Totinoās Pepperoni Party Pizza
The one thing they donāt tell you on the package is that theĀ āpartyā is only big enough for one.Ā
Totinoās pizza has one immediate standout: price. While many frozen pizzas range anywhere from $4-$8 per pie, I have never seen Totinoās priced higher than $1.50. Sure, you could find it at a higher price other places, but really, you shouldnāt be buying your frozen pizzas at gas stations, so thatās on you. If you buy your frozen pizza at a Shell station, you deserve to pay an obscene amount for it.
When you remove the pizza from the oven, it doesnāt look like much. In fact, it looks like someoneās idea of what a pizza should look like. Thereās something resembling mozzarella cheese, upon which rests a smattering of what you assume are pieces of pepperoni that were haphazardly distributed via a shotgun blast. The sauce is the polar opposite of plentiful, almost looking glued on a flaky, paper-thin crust. A feeling of dread flows through your body: you have made a crucial pizza mistake.
But then you bite into this vague representation of pizza and realize your worries were totally unfounded. Itās delicious. You did well.
I glance at my phone and see ā10:30ā³ staring back at me. I let out a deep sigh. Roughly 18 hours from now, my friend will be a married man. And I canāt think of anything to say.Ā
I take a sip of my rum-heavy coke out of one of the mugs the owner provided me. Iām sure it was intended solely for coffee use, but he probably doesnāt mind me using it more creatively.Ā
Are Wisconsin nights always this quiet? Iām staying at a renovated barnhouseĀ āslightly off the main hub of downtown Kenoshaā, according to the owner. The only noises I hear are the hum of a generator punctuated by the sounds of crickets. Honestly, itās a bit unnerving. If I was to get murdered by the Kenosha Killer, I probably wouldnāt be found for a few days.Ā
I stare at the notebook on the table begging for me to write some words about friendship, my excitement for this new chapter in his life, anything. I used to LIKE writing wedding cards. I used to be better at this.Ā
I freshen up my drink, choosing to forgo theĀ āCokeā part of the Rum and Coke combination. I peruse the delivery menus that were left out for me as part of my welcome package, all woefully out of date.
It would be easy to just writeĀ āSO HAPPY FOR YOU!!ā on a card and just be done with it. But I promised a good wedding card, and now, unfortunately, I have to deliver.
Five cigarettes and two āRum and Rumsā later, all Iāve written is āIām so happy for youā in barely-legible handwriting. Fuck.Ā
How do you compress over 10 years of friendship onto one sheet of paper? Is there enough room to fit every inside joke and crazy story?Ā
Iām four rums in and, creatively, Iāve peaked atĀ āIām so happy for you.ā I crumple up the paper and add it to the pile at my feet. My English professor would be proud.
I donāt know how the wedding is going to turn out. I canāt predict if the marriage is going to last. I donāt know if his story will have a happy ending. I really hope it does, and I think it will. But I canāt put any of this onto a wedding card.Ā
So I go to bed with the one thing written on the page that Iām confident in:
āIāve cherished these past 10 years, and wouldnāt trade any of it for the world. Love you, man.ā
And then I drew a picture of a dick. Old habits.
Totinoās Pepperoni Party Pizza- 4.0/5