BURGER SCOOT

Jimmy stopped by my house with a key lime pie for my family. When I thanked him for his generosity, he smiled and said that this was not the original pie he planned on dropping off. Before placing the pie in a pink box, he had to examining the bottom of the tin, but while holding it up above his eyes, he accidentally impaled the pie onto one of the above heating lamps, making the lamp smoke and ruining the pie. He bought the ruined pie for himself and another one for my family while the manager at the market attempted to wipe down the smoking lamp.

When I asked how he ended up smashing a key lime pie into a heating lamp above his head, Jimmy replied, “I had to pavement check the bottom of the tin.”

Over the years, there were many similar incidents brought on by Jimmy’s obsessive-compulsive disorder: being asked to leave an all-you-can-eat restaurant for eating too much, getting kicked out of public and private places because his pavement checking made people nervous. Obsessive-compulsive behavior often makes those who don’t know people like Jimmy think they are threats, but at least as far as my friend goes, he’s harmless—except the way he treats key lime pies.