My $5 Lunch

Fall has come to East 87th Street -- and you can see by the group of people that there was a funeral going on today. Basically, that's what I see -- the people standing and talking outside and the workers (dressed in business suits) wheeling in a body.

I hadn't been out for a Thursday lunch for weeks and I decided I wanted some fresh air so I went out. Just went to the corner for pizza and didn't realize, or had forgotten, that the place offers a lunch special -- two slices of pizza and a soda for $5. Not bad. Sat and ate my pizza and read magazines.

I saw something I'd never seen before. There were three worker type guys at the table next to me, and the one declared that the pizza didn't have enough sauce. (As for me, I like it with less sauce and will specify "little sauce" when I order. I used to say "light sauce" but they always respond, "little sauce?" so now I just say "little sauce" to save the repetition. I've even learned to say it in Spanish -- "poca salsa" -- saw that written on a pizza receipt once, so I say it in both languages.) But you can't specify when ordering by the slice, so this guy goes back to the counter and asks for a side order of pizza sauce, for which he was charged 75 cents and got half a paper cup full of sauce -- I'd say about four ounces. He proceded to pour it on his pizza slices -- that did not appeal to me.

Had a form of Murphy's Law -- there's probably a name for it -- but it's the law that says if you have plenty of time, there's no traffic, no delays and you get to your destination in record time, but when you're late, everything goes wrong. Remember I had ordered the book Reliable Wife for Barbara for one cent? That was just a few days ago, and it arrived yesterday. I see her on Election Day for lunch, and I figured, even with Media Mail (slow form of mail) that hopefully I will get in by then. Of course, if I had to have it sooner, it would have arrived in mid-November. So Barbara, I've got a book for you. And I spared no expense.

And P.S. so I can make myself accountable: I did throw away the two pairs of pants and the red top when I went outside. They're in the garbage now. Bring on the new!