Chapter 5: The Master

(< and > denote thoughts instead of dialog)

Polly lay in the sun beams on the beach of Prisoner Island soaking up their warmth.  She raised her head
up and looked around.  She saw Speedy and Good Bird playing volleyball a ways down the beach.
It looked like Speedy was getting angry again that Good Bird kept flying when he blocked and
spiked.  He was getting that narrow eyed-gritted teeth look that he gets when he's frustrated.  She
always thought he looked kind of cute when he got that look.  She never missed an opportunity to
harass him until he made it.  Out in the waves, Spritz was trying to teach General Catton and Bat
Cat how to body-surf.  She supposed that it didn't help that General Catton couldn't swim.  Of
course, a man with a gut like his shouldn't have any trouble staying afloat.  She laughed to herself
when she thought this.  The man was hard as iron under that flab, but he still had a lot of flab.
Meowzma was building a sand castle on the other side of the blankets that she, Carla, and
Elizabeth were laying on.  Polly looked at the empty green blanket next to hers and wondered
where Francine had gotten off to.  After a moment she realized that Guido wasn't anywhere to be
seen either.  Polly got up and started walking around looking for them.  She saw a path leading
into the forest from the beach and followed it for a few minutes.  Suddenly, everything went dark
and Polly fell.  She fell forever and hit the ground hard.  She got up and saw that she was in her
armor.  On the ground in front of her, she saw Francine and Guido laying unconscious.

Polly: <Oh no!> "Francine!!!  Guido!!!"

She ran over to them and saw them crisscrossed with wounds.  She tried to run back to the beach
for help, but she couldn't see any way out.

(Thump)

She stopped and listened, not sure if she had actually heard something.

(Thump)

She heard it clearly this time.

(Thump)(Thump)

Polly reached for her sword, but found that t wasn't there.

(Thump)(Thump)

She checked for her heart darts and found none.

(Thump)(Thump)(Thump)

The impacts were getting faster now.  Polly heart was beating so fast that she couldn't tell the
difference between it and the sounds she was hearing.

(Thump)(Thump)(Thump)
(Thump)(Thump)(Thump)
(Thump)(Thump)(Thump)(Thump)
(Thump)(Thump)(Thump)(Thump)
(Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump
ThumpThumpThumpThumpThumpThumpThumpThump)

Polly looked up and saw two huge glowing eyes coming out of the darkness.  The huge figure
stepped into the light.  It was a Ninja Crow, fifty feet tall with a sword so long that its tip was lost
in the darkness to the side of her.  Polly looked up at it, petrified.  It raised its sword, let out a
cry, and brought it down toward her.

Polly: "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

Polly: "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

Speedy began shaking the sleeping Polly.

Speedy: "Polly, Polly, wake up!"

Polly awoke with a start.  She looked around, disoriented.  Then she saw Speedy, grabbed him,
and hugged him close, whimpering a bit.

Speedy: "It's alright Polly.  It was just a nightmare."

Polly looked past Speedy's shoulder at the clock on the wall.

Polly: (eyes wide) "It's almost NOON!!!"

Polly sprang out of bed and ran to the closet.  She pulled out clothing and tried to dress as fast as
she could.

Polly: "We're late.  We need to open the shop."

Speedy: "It's OK Polly, I opened the shop this morning at seven like usual."

Polly got an angry look on her face.

Speedy: (sensing danger) "You had a hard night. (Hesitates) I thought you could use the sleep."

Polly: "YOU PICKLEHEAD!!!  You can't run this place ALONE!!!"

Speedy: "Well, Lewis and Bob were here right on time and I . . ."

Polly: "LEWIS AND BOB!!!  Lewis and Bob!!!  Lewis and Bob have never done this before!!!"

Speedy: (crosses his arms) "Well you wouldn't think that from watching them."

Polly: (not sure what to make of this) "What do you mean I wouldn't think that from watching
them."

Speedy got a slight smile on his face.  He picked up her cloths (she had thrown them at him) and
handed them to her.

Speedy: "Get dressed and then come downstairs.  I'll show you."

