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Authors: Liz Flaherty
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voice from behind the door. “Put your hands up and keep walking and you ain’t gonna get hurt, either.”
What now?
CHAPTER FOUR
“J AYSON !”
Kate, who’d been thinking she just might wet the pants of her brand-new sweats, jumped when the shout came from behind the counter. Ben’s hand was right there beside her, so she grabbed hold.
“I’m so sorry.” The waitress, the same one who’d been there the night the student collapsed, rushed across the room. A wet bar towel swung from her hand. “He doesn’t know...he hears things on television and just says them...he doesn’t know. He would never hurt anyone. He wants to be friends, don’t you, Jay?” She reached them, panting a little, and put a protective arm around the young man who stood behind the door. “His caregiver was ill, so I needed to bring him to work.”
“No harm.” Ben’s voice was as calm as though they hadn’t just been threatened in a way-too-convincing voice. He smiled at the young man cowering behind his sister. “Jay, right? I’m Ben and this is Kate.”
Jayson ventured into full view. His face was round and flat and his sparkling eyes slanted in the manner often associated with Down syndrome. “Hi!” he said cheerfully, extending a hand in Ben’s direction. “I’m Jayson Philip Connor and I’m sixteen.”
He pointed at the waitress. “This is my sister, Debby. My sister’s really nice and she never yells mean stuff.” He looked sorrowful. “But she says sometimes I scare the poop out of her.” He gestured clumsily. “You can sit over there where there’s no junk on the floor ’cause I mopped it with stinky stuff that smells like pine trees. I helped clean the table, too.”
“Thank you, Jay,” said Kate, shaking Jayson’s hand when he remembered to offer it to her. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Do you want a bagel? I can carry them, but if I bring the coffee, I spill it and make a mess.”
“That would be good. Are you going to stay awake all night while Debby works?”
“Nooo.” He laughed as though Kate had said something particularly funny. “There’s a couch in the office and I sleep there. I brought my pillow and toothbrush from home. I can’t take a shower 'cause there isn’t one, but I don’t stink,” he assured them. “Not even like pine tree stuff.”
“Jayson.” Debby’s voice was patient but tired. “You need to sit down over there with your books or else go to bed. I have to work.”
“I want to bring them bagels.” There was obstinacy in the boy’s voice. He pointed at Kate. “She said I could.”
“He’s right, I did,” said Kate, casting the waitress an apologetic look. “Maybe he could do that first.”
“Okay. But you want a muffin, don’t you? Chocolate chip and cream cheese?”
As someone who’d been in second grade before she remembered how to spell her own last name, Kate was always impressed by a good memory. “Yes, please.”
When the order was ready, Jayson carried their plates carefully, one at a time, and set them on the table with a sigh of relief. “Sometimes I drop them,” he admitted, “but not very often. My mom says I’m a trial.” He shook his head sadly. “She doesn’t like me very much.”
“It’s hard, isn’t it?” Ben asked Debby, after Jayson had given them an enthusiastic good-night wave and retired to the office. “Are you his full-time caregiver?”
The young woman nodded. “It is, and I am. But my boss is pretty understanding. It’s why I work here. Jayson and I are all each other has. Our mother wanted to institutionalize him, and I couldn’t do that.” She bussed the table nearest their booth. “I like Fionnegan—we ended up here when my car broke down on our way to Burlington—but there’s not really anything here for Jayson. We live in a duplex on Alcott Street and the lady who lives on the other side sometimes stays with him while I work. She can’t always, though, but there aren’t any educational
What now?
CHAPTER FOUR
“J AYSON !”
Kate, who’d been thinking she just might wet the pants of her brand-new sweats, jumped when the shout came from behind the counter. Ben’s hand was right there beside her, so she grabbed hold.
“I’m so sorry.” The waitress, the same one who’d been there the night the student collapsed, rushed across the room. A wet bar towel swung from her hand. “He doesn’t know...he hears things on television and just says them...he doesn’t know. He would never hurt anyone. He wants to be friends, don’t you, Jay?” She reached them, panting a little, and put a protective arm around the young man who stood behind the door. “His caregiver was ill, so I needed to bring him to work.”
“No harm.” Ben’s voice was as calm as though they hadn’t just been threatened in a way-too-convincing voice. He smiled at the young man cowering behind his sister. “Jay, right? I’m Ben and this is Kate.”
Jayson ventured into full view. His face was round and flat and his sparkling eyes slanted in the manner often associated with Down syndrome. “Hi!” he said cheerfully, extending a hand in Ben’s direction. “I’m Jayson Philip Connor and I’m sixteen.”
He pointed at the waitress. “This is my sister, Debby. My sister’s really nice and she never yells mean stuff.” He looked sorrowful. “But she says sometimes I scare the poop out of her.” He gestured clumsily. “You can sit over there where there’s no junk on the floor ’cause I mopped it with stinky stuff that smells like pine trees. I helped clean the table, too.”
“Thank you, Jay,” said Kate, shaking Jayson’s hand when he remembered to offer it to her. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Do you want a bagel? I can carry them, but if I bring the coffee, I spill it and make a mess.”
“That would be good. Are you going to stay awake all night while Debby works?”
“Nooo.” He laughed as though Kate had said something particularly funny. “There’s a couch in the office and I sleep there. I brought my pillow and toothbrush from home. I can’t take a shower 'cause there isn’t one, but I don’t stink,” he assured them. “Not even like pine tree stuff.”
“Jayson.” Debby’s voice was patient but tired. “You need to sit down over there with your books or else go to bed. I have to work.”
“I want to bring them bagels.” There was obstinacy in the boy’s voice. He pointed at Kate. “She said I could.”
“He’s right, I did,” said Kate, casting the waitress an apologetic look. “Maybe he could do that first.”
“Okay. But you want a muffin, don’t you? Chocolate chip and cream cheese?”
As someone who’d been in second grade before she remembered how to spell her own last name, Kate was always impressed by a good memory. “Yes, please.”
When the order was ready, Jayson carried their plates carefully, one at a time, and set them on the table with a sigh of relief. “Sometimes I drop them,” he admitted, “but not very often. My mom says I’m a trial.” He shook his head sadly. “She doesn’t like me very much.”
“It’s hard, isn’t it?” Ben asked Debby, after Jayson had given them an enthusiastic good-night wave and retired to the office. “Are you his full-time caregiver?”
The young woman nodded. “It is, and I am. But my boss is pretty understanding. It’s why I work here. Jayson and I are all each other has. Our mother wanted to institutionalize him, and I couldn’t do that.” She bussed the table nearest their booth. “I like Fionnegan—we ended up here when my car broke down on our way to Burlington—but there’s not really anything here for Jayson. We live in a duplex on Alcott Street and the lady who lives on the other side sometimes stays with him while I work. She can’t always, though, but there aren’t any educational
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