Weird

I've written before about going to new places within my own town, and how going out of my typical comfort zone can be jarring.

My two oldest girls went on a high school weekend, and left this morning. Having only a few kids home, I decided it'd be nice to go out for pizza, something we haven't done in a long time (not that we don't eat pizza, just that we haven't gone out to eat at a pizza place in awhile. Once I asked one of the kids -she was about four at the time-if she wanted frozen pizza for lunch. Her response? "well could you heat it up?").

So we got in the car, and started to drive. There's a pizza place about 3/4 of a mile from my house, but the kids started discussing that they didn't want to go there. I said fine, where should we go? I should have figured that a) they'd pick the place furthest away and b)a place we hadn't been to in YEARS.

Not that it was THAT far away, but definitely the furthest. First, this pizza place is in the same strip mall as a grocery store, with a very small parking lot and this being Thursday night.... we ended parking towards the back near the bakery. No big deal, and we walked around to the front and into the pizza store.

There were probably four or five tables occupied by adults with kids, some were a few tables of people who were together, and some were just alone. My kids sat down, and as I looked around, I couldn't help but say to the twelve year old: "Not one person looks happy here."

I was not kidding. The place was quiet, really quiet, and almost all the adults were just sitting with their arms folded across their chests, and watching their kids eat. If you're going to spend the time and money to go out, why not enjoy it? Many years ago one of my sisters told me that adults tend not to look happy in repose, unless they make themselves smile, otherwise they just look dour (years later, another sister explained that that is why one should not take candid pictures of adults, they tend not to come out good). Well, this certainly proved that. I really was so uncomfortable, like this was such an odd place to be, but I went and ordered the pizza anyway.

The guy at the counter didn't like my order, and told me that 5 slices costs the same as one pie, and I wanted a pie. I thought about it, and decided I could always as I heard learned a few years ago, reheat the pizza at home if it was leftover. It was good pizza, and there was none left. Maybe because the guy cut it in 16ths instead of eighths? That was one kids' theory. Or maybe, because the fries took FOREVER to be ready, and I only bought one order for all of us to share...either way, they scarfed that pizza (I helped...a lot), and after about ten minutes all the unhappy people left, and it was just us.

Until the next strange thing happened. A woman walked in with her two boys. Not odd in itself, EXCEPT that this is someone I haven't seen in probably eight months or so, and I just met her somewhere THIS MORNING!!!! Of all the gin joints.....though in this case, even though I was there first, I walked into hers, because as we were shmoozing she told me she comes here every Thursday night.

Today was just a wacky day.