Polly walked down the stairs and into the main dining room of the pizza parlor.  Speedy was
leaning against the wall waiting for her and watching the crowd.

Polly: (coping her head) "Now what exactly were you going to show me."

Speedy: "Watch for a minute, you'll see."

Just then, Lewis came out of the kitchen.

Lewis: (loudly) "Orders up."

Thirty people stood up and lined up at the counter.  Lewis turned on the conveyor belt that ran
through the wall between the kitchen and the counter and pizzas on trays started to come out.
Lewis picked up the pizzas as they came out and slid them down the length of the counter and
calling out a number each time he did.

Lewis: (loudly) "Forty two, forty three, forty five, forty seven, forty six, forty four . . ."

Each time he slid a pizza, someone reached out and grabbed it.  When a pizza wasn't caught by
someone it hit a makeshift stopper at the end of the counter.  After Lewis had finished sending all
the pizzas down the counter he went to the three that had collected at the stopper.

Lewis: (loudly) "Numbers forty six, fifty two and seventy, your pizzas are ready."

One more person got up, came to the counter and took his pizza.

Lewis: (noticing Speedy and Polly) "Speedy, Polly, the sausage and yogurt goes to the moose
back in that corner (points) and the cream cheese and jello goes to the elderly tortoise couple
there on the end."

He moved over to the register and began taking orders and handing out numbers.  Polly and
Speedy took the pizzas to the people who ordered them and then went behind the counter.

Polly: "He's certainly a lot different when he's working than he was last night."

Speedy: "Real "take charge" isn't he.  He's been like that all morning.  Takes orders thirty or so
at a time and hasn't fallen behind yet.  I haven't even been doing anything most of the morning.
Lewis has been running the whole parlor himself and Bob's been making all the deliveries."

Polly: "How can Bob do that?  With both you and Guido doing it you still fall behind."

Speedy: "Don't know, but he delivered a Canadian bacon and asparagus pizza to someone clear
down by the docks and was back in five minutes."

Polly: "(whistles) Not bad."

Speedy: "Ya, I feel kind of embarrassed."

The phone rang and Lewis picked it up.

Lewis: "Samurai Pizza Cats. . . Three hundred pepperoni and fish head for the Shriners'
Convention . . . Right, it'll be there in half an hour."

Polly: "Did he just say three hundred pizzas in HALF AN HOUR?!!"

Speedy: "You haven't seen him cook."

Bob White ran in the door and up to the counter.  Lewis came out carrying five of the Pizza Cats'
pizza travel packs, each with six pizzas inside.

Lewis: "Five sushi down at the harbor, ten plain cheese go to the school for mimes, eleven
mashed potato and strained pea to the old folks home, three guacamole and corn chip to the
dorms at Little Tokyo U, and one pepperoni and strawberry for Princess Violet at the palace.
There'll be someone at the palace gate to meet you."

Bob picked up all five packs, one on his back, one looped over each wing, and one under each
arm.

Bob: "Got it."

Lewis: "And be in front of the convention center at exactly twelve thirty.  There are three hundred
pepperoni and fish heads due in half an hour for a pack of hungry Shriners."

Bob: "There's a Shriners' convention in town?"

Lewis: "I know, the dinner rush will be huge."

Bob ran out of the door on his rounds and Lewis went into the kitchen.

Speedy: "Now you're gonna see something."

Speedy and Polly went into the kitchen.  On their left was the Pizza Master 5000 semi-automatic
pizza maker (with "adaptations" making it a full automatic) capable of making five pizzas every
minute on its maximum setting.  Along the back wall were the twenty high-speed pizza ovens that
it utilized (all capable of cooking a pizza in under nine minutes).  All were wide open and one
could see the five separate cooking racks in each oven.  Polly could see that they were all set to
automatically begin cooking when full.  Along the left wall were the three "modified" ovens that
lead to the cannon chutes.  Lewis stood at the counter across from the twenty ovens and next to
the Pizza Master's ingredient, sauce, cheese and dough holding bins.  He was cracking his
knuckles and stretching his arms like he was going to start working out.

Polly: "What is he doing?"

