Chapter 29 - Dinner and a Baby

            Juliana and Janelle set out to go get some pizza. She decided to take the minivan, since there was going to be a bunch of people that evening. Emily came on board at lunch, Blossom soon afterward, and Grace showed up in some new clothes and shades.

            "Don't you have a job?"

            "It turns out I have a trust fund under the care of one Michael Stonehenge."

            "At least your REAL daddy gives a $&@# about you," replied Blossom. "We're going in the van. Buckle up."

            Janelle sat up front, next to Julianne. The girls were behind, and the radio blared loudly. Janelle wore invisible earplugs, and she was fine.

            "We'll be going to get some pizza and some hot wings. Sound like fun?"

            "Yeah," Janelle smiled.

            "Don't worry so much about making friends. Be like you are with me and you'll be fine."

            When they got to the pizza parlor, there was a high school football team and a couple of families having their dinner.

            Emily chimed in and said, "Alright, gimme some toppings!"

            "Sausage!" yelled Grace.

            "Cheese," said Blossom, quietly.

            "Juliana?"

            "Yeah?"

            "Toppings?"

            "Make mine artichokes and onions," said Juliana.

            "Janelle, anything you might like on your pizza?"

            "I'm up for anything," she replied meekly.

            "Come on, girl, you got to have some opinion."

            "Really. I like a supreme."

            Juliana said, "How can we split a pizza five ways?"

            "Let's get two and bring leftovers home for everyone."

            "Alright."

            "Listen, I want Janelle to help order," said Juliana.

            "Why? She might not know how."

            "It's part of my job, remember?"

            Janelle protested, "I know how to order food, bitch!"

            Everyone was startled at Janelle's use of bad language.

            Emily asked, but already knew, "Where did you learn that word?"

            "Well, I heard my mother call somebody that who she didn't like."

            "Was that person in the room?"

            "No. She was on the phone."

            "We don't use that kind of language in polite society. You could get in some real trouble saying such words."

            Janelle's eyes went to the floor. "I'm sorry."

            "It's okay. We'll talk with your mother. Go order the food, and for your honesty, let's throw in a side dish. Your choice."

            Juliana went up to the counter and brought Janelle.

            "Hi there, welcome to Sammy Jo's Pizza and games. What can I get for ya?"

            "Uh, I w-would like some hot wings, and two medium pizzas, please. Miss Juliana, can you get the toppings?"

            "Sure, honey. One half of those pizzas is cheese, the other pepperoni. The other pizza is half artichokes and onions, the other half supreme. Emily, are you okay with that?"

            "Yeah. I like all kinds of pizza."

            "And I'd like four drinks."

            "Okay. That'll be $21.74."

            "Got it," said Emily, and she pulled out her card.

            The order was paid for, and Juliana grabbed the order ticket.

            "Would you like to play some games?"

            "Sure!" said Janelle.

            "I'm up for some racing," said Blossom. "Do you like racing games?"

            "My favorite is Hydro Thunder."

            "Right this way," said Blossom. She and Janelle left.

            Emily asked, "Are you okay leaving her with Blossom?"

            "They're fine together," said Juliana. "Janelle is really social. Almost up to her age."

            "Well, let's get some pizza."

            The order came up, and everyone came together with the drinks and Grace's second drink-a beer.

            "You know," said Juliana, "Some of us can't drink in public."

            "Well, I ain't drivin'."

            Everybody shook their heads.

            After everybody ate their fill, one of the football guys came up to Janelle and asked her out.

            Juliana was watching this, while Emily was behind Janelle, signaling her no.

            "Well, your dad has to meet this guy first. He needs to approve this."

            Emily fumed. Juliana glared back.

            There were phone numbers exchanged, and when the evening was over, the girls got in the van and went back to Janelle's house. She went inside to bed, while Juliana and Emily drove Grace home.

            They said their goodbyes, and Grace went into the house. Emily went into the car, and Juliana was ready to confront Emily with her stereotype.

            "What is wrong with Autism and dating?"

            "What do you mean? She was exchanging phone numbers with a senior."

            "A senior who would what? Have sex with her?"

