We are such creatures of habit. Want to see an Old Married Couple? Come over to my house tonight and watch a pair in action.

In my younger days, Friday night was unpredictable. You knew you were going to do something, you just didn’t know what. See a movie, shoot some pool, go dancing, shopping, hang with old friends – anything and everything all rolled into one. After suffering through the week, Friday night was meant to blow off steam and live a little. Saturday you recovered and Sunday was the catch up day. But Friday, Friday was for fun.

And then, somewhere along the line, my life turned into a twisted Cheers episode. Instead of a bar, insert a pizza joint. Instead of Sam Malone, insert a high school kid behind the counter. Instead of Norm or Cliff, insert Kevin. Lets watch a scene play out, shall we?

SCENE ONE

Ring. Ring. Ring.

Wife: “Hello?”

Husband: “Hey, it’s me. It’s Friday and I’m done with work and heading to Pappy Murphy’s. What sort of pizza do you feel like this week?”

Wife: “Oh, I don’t care. Just not Hawaiian – we had that last week.”

Husband: “OK, I’ll be home in 30 minutes. Go warm up that oven.”

Wife: “OK.”

SCENE TWO

Teenage Manager: “Family sized Italian, that’ll be $13.99.”

Husband: “So, how did you know what pizza was mine?”

Boy Manager: “Well, red civic and it’s Friday. You’re Kevin right?”

Husband, embarrassed, :”Uh, yeah, I guess I’m a regular, huh.”

Boy Manager: “Pretty much.”

Husband gets change and returns to car. Fade to black with Cheers theme song, Where Everybody Knows Your Name, playing in the background.

And that my friends is our typical Friday night. Pizza. From the same place, every Friday. Sometimes, if we’re feeling really social we might rent a movie but that is the sum total of our exciting Friday nights. I’m telling you, Old Married Couple.