Speedy: "Watch."

Suddenly, Lewis's hand shot out and grabbed a handful of dough.  With a flick of his wrist he
began spinning it with one hand.  He used a ladle to toss sauce onto the top, where it spun out
evenly over the surface.  He grabbed cheese out of a bin and tossed it into the air, then did the
same with the ingredients.  They all landed on the surface of the spinning pie and were distributed
evenly.  Lewis then threw the pizza across the room where it landed gently on the top rack the
most distant oven.
The entire process had taken less than five seconds.
Polly's jaw dropped to the floor from what she had just seen.  Before she could recover from her
shock a second pizza followed the first, but landed on the second rack of the same oven.  This
was followed by a third, a forth and then a fifth, filling the oven.  The oven snapped shut and
began cooking.  Lewis was halfway through filling the second oven by the time Polly regained the
ability to speak.

Polly: "How is he doing that?!!"

Speedy: "Good, isn't he.  I offered to show him how to use the Pizza Master, but he insisted on
doing it by hand.  After I saw him I could understand why.  If Lewis and the Pizza Master raced I
think Lewis would win."

Polly: (still awestruck) "I can't believe he's putting them out so fast."

Speedy: "Ya, I know what you mean."

Speedy walked up to Lewis.

Speedy: "While you're at it Lewis, could you make a bologna, mushroom, and catnip pizza for
Polly and me.  We haven't eaten lunch yet."

Lewis: (effortlessly sending out the pizzas) "Go to the control pad on the Pizza Master and dial
up the bins for bologna, mushrooms, and catnip, and I'd be glad to."

Speedy dialed in the ingredients and the bins for the three ingredients came into view.  Lewis's
hand deviated from its normal course and lashed out, almost faster than the eye could follow,
toward the new bins.  A pizza flew through the air and landed on the bottom rack of an oven,
which then snapped shut and began cooking.

Lewis: "Pie number five in oven number eleven is yours.  Should be ready in about nine minutes."

Speedy went out to handle the customers and Polly continued to watch Lewis work.  About the
time he finished filling the last oven, the first oven finished cooking.  The auto-oven removed the
pizzas from inside itself, boxed them, then stacked them on the conveyor belt.  Almost before it
was finished, Lewis began filling it again.  A few minutes later, Speedy and Polly's pizza finished
cooking, so they both sat down at a table to have lunch.

Polly: "I still can't believe how fast he makes pizza."

Speedy: "Pretty incredible isn't it."

Polly picked up a slice of the pizza.

Polly: "How do you suppose he learned how to do that?"

Speedy: "I have no idea.  He said he used to be a baker in the provinces, maybe he learned from
someone there."

Polly: "However he learned it, he learned it well."

She took a bite of her pizza.  Her eyes went wide as she chewed.

Speedy: "What is it?"

Polly: "This is the best tasting pizza I've ever had in my life!"

Speedy: "I thought you liked apricot and tofu best."

Polly: "No, I mean the dough . . . and the sauce.  It doesn't taste like it normally does."

Speedy, curious about this, picks up a slice and tastes it.  His eyes also go wide as he chews.

Speedy: "You're right, it does taste different."

Polly: "I've never tasted anything like it."

Speedy: "Lewis said earlier that he was going to make some changes to the pizza recipes.  This
must have been what he meant."

Polly: (looking a bit cross) "You let him change the recipes without asking the rest of us."

Speedy: "Well it tastes real goo. . ."

Polly: "It doesn't matter how it tastes.  That's a major decision.  That effects all of us.  You
shouldn't be making decisions like that without asking the rest of us."

Speedy: "But you've seen the way he operates around here.  After seeing him run the counter and
make pizzas like that I thought he would know what he was doing."

Polly: "Still, regardless of how good he is, you shouldn't have gone and done anything without at
least telling someone else."

Speedy: (sullen) "Sorry."

Polly: (smiles) "Well, don't do it again."

Polly had finished her lunch, so she went back out front to handle the counter.  Speedy finished
and then started waiting tables.  Business continued on smoothly.  Polly took the orders, and
Lewis filled the orders by working them into the three hundred pizza order the same way he had
made Speedy and Polly's lunch.

