The thick crust is perfectly baked with crispy sides. The crust squished together but quickly expanded again. The cheese melted and draped over the thick layer of sauce. The perfect ratio of bread and toppings. The savory sauce with the tangy cheese. Soon, the deep-dish pizza would be eaten by my new customers who buzzed outside of the kitchen. After 5 months of hard work, little sleep, and eager excitement, today is opening day. Nothing could stop me from making this day perfect. 

As the customers lined up outside the door like little hamsters waiting to get a drink, I put the last touches on the center place settings and ran over to the door to let in the crowd. As people flooded in the small, smiling children ran around to try and get the best seat in the house.

“I’m so hungry I could eat a cow!” said one 9-year-old. I knew I would have to start up the ovens soon to feed all of these people promptly. 

 The big windows let the sunshine into the room, making sun rays beam off the tables and chairs. The beams on the ceiling grinned back at me, feeling accomplished with how far we had come. What was once a hole in the wall, was now filled with happy people and the smell of fresh pizza. 

I was admiring my new restaurant and the candid laughter that filled it when all of a sudden a loud whoosh came from the kitchen. 

“AHHHH HELP HELP HELP!!!” cried out one of my chefs. 

I ran over to see what all the commotion was about. As I slammed open the kitchen doors, I was greeted by a cloud of smoke. The oven had caught on fire and was rapidly making the kitchen as hot as the sun. The smoke detectors screeched and the laughter and happiness that once filled my dining area had disappeared. 

Time began to slow down and the workers in the kitchen began to move in slow motion. Soon, the fire was put out. We all stared at the now black oven, charred from the fire. 

The dining area was quiet and because I was only a novice at owning a restaurant, I had not the slightest clue what to do next. Do I send everyone home? Do I serve the people what they want? Do I sit down and cry? 

As I built up the courage to enter back out into the dining area, I decided I would give the people what they came for, after all, they wouldn’t forget their first time coming here. I threw the thick crust and various toppings into our remaining oven, put the fire blanket over the old one, and put the temperature on high. I sent my waiters out to take orders and soon enough, the customers were back to laughing and smiling. Like dogs, they had soon forgotten about the racket in the kitchen and were now slurping up their drinks and scarfing down their pizza. I exalted my kitchen staff for having the determination to make opening day carry on. At closing time, as the last of the customers walked out, I congratulated my staff on a successful open day, even if it got a bit toasty in the kitchen.