Natalie and Sol found a pizza place with a warm atmosphere. They sat at the table waiting for their waiter.
"Wow, I wasn't expecting to find a place like this around here," Sol commented. The bright wood walls were filled with photos, an old-time Jukebox sat as decoration while a series of records were strung above it. The fragrant smell of pizza and the low burning fire in the middle of the room set the room for romance.
Natalie smiled as she looked around the pizzeria, "Look, there's some old video games. Maybe we'll try it later?" She looked at Sol who nodded with a smile.
"Hi, what can I get you two," a young lady around nineteen appeared next to the table. She wore a red and pink uniform with a pink hat. She held an order pad in her right hand and a pen in her left hand. The name tag read, 'Pear.'
"Pear is your name?" Sol asked.
"Yeah, do you know me?" The waitress asked.
"No, but that's an unusual name. Is it a nickname?" Sol asked.
"Nah, I'm named after my great-great-grandmother Pear Leona Margaret Stollins. My Dad always liked the name Pear, so here I am in all my fruity splendor," Pear laughed at her 'joke.'
"What about you? Got a name?" Pear asked Sol.
"Sol and this is my friend Natalie," Sol said.
"Friend and not girlfriend," Pear's smile widened.
"For tonight's event, let's say girlfriend," Natalie interrupted Pear.
"Really, just for tonight's event?" Sol gave a funny smile.
"Yeah, or maybe I'll have Gar take me out," Natalie warned Sol.
"Yes, ma'am, for tonight only. Maybe I'll come back tomorrow night and see what Pear is up to," Sol gave a wolfy smile.
"Do I got a say in this?" Pear asked.
"Sure," both Natalie and Sol answered.
"Then come by tomorrow night, I get off at 7 p.m." she smiled back.
"Now, tell me what ya want," Pear got to business.
"One large with the works," Natalie said.
"A pitcher of Dr. Pepper," Sol said.
"I'm sorry, Sol, but we don't have that kind of spirit here. How about a Coke," Pear asked.
"No Dr. Pepper? Little did I realize we were in such an uncivilized area!" Sol responded.
"Mr. Pib?" Pear asked.
"How dare you!" Sol mocked anger, picked up his cloth napkin, unwrapped it, and threw it down dramatically. Both girls laughed at his antics.
"Pepsi?" She asked. Sol turned his name away from her and pointed it up into the air.
"Wow, high maintenance," Pear said.
"You have no idea. Still interested?" Natalie asked.
"I can deal with high maintenance, but what I absolutely can't take is someone who refuses to drink orange Fanta," Pear looked at Sol who quickly turned back with a smiling face.
"Amazing, orange Fanta is my second favorite drink from Mountain Dew."
"Where does Dr. Pepper rank?" Natalie asked.
"Of course, it's number one." Sol answered as if it were obvious.
"Oh, we have Mountain Dew, I'll get that for you." Pear said.
"Go ahead and get an orange Fanta for yourself, on me," Sol winked.
"Flirting with another girl in front of your date. You are really bad at dating," Natalie frowned and shook her head in disappointment.
"I'm not flirting," Sol said.
"Really, then what are you doing," Natalie waited for his answer as did Pear.
"I'm buying a drink for a kindred spirit. We Fanta lovers have got to stick together," Sol responded.
Pear giggled and Natalie gave a slight smile. "In that case, I'll have a Mountain Dew as well, I wouldn't want to come in between Fanta lovers."
"Alright, you two, I'll put your orders in," Pear made a note and turned to leave when Natalie caught his attention.
"Would it matter to you, Pear, if you knew our friend here is only seventeen?" Natalie asked.
"When do you turn eighteen?" Pear asked.
"Six months."
"Doesn't bother me at all," Pear winked and left.
"There's another fine mess you've gotten me into," Sol said to Natalie.
"What? What mess did I get you into?" She asked.
"What happens when tomorrow night you decide you're still my girlfriend? I'll have to break that girl's heart. I already foresee tears. You owe me," Sol said.
"Then you're in luck, tomorrow night I won't be your girlfriend," Natalie responded.
"Then I'll date for one evening before I return to you broken and beg for a second chance," Sol said.
"Hah, let's just keep it tonight, okay?" Sol could tell that Natalie was tired of the conversation, now.
"I was just joking around," Sol soured.
"Hey, I know, but I want to keep things fun. I don't know what's going to happen after this. I don't know if I'm staying or going, I can't get invested in a relationship. But for now, I can enjoy a fun evening with my friend. Look, I even helped you get a date for tomorrow night, don't be mad." Natalie soothed Sol.
"I know, it's just that a lot has happened in a short period. I got over-excited. Gar never seems interested in girls when he meets them, but he talks about them all the time, My problem is I never talk about girls, but I'm -- I almost fell into that trap. I am not talking about Gar on my date," Sol shook his head.
"Anyway, let's get back to having a nice time," Sol said to Natalie.
"I'd like that, and Sol I'm sorry if you're disappointed, it's just that --"
"Hey, didn't I say to forget it? You want to have sad conversations? Do it when we get back on your time. Right now it's my time to be on a date with you. Who knows when I'll have a chance to do this again? I've got to maximize the time," Sol smiled and grabbed her hand. He dared her to remove her hand from his grip.
"You see, now we're on a proper date," Sol and Natalie laughed.
The rest of the evening Sol and Natalie laughed, as they left the pizzeria, Pear slipped her number to Sol.
"You're quite the lady's man, two women going for you in one night," Natalie held his hand.
"Yeah, I'm irresistible. Sometimes it's such a burden, I even get tired. That's when Gar sweeps in with something weird to save me," Sol smiled.
"Oh, so the competition isn't Pear, it's Gar," This thought caused Sol to laugh.
"I guess so," Sol commented.
"Where to next?" Natalie asked.
Sol looked around, but the streets were starting to collect the wrong atmosphere.
"I think we should go back to the ship, I'll set up a fire in the front and we can keep talking," Sol said thoughtfully.
"If you do that, I'm sure we won't be alone," Natalie said.
"Do you want us to be alone?" Sol asked.
"Nope, I was just pointing it out. It would end the date early."
"I'm ending the date early, I'm leaving you wanting more. Come on, let's go back," Sol and Natalie got back to the truck and drove back to the ship. The pair were still chatting and laughing when they got back. Sol parked next to the Mercury V6 was still working. Gar was nowhere to be seen, neither were the two masters.
Sol pulled a few chairs out of the truck and set them up, built a fire pit, and started a fire. He and Natalie sat in front of the fire and talked for a while before calling it a night.