Polly: "Hello Bucky."

Bucky: "Hi Polly."

Polly: "Know what you want?"

Bucky: "Grass and willow please, light on the sauce."

Polly punched in the order on the register, which relayed the order and the correct ingredient bins
to Lewis in the back.

Polly: <deer and their diets, blech!> "So, Haven't seen much of you since you and Francine broke
up."

Bucky: "We're friends, but there's still some . . . tension between us. (He becomes more serious)
I heard about what happened."

Polly looked downward.

Bucky: "Are all of you going to be all right?"

Polly: "We'll be fine. (She feigns feeling better) So, why did you break up anyway?"

Bucky: "Well, Fran liked me because she thought that I was such a dear, and that all changes
when rutting season comes."

Polly stifles a laugh.

Bucky: (defensive) "It's not my fault.  The hormones start kicking in is all."

Polly: "So Fran didn't like the fact that you became more aggressive."

Bucky: "No, nothing like that.  She just couldn't stand me butting everyone in the head and
bugling all the time."

Polly: "Bugling, is that when you were going around making that loud whistling sound all the
time."

Bucky: "That's it."

Polly: (stifling a laugh again) "It was pretty annoying.  (hesitates) I thought elk did that, not deer."

Bucky: "My grandfather on my mom's side was an elk.  I got my dad's looks, but Grandpa's
mating habits."

Polly found this extremely amusing and laughed out loud.  A pizza slid out on the conveyor.
Polly turned and picked it up

Polly: "Here's your pie Bucky."

Bucky: "Thanks Polly."

Bucky walked down the length of the counter and bumped into a little, grey, four year old kitten
who had pulled a stool up to the counter and was sitting there coloring.

Bucky: "Excuse me little guy."

The child looked up at him, then seemed to glance in Polly's direction for a moment before
turning his eyes back to his paper and crayons.

Polly: <Isn't that cute.>

Business continued as usual.

Polly: "Speedy."

Speedy came up to the counter.

Speedy: "Ya."

Polly: (picking up a pizza pack) "This garlic and mushroom goes to the fishmonger on fifth
street."

Speedy: "Where's that."

Polly: "Its down the street from Luciell's house, across from the convention center."

Speedy: "Sure, I know where it is."

Speedy picked up the pizza pack and headed out the door.  As Polly watched him leave, she
thought she saw the grey kitten looking at her again out of the corner of her eye.  When she
looked, his head snapped back to his paper again.

Fishmonger: "Thanks pal, I was getting hungry." (He handed a fist full of money to Speedy)

Speedy: "Sure, don't mention it."

Speedy stepped back out into the street and was about to begin heading back when he was
knocked flat on the ground.

Speedy: (on the ground) "What the heck . . ."

Bob: (skidding to a halt, very surprised) "Speedy (helps him up) what are you doing here?"

Speedy: "What are you doing knocking people down in the street."

Bob: "Sorry.  Look, while you're here you might as well give me a hand."

Speedy: "Doing what?"

A loud sound like a gunshot echoed over the bustle of the street.

Bob: "Remember that three hundred pizza order?  We have to catch it."

Polly: "What was that?!!"

She rushed into the kitchen and saw Lewis standing at the cannon controls.

Polly: "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!"

Lewis becomes very meek and starts shaking again as Polly yells at him.

Lewis: "D-D-Delivering the b-big o-o-order."

Polly: "YOU FIRED IT OUT OF THE CANNON!!!"

Lewis: "Y-Ya"

Polly picks up a frying pan off of the rack.

Polly: "YOU NITWIT!!!"

She swung the pan down toward Lewis.

Lewis: "AAH!!!"  (Barely dodges the blow)

Polly: "Francine's the only one who knows how to run this thing, YOU COULD HAVE KILLED
SOMEBODY!!!" (Swings again)

Lewis: "Wait! (dodges) Stop! (dodges again) I read the manual!"

Polly stopped.

Polly: "This thing has a manual?"

