I sighed and backed up alongside the curb.
Rip Cirillo likes making pizza, I thought.This is getting weirder thanVideodrome.
* * *
“Sorry there’s not really a living room to use,” Rip said as he welcomed me inside.
“We turned it into my bedroom,” Mars added, then winked at me.
I turned away shyly. If flirting was difficult on a regular day, flirting in Rip’s kitchen was as impossible as traveling above lightspeed.
“The kitchen is fine,” I said. “This breakfast nook is cute.”
“I’ve got one Hawaiian and one pepperoni,” Rip said as he opened the oven and slid a pizza out. “There’s some beer in the fridge and a few soda waters.”
Mars dropped into a chair with a vinyl seat, then gestured for me to take an open chair across from him. I watched as Rip rolled a pizza slicer across the pie, then wiped the sweat off the back of his forehead with his arm. The oven had made the kitchen hot, but with a window cracked, it was cooling down quickly.
So weird…I thought. It was like he was a whole different person, even though my eyes were telling me it was the same Rip Cirillo.
“I never make pizza at home,” I said.
“Rip’s favorite,” Mars answered. “He’s been making pizza since our first apartment.”
Rip pulled a few slices off the tray, with strings of cheese stretching behind, then brought them over to the table. He handed me a plate and a beer at the same time, then smiled. “I could never get the money together to order delivery, but once you learn how to make it, pizza’s actually pretty cheap.”
Mars took a swig from his beer. “You should see what he can pull off with just some cheap cheese and tomatoes.”
“It’s easy,” Rip said. “And a good way to feed a bunch of people.”
I bit into a slice of the Hawaiian and tasted the sweet, salty, and tangy flavors. A satisfied hum escaped my lips. “Perfect amount of cheese,” I said.
“Exactly,” Mars added.
“What about you?” Rip asked me. “You have a thing that always makes you happy?”
I looked across to Mars, who was grinning as he swallowed down his pizza. “I know Mars likesStar Trek,” I said, thinking over the question.
“It hasn’t let me down yet,” he joked. “But that’s easy, Rip. Sci-fi always makes Clark happy.”
“Not exactly,” I said. “It’s close, but there’s plenty of bad sci-fi out there.” I paused and let my mind drift over some memories. “I guess the thing that always makes me happy is the store?”
“Nice deal,” Rip said, “if you love your job that much.”
“It’s not the job,” I said. “I don’t really care about inventory or sales or anything like that. But talking about science-fiction with other people always makes me happy. Whether we love the same stories or not, I just love exchanging ideas with other fans. It’s one thing to imagine other worlds by yourself, but it’s a whole other thing to explore those worlds with friends.” I took a drink of my beer, then wrinkled my nose at the bubbles. “Working at the store means I have conversations about sci-fi all day long.”
Rip and Mars each nodded. They seemed to understand what I was talking about, although I had trouble imagining Rip geeking out aboutBattlestar Galacticaat his tattoo shop. Still, just like at the bar, the conversation between the three of us came easily after that. With mouths full of cheese and a pile of greasy napkins growing on the table, we devoured the pizzas between jokes and stories.
“Well, I thought I made too much,” Rip said, patting his belly. “But Clark, you can chow down almost as much as I can.”
I laughed, then wiped my hands off one more time. “When the pizza tastes that good, sure.”
A song came on the stereo in the next room, and I noticed Rip and Mars nodding their heads at the same time. As Mars drummed his fingers on the table, it was like they were falling into rhythm together.
I perked my head to the side. It sounded like some old 60s rock song, but with a frantic, fast energy. It was fast and upbeat, and I immediately wanted to start bobbing my head along with them and mouthing the words I didn’t know.
“What is this?” I asked.
“You don’t know the White Stripes?” Mars asked. “And you’re giving me trouble for not knowing sci-fi movies?” He jumped to his feet, then stuck a hand out. “Come on,” he said.
