A Post About the Now Infamous Trip to Antico

This story dates back to a time when hemphill was still a house and not just a street.  The new John Mayer album was about to drop, but you used your tatum magic to get it early.  So there we were, sitting around with nothing to do, listening to heartbreak warfare, when we started getting hungry, and, as if by fate, Antico Pizza had opened only a couple weeks before directly across the street.  

What happened next, I would put on par with going to a concert to see a mediocre local band, but arriving to find the rolling stones doing sound check.  Like walking into a wardrobe and finding Narnia.  It was beautiful chaos.  People yelling in Italian and English, phones ringing, a cacophony of people talking among themselves over the madness around them; and smells, all sorts of smells: sweet canoli, savory pepperoni and sausage, peppers, wood fire, and of course the smell of all these combined that can only be described as pizza. It took a moment to get our bearings; we sat in silence for several seconds, simply taking in the overwhelming atmosphere contained in this familiar but forgettable facade. And then we laughed, because at that point, there was nothing to say, none of us could have expected to find something this spectacular so close to where we were laying around listening to a bootleg John Mayer album.

Waiting to order was as much a joy as the moments spent eating the pizza.  We bought canolis, took half priced calzones, ordered a pizza whose name we couldn't pronounce.  The clerk was giving the order phone to customers because she couldn't understand the English over the immense restaurant noise. It was a whirlwind of  spontaneous purchases, laughs, and mouthings of "this is ridiculous" and "what?!." It was hard to leave once we had all the food, but the one table in the place was full and we needed to eat.  So we wandered over to the gas station,grabbed a six pack, and headed home where we laughed more and discussed the unexpectedly unforgettable night.


Tatum, you are a legend.  Of the few occasions that I've had the pleasure of spending time with you, none have been forgettable, and a couple have been legendary.  Happy Birthday friend.

Jory

P.S. Here is an acrostic using your name:

Terrific
Awesome
Terrific
Unbelievable
Man