Lewis opened up a cabinet in the bottom of the launch consul and handed her a large binder
entitled "Cannon Operational Procedures and System Maintenance Manual".

Lewis: "M-M-Most of it is maintenance instructions and the warrantee.  The l-launch instructions
were only a few pages.  They aren't v-very hard."

Bob: "INCOMING!!!"

Bob and Speedy raced around the street in front of the convention center, trying to position
themselves to catch the flying pizza packs.

Bob: "Speedy, to the left."

The first of the pizza packs plummeted toward the ground to the left of Speedy.  He leapt to the
side and caught it.  While he did, Bob flew up about twenty feet and caught two more.  Their
momentum nearly knocked him back to the ground.

Speedy: "Three more at one o'clock."

Speedy jumped up and caught another pack, then leapt right to catch two more while Bob flew
right and caught the three Speedy warned him about.  Bob and Speedy then looked up and saw
that what they had been catching was just the forward tailings of the main bulk of the order.

Bob: "What do you think, ten?"

Speedy: "At least."

Bob: "I feel like I'm in an old war movie just before a bombing run."

Speedy: "General Catton would feel right at home."

Polly handed the turtle his order.

Polly: "Hope you enjoy it, have a nice day sir.  Hi Luciell."

Luciell: "Hello Polly."

Polly: (concerned) "How are you?"

Luciell: "Not too good.  I was so distraught that I even forgot to load this morning.  Any word on
Francine and Guido."

Polly: "Carla called a few minutes ago.  They're not any better, but they're still stable and that's
good at least."

Luciell: "I suppose that that's something to be glad about."

Polly: "Luciell, can you do something for me?"

Luciell: "What?"

Polly leaned close and began whispering in Luciell's ear.

Polly: (whispering) "You see that kid sitting at the counter coloring?  I could swear that he's
watching me.  When you sit down would you watch him and check please."

Luciell: "Sure, Polly."

Polly: "So anyway, what did you want to order?"

Bob White and Speedy Cerviche stood panting in the street in front of the Little Tokyo
Convention Center.  Behind them was a pile of fifty pizza travel packs.  A crowd of Shriners was
gathered around them, clapping.

Speedy: (breathing hard) "I can't believe we caught 'em all."

Bob: (also breathing hard) "I didn't know he was going to shoot that many."

Speedy: "It was a (pant) three hundred pizza order."

Bob: "I mean (gasp) I thought it would be several smaller loads instead of one big one."

Speedy: "Who fired the cannon anyway?  I thought only Francine knew how to do that."

Bob: "Gin . . . I mean Lewis read the manual this morning.  He's a bright guy, but no common
sense to speak of."

Speedy: "What was that "Gin" thing."

Bob: "Just started to use a name that I call him when he does something stupid.  Like when Polly
called you "Picklehead" this morning."

Speedy: "You heard that?"

Bob slumped down against a wall.

Bob: (chuckles) "The whole shop heard that.  Has Polly ever considered a career singing or
playing tuba or something?  That girl has lungs."

Speedy slumped down next to him.

Speedy: "She used to be one of the Pointless Sisters."

Bob: (surprised) "No kidding?  I really liked them.  What ever happened to them?"

Speedy: "They were used in an evil plot to overthrow the government."

Bob: (rolling his eyes) "I suppose you would have to deal with evil plots a lot in your line of
work."

Speedy: "Ya."

Bob: "This is cool.  I'm working with one of the Pointless Sisters."

A Shriner: "Excuse me fellas."

Bob and Speedy look up.

The Shriner: "Can we get our pizzas now?"

Bob: "Sure, (pulls out a calculator) pepperoni and fish head pizzas at seven forty nine apiece,
times three hundred pizzas comes out to two thousand two hundred and forty seven dollars
even."

The Shriner: "Well, about that . . . we were hoping we could get some kind of a bulk discount or
group rate or something.  So what we were thinking was . . ."

Speedy: "That you were going to stiff us on the bill."

The Shriner: "Now, I wouldn't put it that way."

Bob: "Did you order the pizzas?"

The Shriner: "What?"

Bob: "Did you, yourself, personally pick up the phone and order the pizzas?"

