We had missed the place by twenty minutes.  “Twenty lousy  minutes… Now we are stuck here over night AGAIN!!!” I complained.

Speaking of complaining; I have found that when things don’t go one’s way, one becomes aggravated. Aggravation then leads to a complaint.  And although the complaint is somewhat of a release, it doesn’t make one feel any better until every one else is aggravated as well…

“Twenty MINUTES!!!” I continued to broadcast.

“Hey Dad, there’s a pizza place right down the street from here, Tony Boloney’s”, said Andre as he swiped his iPhone.

“…woe …woe, what? I’m in!” Responded Gabriel as he promptly paused yet another episode of “24”.

“This is ridiculous; when it’s time to go, every one needs to get going to get things ready, so we can go when it’s time to go, and not TWENTY MINUTES later!!!”  I insisted.

“Yay, pizza!… Mom, do they have gluten free? …do they have gluten free?” Asked Noah with a cheer.

“Hold on Noah, I’m checking.”  Answered Lisa, as she swiped her smart phone.

“Ok! This is simple; when I say ‘IT IS TIME TO GO’, I don’t mean like, ‘Hey everyone, perhaps we should mosey on in a bit…’ No. When I say: ‘IT IS TIME TO GO’, I mean NOW!  Not twenty minutes later.” I clarified.

“Oh honey, it’s ok, let’s just have a peaceful evening, it’s almost Shabbat”, comforted Lisa.

About twenty minutes later, every one was bundled up, ready to head out to Tony Boloney’s Pizza, winner of the best steak subs on the food network show.

We walked for approximately twenty minutes through the cold windy streets of Atlantic city.

“Why can’t things go according to plan… Twenty minutes… all this because of twenty minutes… now means NOW! not twenty minutes later!” I mumbled as we passed by a convenience store named Alpha Omega…

“…HEY …Honey look!  Alpha Omega… Boys! look!!!” I called everyone’s attention as I stood in the middle of the street looking for the picture app on my phone.

“Ok, now I’m embarrassed …” Said Lisa as she walked off with the boys.

“Honey!  Alpha Omega… Do you see it? What are the chances?…”

“Oh Mom, can we stop and get some candy?” Asked Noah.

“We’re not having candy before we eat!” Came a firm reply from Mom.

After waiting for about twenty minutes, we were presented with an array of tasty goodness.  The mac and cheese pizza with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro was especially good, not to mention the juicy pesto and cheese steak sub, and the cheese garlic fries…

Very full and satisfied, we walked back to Aleph Tav, but not before we stopped at Alpha Omega for some candy.

The next morning I heard footsteps on the dock.  “Were you docked here overnight?”  Asked a marina worker.

To be continued