ordered. But when I got to the address, no one was there. Three wasted pizzas,â he said. âNow theyâre all cold.â
âOh, no,â Jessie said. Like all the Aldens, she hated to waste anything, especially at the restaurant where money was so tight. âWhy would someone do this?â she asked.
Before Henry could even take a guess, Violet came into the kitchen looking upset.
âWhatâs the matter now?â Laurie asked when she saw that Violet was about to cry.
âThereâs a customer out there who left without paying. He ordered a large Pizza Supreme. See.â Violet showed Laurie the order she had written down just fifteen minutes before. âHe said he ordered a plain pizza. Even though Iâm sure he didnât, I told him Iâd get him a plain one if he could wait a bit. But he just left without paying! I couldnât bear to tell Mr. and Mrs. Piccolo.â
âMaybe you did get the order wrong,â Laurie said impatiently. âThatâs what happened yesterday, too. We canât keep wasting food like this. Youâll just have to be more careful. I canât be in two places at once.â
Violet swallowed hard. Piccolosâ Pizza was busy, and this was no time to cry. Laurie Baker was so cross sometimes. But what made Violet feel worse was knowing for sure she had written down the right order.
Jessie and Henry comforted their sister. Laurie was too busy banging pans around to pay any more attention to Violet.
âItâs okay, Violet,â Henry said. âAt least you just lost one pizza. I lost three of them. The Piccolos canât afford to have these things happen too often. Theyâll lose their business just when theyâre getting back on their feet.â
No one had the heart to tell the Piccolos what had happened. The children decided they would just be more careful and work harder than ever!
CHAPTER 7
Everything Goes Dark
T he day began with Mr. Piccoloâs cheery whistling downstairs. Upstairs, the Alden children were all asleep, all but Benny, that is. Mr. Piccoloâs whistling meant it was time for him to get up.
It was early morning. Benny wanted to get to the kitchen early. That way he could help Mr. and Mrs. Piccolo get the dough started before Laurie Baker got there and scooted him out.
âTomatoes, potatoes, burritos!â Mr. Piccolo sang out as he took jars and bundles from the big refrigerator. âPull up a stool, Benny. I need a smart boy like you to measure out some salt, some flour, and some yeast. Do you know what to do?â
âI sure do, Mr. Piccolo,â Benny said with a smile.
âToday my old waiter, Nick Marra, comes back. Thereâs nobody to touch Nick when it comes to waiting on tables,â Mr. Piccolo said. âUnless itâs the Aldens, of course!â
âI canât wait to see Nick,â Benny said as he sprinkled yeast over a big bowl of warm water.
A half hour later, Benny noticed Laurie Bakerâs red hat go by the kitchen window. He jumped off his stool. âYou donât have to leave, Benny,â Mrs. Piccolo told him.
Benny disappeared upstairs anyway. He knew Laurie would find some way to get him out of the kitchen. Heâd rather leave on his own.
It turned out the Aldens werenât the only ones Laurie Baker didnât want near the kitchen. When the children came downstairs later on, the Piccolos were out doing the dayâs shopping for the restaurant.
Laurie was in charge, and she was arguing with Nick Marra. This surprised the Aldens. They remembered how easygoing Nick was. Nothing ever bothered this young man. No matter how busy the restaurant got, Nick always had a smile for everyone.
But that day, Nick Marra wasnât smiling. His face was red and his bright blue eyes glittered angrily.
âIf you hadnât been away so long, the Piccolos wouldnât have put me in charge!â Laurie Baker said to