Give Pizza a Chance

“Pizz-a 

please sir, 

mine with 

cheese sir…”

“They sing it like that – the two-tone thing?”

“Yes - sounding like the fire truck from the Safety Department. It’s funny.”

Tara Lapine-Frost was telling me about the girls at the Snow-Warren home. I had to smile and the reason was clear to me.

Tara’s time spent recuperating there had had an effect upon her. There was Nigel, of course, attending to her every whim. His daughter Lisa has really taken to her, and the warm surroundings provided by Chris, Charity and their children had shown her what a loving family life can offer. Even Bernard – Chris and Nigel’s dad – has entertained Tara with his periodic visits from the cottage at the end of their garden.

Her anecdote about the three girls was simply an example of the subtle change in her attitude. I had no doubts that the independent, efficient, clever, slightly scary bunny was underneath, but the Snow-Warren family had worked their magic upon her. And it was likely to continue.

She had recovered from her leg injury in the snow fields of the Atlantdian mountains and I’m happy to report that she no longer needs to use a cane. Although she has supposedly moved back to her house at the north of Mellowdene County she doesn’t spend all week there - at least two days a week she spends still living in the Snow-Warren household. She’s also continued the visits to our house for chats with Cecile and me. Today, Cecile was visiting Emma Furbanks so it was just the two of us chatting.

Which brings me back to the pizza conversation.

 

 

“I’ll tell you what else is funny,” said Tara. “The sudden discovery of pizza by Lisa and her cousins. As you know, I’ve been to various places around Sylvania and I’m used to pizza being an established food item. I find myself smiling at the girls’ enthusiasm.”

I sort of understood. We’d only had a dedicated purveyor in Mellowdene for two years. Prior to that, if one wanted to buy pizza bases, one had to visit Christopher Appleblossom’s waterwheel bakery. It wasn’t a usual product they supplied, but Eloise Pickleweed worked there and would provide them upon request. With increasing demand I suppose it was to be expected that Eloise and her husband would open up their own premises.

 

Pickleweed’s Pizza Emporium was an instant success. A good location at the edge of the village shopping area meant it was ideal for the peckish customer to visit and purchase a custom pizza. 

 

 

A year on, and word of mouth meant that visitors to the village from elsewhere in Mellowdene County could share in the experience. Their only disappointment was that an impulsive desire to munch on a pizza slice would mean a long trek from their home to the village. When Hector Pickleweed proposed a delivery option it was welcomed immediately.

 

Now they have three motorised delivery tricycles. 

 

The first addition to their delivery workforce was Darcy Fielding’s cousin Alonso. He has some mechanical skills which was a bonus when keeping the trikes in good condition. Last thing I heard was that they were looking for a third driver.

Tara was watching me. “What are you thinking about?”

“Oh, not much,” I replied. “I was just thinking how Pickleweed’s has grown since it started up.”

“Are you one of their customers?”

“We sometimes pop in on our way back from shopping.  Brendan and Beverley consider it a treat. They like to choose the toppings and Eloise spoils them.”

“She does make a good pizza. I’m particularly partial to the variety of cheeses she uses. It’s probably my fault that I’ve made Lisa such a pizza fanatic. “

“Do you get deliveries to your cottage?”

“Of course,” she laughed. “I’m good customer. Always piping hot when it arrives, and Hector is a friendly chap.”

“Yes, he is. It does surprise me how they manage to keep the food so hot, even when it is taken to the other end of the county. You know we're related to the Cornflowers? Well, Wester Cornflower is an enormous cheese fan and he has remarked on that point.”

“It’s no big mystery, Jackson. There are shallow tanks built into the trikes and these contain crushed minerals from used coolsalt blocks. Small discharge units allow the trapped heat to be released.”

“We are lucky to have the Polaris family and all their hot and cold expertise.”

“True. I’ve had some interesting discussions with them about their work with minerals.”

Of course she had. Tara’s knowledge went beyond unusual plants. That was another reason that Nigel enjoyed her company – intellectual discussions on minerals and plants as part of his role as pharmacist played an essential part in their initial association.

“And what about Nigel?” I asked, following my thoughts, “Does he like pizza?” If the apparent change in subject puzzled Tara she didn’t show it.

“Oddly, he’d never eaten it, but I said he should give it a chance. Now he loves it.”

“That’s nice.”

“And you?”

“Oh, I like it well enough. Sometimes after shopping…”

“Yes, you said. You never have it delivered for an evening meal?”

“Not yet.”

o 0 O 0 o

The conversation came to mind later that day, and I suggested the idea to Cecile. It was well received. A telephone call to Pickleweed’s and Hector answered the call.

After taking the order, he told me the expected delivery time and then ended the call with a chuckle, saying “It’ll give you a chance to meet our new delivery driver.”

He wouldn’t elucidate further, but all became clear when the driver arrived. When Beverley showed them through, it was someone we knew very well.

“Rowan! It’s you,” exclaimed Cecile.

“I’ve always been me, Sis,” he said, winking at me. “I’m filling in as a favour. I was giving Alonso a hand identifying a fault with his trike’s engine."

 

"He knew that I’d spent years maintaining the camper van and he caught sight of me when I was picking up a pizza."

 

 

"He asked me to have a look at the trike as he thought he was missing something obvious. He was, but whilst he was fixing it they would be short one driver. And Hector had already had an idea about asking me.”

“So how long will you be filling in?” said Cecile.

“Who knows?” he shrugged. “Anyway, I’ve got to go. I’ve got another delivery. Eat up whilst the pizza’s still hot.”

With that he was gone. 

 

“He’s got a point,“ Cecile laughed. “Let’s eat.”

o 0 O 0 o

 

 

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