A Memoir of Cheap Pizza, Unreasonable Enthusiasm, and the Best Part of Dinner
Setting: April 2026 — Somewhere between “cheap dinner” and “core memory.”
I got home from work one evening and was immediately greeted by Caleb.
“Do you know what I want for dinner?”
I didn’t.
“Little Caesars. Pizza and breadsticks, okay?”
I asked Holden. He agreed instantly.
So I opened the app to see what kind of cheap, greasy situation we were getting into. They had a Mix & Match deal. Two items for $5.99 each.
We went with a large Slices-N-Stix for $5.99. Half pepperoni pizza, half bacon breadsticks. I added garlic parmesan wings, eight for $5.99. Dinner for all of us came in under thirteen dollars... which felt like a red flag.
When I got home from my pizza portal pick-up, they didn’t wait. The box was open immediately, and Caleb did this thing he’s been doing lately, touching the piece he wants so no one else takes it. Claiming it. Holden followed suit, selecting his slice and breadstick the same way.
Ownership was established.
We dug in.
The wings were… fine. A little rubbery. Kind of small. Decent sauce, at least. We live an hour from Buffalo, where wings are taken seriously, so my standards are probably higher than necessary.
Still, Holden took one bite and lit up. “These wings are AWESOME! If this was prison food, I’d try to go to prison!”
They kept going back for more. Slices. Stix. Grease.
At one point, they said it was better than McDonald’s. I disagreed.
“Why?” Holden asked.
“Because I love nuggets.”
They didn’t argue. They just kept eating. I managed half a slice, one bacon stick, and a couple of wings before I was done.
They kept going. From the kitchen, I heard Holden shout, “these chicken wings don’t even stand a chance against me!”
By the time I went back in, most of it was gone. They stood over the empty box like it had been something special.
Maybe it was.
Not because of the pizza. Not even because it was only $5.99.
Because sometimes the best part of dinner is having someone to laugh with across the table.
This post is part of my One-Minute Memoir series — short reflections on small moments that still manage to say something big.
No comments