whatever penalty is coming her way.
David just sticks his lips out again.
Before Dad can follow-up, Ruth cuts in.
“Dad, Micaiah won’t stop playing footsie with me! It is so weird. Can you make him stop? And I have been wanting the pizza sauce as well. Can I get a turn since they are fighting about it?”
Dad huffs and rolls his eyes. Then his phone rings. He looks down to see who it is, answers, and speaks into the talking end of the phone, “Give me just a second.”
Turning to his children, he makes his instructions calm but stern. “You all will knock it off right now. You will stop provoking one another and start acting like Christians. I need to talk with your mom now.” He rises and takes a step toward the restaurant door before turning back and adding, “If anyone ignores what I’ve told you, you ignore that person. I will deal with him…” he glares momentarily at David and then Micaiah, “or her…” looking now at Marie and then Ruth, “when I get back.” (He looks at David and Marie first because they are the oldest. Ruth is nine and Micaiah is seven.)
So it is natural, with all this excitement, that no one notices the poisonous snake squirming about their feet. You wouldn’t have. You probably forgot about it even though I told you at the beginning of the story! But I am reminding you now because I want you to understand how dangerous things were for the children at this moment. Truly, what they do next will be far more significant then they could possibly realize.
After a little hesitation, David places the dipping sauce in the middle of the table.
“Does anyone have a piece of scrap paper? I’ll show you a game.”
Marie ignores his question and pulls the pizza sauce back to sitting directly in front of her. David sticks his lips out, but only for a second. He takes a deep breath and then spots a stack of fliers over by the cash register.
“Ruth, can you grab me one of those fliers?”
David is sitting on the inside of the booth next to Marie. That’s why he asks Ruth to grab it for him. She does. David folds and tears off a strip about two inches wide. (The flier was advertising pest removal services.) He folds it repeatedly and makes a tightly-bound triangle.
“I know this game,” comments Micaiah. “Can I play first?”
David looks at Ruth. “Do you mind if we play first?”
“Sure.”
Marie is now stirring the sauce again, this time with a half-eaten breadstick. David hates double-dipping. Marie knows this and makes it worse by licking the sauce off the end of the breadstick this time and dipping it again. Somehow (that “somehow” being the sheer grace of God) David ignores her.
Ruth feels Micaiah’s foot tickle her leg once again. Chills of disgust run up her spine and she wants to scream. But somehow (again, that grace thing) she just moves her leg over a bit and ignores his footsie. Except, truth be told, it wasn’t Micaiah’s foot that tickled her. It was the copperhead.
David and Micaiah start playing their game. It is a field goal contest using a paper football. David holds his hands out in front of him, thumbs together and index fingers pointing upward. Micaiah stands the “football” upon its end and holds it with the index finger of his left hand. He flicks it at the bottom with his right hand. Micaiah is good at this game. As they take turns, he successfully flicks three out of four through the uprights. David is having more trouble. He has only scored one point so far. They are playing to five.
Eh. David grunts as he takes another turn. At the same moment, Micaiah mimics David’s “eh” in playful mockery and Ruth sips her orange-flavored soda. The “kick” connects well and flies straight. David’s arms shoot up in victory just as the paper football smacks Micaiah in the middle of his forehead. His mock “eh” becomes an “eh-uh!”
Ruth can’t hold it together and spit-sprays her soda all over the table and her siblings in a burst of laughter. Everyone jumps in disgust and recoils, knees banging the table followed by hands slapping down and feet stomping. In the dark below them, a copperhead loses his life when three feet from three different children crush him, David’s left foot landing upon its head.
Marie manages to flip the now orange-soda flavored pizza sauce over in the commotion, and smiles, despite herself. Somehow, this all softens her heart. She turns to David.
“Sorry.”
A moment later, Dad returns to the table. He takes in the situation with a glance. A spray of orange soda everywhere. Spilled pizza sauce. Smiling children.
He grabs the last, now-soggy breadstick and the kids all wait to see what he will do. He shoves it into his mouth and smiles.
“Mom says ‘hi.’ ”
“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” (Romans 16:20)
Subscribe to my newsletter to receive a new short story every few weeks via email. This will also keep you in the loop regarding the completion and release of my work in-progress. So…go for it!