The Shriner: "Yes, it was me."

Bob reached up from where he was sitting, grabbed the man's collar, and pulled him down to eye
level.

Bob: (an uncharacteristically mean look on his face) "Look pal.  We just caught fifty pizza travel
packs full of three hundred pizzas that you ordered.  My friend Speedy here got hit in the head by
one and, as you can see, regardless of the fact that he was wearing a helmet he now has a very
large bump.  I myself was struck many times in various sensitive parts of my anatomy which now
hurt.  This has put me in a very antisocial mood. You want to negotiate the price of these pizzas.
This displeases me."

The Shriner: "Now hold on . . ."

Bob grabbed the Shriner's wrist and implemented a rather nasty wrist technique with which he
now held the Shriner, who was cringing in pain.

Bob: "You have dared to speak.  I find this very amusing, we will now laugh."

Bob begins laughing, while at the same time tightening the wrist technique until the Shriner began
faking a laugh.

Bob: "Here is what will happen.  You will get us our money or I am going to do something to
you, and I don't know what that is because you are going to get us our money."

Bob released the Shriner, who reached into his satchel, pulled out a cash box, and doled out two
thousand two hundred and forty seven dollars.  Bob looked at the money in his open hand.

Bob: "No tip?"

The Shriner took the hint and placed a twenty dollar bill on Lewis's hand.

Bob: "I do believe that my friend Speedy feels that you have insulted him."

The Shriner took out a fifty.  Bob shook his head no.  The Shriner took out another fifty.

Bob: (to Speedy) "Fifteen percent is the going rate on tips nowadays isn't it Speedy?"

The Shriner took three hundred dollars out of his box, thought for a moment, and also took out
seventeen dollars and placed the whole bundle on Bob's outstretched hand, bringing the total tip
to three hundred thirty seven dollars.

Bob: "Not quite."

The Shriner thought again, then dug into his pocket and pulled out a five cent coin.  It was one of
the new designs that the government had only put out earlier that year.  It was a bright, shiny
nickel with a picture of Princess Violet on it.  The Shriner put this coin into Bob's hand.  Bob
closed his hand and smiled up at the Shriner.

Bob: "Much better.  Remove yourself from my sight."

The group of Shriners picked up the pizzas and went into the convention center.  Bob looked
over at Speedy, who was looking at him wide eyed and open mouthed.

Speedy: "What the hell was that?"

Bob: "What?"

Speedy: "Last night you were afraid of your own shadow and now I see you practically threaten
to kill somebody."

Bob smiled.

Bob: "I don't take confrontation well, which explains last night, but because of that I know how
do dish out confrontation really well, which explains what you just saw."

Speedy: "Wow."

Bob stood up.

Bob: "Well, we should probably get back to the parlor."

Speedy: "Ya.  I'll race you."

Bob: "You're on."

Polly was standing at Luciell's table delivering her pizza.

Polly: "Well, is he watching me?"

Luciell: "Yes, he followed every move you made and then looked away every time you could have
seen him.  (Luciell smiled)  I think he has a crush on you."

Polly: "That's ridiculous."

Luciell: (smiling again) "Oh, but it's so cute."

Polly: "He doesn't have a crush on me, I've never even seen him before."

Luciell: "He's looking at you again."

Polly turned her head and saw the kitten looking down at his coloring.  Then she turned back to
Luciell.

Luciell; (teasing) "He's doing it again."

Polly: "Oh, stop it Luciell."

Luciell: "He's doing something."

Polly: "Stop it."

Luciell: "No, he's really doing something."

Polly Turned around and saw the grey kitten gathering up all of his paper and crayons and stuffing
them into a little backpack.  After he was done, he put the backpack on and started pulling the
stool he had been sitting on back to the table he had taken it from.  After he got it there he walked
over to the door and left the parlor.

Polly: "Well, that's the end of that."

A few minutes later, Bob ran into the parlor.  Following a few feet behind was Speedy.

Bob: "I won!!!"

Speedy: "You flew over the river.  That's a foul."