            "No, who would take advantage of her."

            "That's pretty much the same thing."

            "So, I don't want Emily to have sex. She's young."

            "What makes you think she'll do it with this guy?"

            "She'll get pregnant. She's so helpless."

            "Yeah, and what if she doesn't?"

            "She will."

            "Why, 'cause she's like you?"

            "She's helpless, and she can't handle her own child."

            "Well, I doubt she's so much like you, Miss I-did-my-boyfriend-on-the-first-date."

            "That was not our first date. We had been talking and doing things for a while."

            "See? How does it work on the other foot?"

            Emily stopped.

            "How did you know when I slept with Heliodor?"

            "I've got telepathy, too."

            "I don't think Janelle is so helpless that she'll be heading for disaster."

            "Well, she's a helpless Rain Man!'

            "A helpless what?"

            "A helpless girl."

            "No, you said helpless Rain Man."

            "No I didn't."

            "She's a helpless Rain Man, she's a helpless Rain Man. You think her Autism bars her from having sex."

            "Well, I don't want her to bring another autistic special kid into this world."

            "That can be circumvented easily, you know. How do you think she's going to have sex?"

            "Well...."

            "I mean it. How do you think she's going to have sex?"

            "Everybody was doing it when I was in high school."

            "Were you doing it?"

            "No. I was a virgin until Heliodor."

            "Well, everybody was not doing it in your high school now, were they?"

            "I guess not."

            "So you'll have to trust her that she'll stay a virgin until long after this guy is gone. To either Florida or Notre Dame."

            "What? You can't be serious."

            "I am. That's what's going on. Janelle knows her morals. She'll practice them, too."

            "How do you know that?"

            "The reality of Autism shows a dependence on facts to calm her mind. Ask Janelle what is not going on and that speech could last three hours and send her into rocking fits."

            "You're kidding."

            "No. I'm telepathic, too."

            As the girls got out of the car at their apartment complex, a baby's cry pierced the night. It sounded like it was in a dumpster area nearby.

            The two women searched the area and found the baby, left inside a cardboard box. The baby was covered in blood, and the cord had not even been cut. A closer look, and the women found the baby was a girl.

            Wrapping the child in a jacket from Juliana's car, the women brought the girl inside. They called 911, sending the paramedics to the scene. They had a bottle of formula ready, which Emily fed her. They first questioned Juliana.

            "Is this your child?"

            "I'm afraid not."

            "How do we know that?"

            "I'd have a crib and food ready for her. Also, my parents would be here."

            Just then, the Vaziris came to the house, surprised that Emily was holding a child.

            "Believe me, they would know if I was pregnant. Look at her. I can't believe somebody would leave her behind."

            Emily tried to explain what was going on, while Juliana took the child away to rock her to sleep. The Vaziris were not too pleased.

            "Where did this child come from? Emily, is there something you did not tell me?"

            "Mom, I had a car accident five months ago. You would have known I was pregnant."

            A police officer came in with the bloodstained cardboard box the girls found the baby in.

            "Well, I see we've got evidence. You ladies will have to hand the child over to us."

"Look at her. I can't believe somebody would leave her behind."

            "Can we carry her to the police station? She just got to sleep."

            The baby woke up crying again.

            "I'm sorry, ladies. We need to get this child to a hospital for her care."

            Mrs. Vaziri handed Emily a baby dress for a newborn. She dressed the baby in it, and handed her over to a female police officer.

            They went to the local hospital and accompanied the officers in.

            They registered the baby and determined she was only three hours old. She was larger sized, at ten pounds and five ounces. She was twenty-six inches long.

            At that point, the police officers and local news teams arrived to interview the women and police officers. Emily decided to disallow any mention of her involvement with this case this time in order to protect the family's privacy.

            Mr. Vaziri began to ask questions concerning adopting the child. He felt the child would need to have a stable, resourceful home, which the Vaziris provided.

*****

            As with such terrible, mysterious crimes, it was all over local news and radio. The child's mother was never found, so the Vaziris became the parents of a new baby girl. They named her Esther Lynn Vaziri.