He found 

Georgio's

on the way to where he thought Max's was. He didn't want to get pulled over by the cops. So drove into the parking lot. He could hit the diner for breakfast the following day.

Right now he needed some meat, cheese, and bread to soak up the alcohol. Pizza. The real American's dinner.

As a kid his uncle ate nothing but fast food, ramen, and frozen meals. He wondered how an adult could live like that. His mom told him that it was because his uncle wasn't married. Why wouldn't he just cook for himself then, Keith asked. His mom said that he was too busy with work. So he was doomed to eat nothing but processed foods.

At the time of this conversation, Keith had been just ten. The uncle 40. Now he was nearly the uncle's age. Had been eating nothing but greasy diner food. Was that any better than the uncle? Maybe a little. But he wasn't living the quote unquote Adult life that he imagined he'd be living by this time.

At the counter, under the fluorescent. He looked at the menu. All caps, letters stuck to the white wall overhead. He looked at the prices. Looked down at the pies. Looked back at the prices.

He opted for two large slices. One slice supreme. The other Margherita.

There were kids in there. Playing loud music and swearing at each other. Sometimes they would throw Keith a glance. But they would stare at him only for a moment before resuming their obnoxiousness.

Maybe Cal had lived such a life once before. The life of a youth. Late nights. Drinking. Having sex with strangers. Eating pizza for dinner every night. 

pizza

. Beer. Damn. Cal did live that life. Keith. He had went straight up to 

Spacecity

. Never got to live life so young, wild, and free.

Now that he was back on earth, he had become an old man. But he didn't know how to live like an old man. Didn't know how to live like a youngster. Some days he'd half consider shooting himself up back to space. But he knew he would be miserable up there. More so than down here.

Things were changing. 

food

was no longer a thing in Spacecity. They had implemented a new technology that added body 

fat

onto the employees. They would add about ten pounds at a time. When that store would run low, they'd add some more. The globs of fat would be shipped up in bulk from earth. No food meant lower costs. No kitchen staff required. Less equipment. Well less food preparation equiment. They now had new equipment for administering the fat to the employees.

Keith couldn't live like that. He needed to eat. Whatever happened to him in life. Whatever his next stage in life was. He didn't have a clue. But he knew he couldn't sign up for a life without food. The pro-fat people were shilling how convenient things were once you freed yourself from food. But eating was something Keith didn't want freedom from. He would eat until the day he died.