Bob: "Hey, I can't help it if you can't fly and had to run a block out of your way to the bridge.
Besides, you've got those hover pods on your feet."

Speedy: "You're as bad as Guido."

Polly: "Hey Speedy."

Speedy: "Hi Polly, Hey Luciell."

Luciell: "Hello Speedy."

Speedy: "Anything interesting happen while I was gone."

Luciell: "Polly has another man in her life."

Speedy: "What?!!"

Polly: "Luciell!!!"

Luciell: "There's this little grey kitten who came in and watched her all day.  I think he has a crush
on her."

Polly: (blushing) "Luciell."

Speedy: (teasing) "So, I've got some competition.  Polly might decide to up and leave me.  Oh,
woe is me what shall I do?"

Polly: "Cut it out Speedy."

Speedy and Luciell started laughing.  Seeing this, Bob walked over.

Bob: "What's so funny?"

Speedy: "Nothing much.  Just some three year old kid who has a crush on Polly."

Bob: "Aw, sounds cute."

Bob started to walk back toward the counter.

Luciell: "It is pretty cute.  He's a little grey kitten that sat there all day coloring."

Bob stumbled and fell down.

Luciell: "Are you all right?"

Polly: (helping him up) "What was that all about?"

Bob: (brushing himself off) "Just slipped, that's all.  What were you saying Luciell?"

Luciell: "I was saying that he 's a little grey kitten who sat there coloring."

Bob: "That's what I thought you said.  Well, if you ladies will excuse me, I just remembered
something I need to speak with Lewis about."

Polly: "Alright."

Bob turned and walked toward the counter.

Luciell: (quietly to Polly) "He's rather odd isn't he."

Polly: (quietly to Luciell) "They both are he and Lewis.  But they're nice guys and they're a lot of
help around here."

Luciell: "Well, I suppose that that's what's important.  By the way, did you change the pizza
dough recipe?  It tastes great."

Bob White walked behind the counter and opened the door to the kitchen.  Through the open
door, about every five seconds, one could see a pizza fly across the room and land perfectly on
the rack in an oven.  Bob entered the kitchen and turned right, that being the side of the kitchen
that Lewis was cooking on.  Through the still open door one could still see pizzas fly across the
room every five seconds, each landing perfectly on the racks every time.  After a few moments a
pizza flew across the room, completely missed the oven it was intended for, splattered against the
wall, and slid down onto the floor.

Later that night.

Polly: "What an exhausting day!"

She collapsed exhausted on the couch in the rec room in the basement of the Pizza Parlor.  Next
to her, similarly sprawled, was Speedy.  In two armchairs across from them sat Bob and Lewis.
Bob held the remote and was flipping through channels, and Lewis was looking at his wrist and
massaging it.

Polly: "So, y*ou two had a heck of a first day didn't you."

Bob: "That's what happens when there's a convention in town.  I've worked in restaurants during
conventions before.  The dinner rush is always the worst."

Speedy: "I've never seen so many people wearing fezzes before."

Polly: (watching the television) "We did make a lot of money tonight though."

Bob: "Ya, we did."

Polly: "I know Lewis is a baker, but what do you do?"

Bob: "Oh, this and that.  I've done just about anything at one point or another.  Mostly odd jobs."

Polly: "Oh"

Bob tossed the remote over to Speedy on the couch.

Bob: "Well, Lewis and I should probably be getting home."

Polly turned her head and looked at him.

Polly: "Where do you live anyway?"

Bob: (standing up) "Well, we just moved here, so we're in a hotel until we can find a place to
stay."

Polly: "We've got a spare room upstairs.  It used to be Speedy's before he moved into mine.  You
can have it if you want."

Bob: "What's the rent on it?"

Polly: (smiles) "Comes with the job."

Bob: "Thanks.  The shop is closed the day after tomorrow on Sunday, Lewis and I can pick up a
few things and we'll move in then.

Polly: "That'll be fine."

Bob: "Well, we had better get back to the hotel Lewis . . . Lewis?"

Lewis was still looking at his wrist and massaging it.

Lewis: "I haven't handled dough like that in years.  This wrist is going to be so sore in the
morning."