Marinara sauce, Imacs and Knickerbockers...

The cashier at the 'off the by-lane' Domino's store was apologetic.

" I'm sorry sir, we don't stock tomato ketchups or sauces"

"Oh!, what am I to do now? " (did he really think the damn pizza's were that good to partake of without the magic slathering of tomato ketchup?).

" For an extra 50 cents you get a cup of Marinara dip"

I was dumbfounded/thunderstruck/shocked and so on to varying degree. and wanted to be sure I had heard right.

"Pardon" ( I would have tried "pardone monsieur" in France, "enti" in Paradise Pizza Den, "enna pa solra" at Domino's Chennai, and ... sheesh...why am I digressing so much.. )

The cashier, I think, was someone of a benevolent temperament

"For an extra 50 cents you get a cup of Marinara dip, Sir"

"Uh huh.. see.. look here .. we get only 1 medium size pizza with one topping for 6$? and nothing else???"

"Yes sir, would you be needing the dip as well?"

Now there was a definite glint in his eye, and a sarcastic (a.k.a scary) sneer at his upper lip that I did not want to prolong..

"Of course, Thank you" (If there was one thing I have learnt in the promised land then it is the prompt, almost subliminal utterance of the two magic words : Thank You)

"There will be a wait of about 15 to 20 minutes for your order sir"

The shop was empty, the hot afternoon sun slanted in through the glass paned front wall, and I knew better than to ask why the pizza should take so long to bake.

I drifted to a chair, rested my aching limbs, reclined luxuriously, and nodded off intermittently.

" Hey lets go down to the comp labs" (My, as usual, intense and excited baritone floated out to my group of friends at the place known as sigma sigma something.. )

" Let's " they chorused.

At the UCit lab in Steger or whatever building, we were all staring at the systems..

"hey that one is a plain core 2 duo sys with Vista running on it.. Yuck" one of my friends pouts..

"hey whats that white one??" asks another, pointing...

" Thats an Imac, I think"

" Looks Great" chimes in someone else and all eyes converge onto that white thing..

I, for my part, was charmed by the sleek lines and smart look more than anything else, I hadn't seen one except in photographs, and this was one of the things that looked way better in 3-D than in a Photo.

My stomach just then chose the time and place to remind me of a primal need and dutifully ...

" I'm hungry" I said

The cry was taken up many as well.. and we discussed places we could go eat....

"Subway".... "Pizza Den"... "that catskeller thingy".... " what is the place we get all that unlimited food called?.. market something??"... and so on..

And as one everyone miraculously agreed on pizza den, no idea why...

Anyways we then trooped off to the shop and started to place orders..

" I want a medium sized pizza"

wait haven't I already placed an order for pizza?............................................

I awaken from my torpor to realize that I had dozed off on the chair at Domino's and the proprietor saying something that sounded very much like..

"Your Order is ready, Sir"

I made the preliminary checks to confirm that I wasn't hallucinating and received a flat cardboard carton from him.

"Thank You"

"would you like napkins, sir?"

"yes, please" (What a question!, why don't I wipe my hand on your company logo covered tee?)

"Thank You"

"Have a nice day"

I trudge back home thinking if the whole thing was worth the time and expense, wouldn't it have been far more simple to have stayed back home in my knickerbockers and tossed up a pan of mixed vegetable curry?

I don't know

Maybe I never will.......