No box! A true story

Telca munched on a few kernels of popcorn as she carried the bowl into the livingroom, her gaze cutting from the TV that was playing Dreamcatcher to the white haired Elf that was sprawled on one of the plush chairs, toying with the DVD control as she impatiently waited for the other sorceress to return with their munchies.

"So," Telca asked as she jumped over the back of the couch and landed heavily amongst the cushions. "You figured out what you want for supper?"

Lashana shrugged and leaned her head back to look at her friend. "Dunno. Didn't I ask you that question first?"

Telca rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine. What about pizza? We haven't had take out in a while, and the Guys aren't here to steal our food." She reached for the phone as she spoke, fingers already dialling the number. "The usual?"

The thought of actual food made Lashana's stomach rumble. "Hell yes. Make my sodas Ginger Ale."

"Will do."

Lashana lazily twirled the remote in her hand as she listened to Telca place their order, her attention wandering back to the movie. She had seen Dreamcatcher once before, and while she liked Stephen King's book much better than the movie, it was still a good watch. If one liked sci-fi horror, that is.

"Fourty minutes or it's free," Telca announced, mimicking the voice of the woman who had taken their order. "The time is now five twenty-four."

"Was her voice really that nasal?"

"Yup."

"Poor woman."

"Yup." Telca tossed the cordless phone onto the couch cushions next to her, then grabbed the popcorn bowl and offered some to Lashana. "Munch while we wait?"

"Mmhm. Thanks." After taking a handful of popcorn, Lashana thumbed the 'play' button on the control, the two of them turning their attentions back to the movie. The fourty minutes seemed to drag, even though Lashana enjoyed Telca's reaction to the movie as the alien slug-weasel-thing made it's first appearance.

"Ahh! It's a slithering STD!!"

~*~

Telca's reactions notwithstanding, they were both on their feet and dashing to the front doors when the doorbell sounded, the delivery so close to the 'fourty minute or it's free' mark that Telca cursed softly in disappointment.

Lashana reached the doors first, and threw them open, giving the delivery man a warm smile as her gaze went to the box he held in his hands. "Hiya."

The male returned her smile with an added nod, then gestured to the box in his hands as Telca nabbed the bag of sodas from him. "Hello. Check order, please?"

Arching an eyebrow curiously, Lashana shot a look at Telca, then shrugged and took the box from him, balancing it precariously as she opened it, her nose wrinkling at the sight of one of the two medium pizzas present. "Ugh, that's not the order."

"Eh?" Telca paused in the middle of signing her name across the order and peered over the Elf's shoulder, grimacing at the sight of green olives that covered one of the pizzas. "Oh God no. That's not ours."

Confused, the delivery man took the readout of the order away from Telca and peered from the listing of the toppings to the pizzas. "Oh. Well....um.... you take anyway?"

"No. No take anyway. I loathe olives."

"Oh. Um.... okay. You take, I call ahead and tell them to make new pizza. It be here in half hour, okay? No charge."

Telca eyed Lashana for a moment, then shrugged and took the paper away from him, finishing her signature on the credit cards receipt. "Yeah alright. Fine."

"Okay? Okay." Nodding in both agreement and relief, the delivery man backed away and headed back to his car, missing the irritated look that Lashana shot him as she closed the door.

"Olives!" she growled, her anger rising with her unfulfilled hunger. "How the hell can someone confuse ground beef with olives?!"

"Who knows?" Telca muttered sourly, disgusted. "C'mon, let's watch the rest of the movie. The pizza should be here soon enough."

"Damn well better be," Lashana grumbled, resolving herself to a bit longer without her pizza as she followed her friend back to the livingroom.

~*~

Just as Telca was starting to suggest that they call the pizza place again to find out what was going on, both she and Lashana heard the doorbell ring once again, and once again, it was Lashana that reached the doors first. Grinning in relief, she opened the door to the sight of another delivery man and set her sights on the medium box that he held. "Hi."

She didn't think twice of it when he didn't reply, instead following his gaze to the box as he opened it to show her the pizza, a sigh leaving her when she saw their correct order. "That's it. Thanks," she smiled, reaching out for the pizza.

"No box!" the man snapped.

"Huh?" Lashana paused and frowned at him. "What?"

"No box!"

Now thoroughly confused, she shook her head and once again tried to get her meal, her eyes widening when he shifted and slid the pizza out of the box and into her arms. Blinking, she was dimly aware of Telca choking in shock behind her as she blinked after the delivery man, who had just run off towards his car, the box for her pizza still in his hands while she was left cradling the pizza in her arms like a small child.

Coming back to herself, Telca ran to get a plate, returning just in time as Lashana suddenly realised that she was holding a hot pizza in her arms. "What the hell was that?!"

Incredulous, Lashana glanced from Telca to the still open door. "He took my box!"

Telca sputtered, suddenly overcome with the absurdity of the situation. "No box?"

Lashana choked back a bout of hysterical laughter. "No box!"

Yes, this actually happened. On November 1st, 2003 at 6:30pm, a Pizza Pizza delivery man placed a hot pizza into Lashana's arms and left her standing, dumbfounded, in the doorway to her apartment while he ran for the elevator with the box to her pizza still in his possession. Even now, we still can't believe what happened. To us, this is taking the term 'thinking outside the box' to a whole new level. This stuff only happens to us...

And you thought we made this stuff up. ^_~

-- Lashana & Telca