by Meltem Y. K
CHAPTER 14
Jayna and Pavlina were sitting at the kitchen table studying for their calculus exam that was the next day. Pavlina was released from the hospital and doing well. Having her exams to think about was a blessing. It had given her the drive to get better in a hurry. She had surprised everyone at the hospital with her speedy recovery. She didn’t want to miss her exams now that her mind was focused on positive things in her life. She was very much looking forward to the future and the wonderful things it held for her.
Jayna had always been an A student, but she had to work to get the marks. Pavlina on the other hand was blessed with a photographic memory. She had to see or hear something only once and she would always remember it. Her ability of perfect recall made studying redundant for her, but she did it anyway. She told herself it was the right thing to do, plus she enjoyed studying with Jayna. It was good to be back and doing normal, everyday things. She had made up her mind that she would not allow pessimism to get the better of her ever again.
Jayna was stuck on a problem while they were doing their reviews.
“I can’t believe Mr. B did this to us,” Jayna said. “He barely spent any time on this thing in class; look at all the questions he put on the review sheet? If this means they will be on the final exam, I am screwed.”
Jayna was upset.
Pavlina to the rescue!
“Don’t panic, Jay. I can explain this to you. You will do just fine.”
Pavlina quickly and clearly summarized the section for Jayna; it made perfect sense and was crystal clear.
“Oh my God, Pav, I can’t believe you made this so easy for me. Your true genius isn’t your photographic memory, it’s your ability to take something complicated and present it in the simplest possible way and easy to understand. You really are a genius,” Jayna said.
“Thank you.” Pavlina took a bow.
Jayna was on a roll. “You know something? I think you should be a teacher, Pav. It would be such a waste not to make use of your God given talents.”
Pavlina contemplated for a moment, but remained silent. Jayna could see the wheels. The expression on Pavlina’s face was changing - she was having a Eureka moment. Then a little smile formed on her lips.
“Maybe that’s what I’ll be: A teacher,” Pavlina said.
“Come to think of it, I do enjoy teaching. Becoming a doctor was my parents’ idea - they thought it was the best choice for me. I know that I cannot spend the next decade in school when I will be raising a child on my own. I think you hit on a very good idea Jayna, but for an entirely different reason than the one I am thinking right now. Since I will be a single parent, I want to be able to spend as much time with my daughter as possible. Being home during all school breaks and the summer holidays makes perfect sense to me.”
The little smile morphed into a full-blown one. Pavlina’s eyes sparkled when she spoke of her unborn daughter.
“Well, I am glad that I was able to help you come up with that. Everything happens for a reason, that’s what I learned in the last few days. I guess there was a reason why I didn’t quite get this topic in class, because we needed you to explain it to me to open our eyes to what a wonderful teacher you are. Let’s face it Pav, we both know that academically you can get into whatever program you choose. You have top marks in everything you’ve ever taken.”
Pavlina shrugged.
“Yeah, I got full marks in every subject except sex education; when it came to the practical I flunked big time.”
Jayna didn’t know what to say to that.
“However, I am not going to dwell on that anymore, because I am looking forward to having my daughter in my life. She’s given me hope. What I am finding very sad is that she’ll never know her father as I have no intentions of telling him about my pregnancy. He isn’t even from around here; he is only in town during school terms. His program is co-op and alternates between work and school. Even if he does run into me, he will never know that he is the father of my baby.”
Jayna tried hard to keep a poker face. Her heart was breaking to pieces hearing the pain in Pavlina’s voice, but she swore she would be there for her friend. She wasn’t sure when she would tell Pavlina about the visit she had from her daughter, only that it wasn’t time for it yet. She would wait for the little voice in her heart to prompt her. She didn’t want to rush something so important.
“We sort of went off on a tangent, Jayna. How do you feel about the final exam tomorrow? Are you comfortable with all these review questions?”
Jayna nodded. “Yes, actually I am. I also know when my brain has reached its saturation point. This is enough studying for me. I need a break now, let things settle into their proper compartments in my head. I will do a quick review before I go to bed tonight and I know that I will be ready for the final tomorrow.”
The girls closed their books. Jayna put hers in her backpack.
“Do you want to go out and eat,” Jayna asked. “Studying makes me hungry.”
Pavlina smiled, she was feeling a bit hungry too. It was past lunch time but way too early for supper.
“Sure, I am kind of hungry too,” Pavlina said.
“What do you feel like having Pav, any cravings yet?” Jayna was trying to be funny.
“No, no cravings and no morning sickness either, yet; thank God for that. I don’t look forward to puking my guts out on a regular basis.”
Jayna’s face went ghost white. No, that wouldn’t be fun.
“How about some pizza, with lots of cheese and hot peppers?” Jayna asked, her mouthwatering at the thought of pizza, one of their favorite foods since they were kids.
“Pizza sounds great. Why don’t we order it so it’d be ready when we get there,” Pavlina said.
“We can sit and eat there, and talk; if you are not in a hurry to go home.”
Jayna shook her head, “No, I am in no hurry. We can eat and talk there.”
Twenty minutes later they were enjoying a triple-cheese pizza at the neighborhood pizza place when Pavlina’s face went blank. She was staring into space. Jayna stopped in mid-bite and waved her hand in front of Pavlina’s face.
“Pav, what’s the matter?”
Jayna panicked. Did something happen to Pavlina? Was this some kind of a delayed reaction to her recent “incident” that put her in the hospital?
Pavlina wasn’t responding to Jayna’s hand waving in front of her face.
Jayna gently touched her friend’s shoulder and gave her a shake. Pavlina blinked a few times and looked at Jayna and spoke very quietly.
“Those two guys that just walked in are going to rob this place,” Pavlina whispered.
Jayna wasn’t sure if she heard her friend correctly.
“What?”
Pavlina nodded.
“You heard what I said. Let’s get out of here.”
They slowly got out of their seats and left from the secondary door that was close to their table. Jayna’s car was parked directly in front of the pizza place. The girls quickly went into the vehicle; Jayna started the engine and drove back a couple of rows away from the storefront. If there was going to be any action, she didn’t want to be in the middle of it. They could safely observe what was going on from farther away – they didn’t need front row seats for this show.
Pavlina was very focused on her surroundings and did a quick sweep of the plaza with her eyes. There was a black car two stores to the left of the pizza place, its engine running. A guy was sitting at the wheel looking pretty nervous. His eyes were darting back and forth and also checking his rear view mirror. This had to be the getaway car.
Jayna watched the scene unfolding inside the pizza place. One of the guys was holding a gun, whether it was a real one or not, Jayna could not tell; but he was pointing it to the man behind the cash register. His partner was holding a bag and saying something to the pizza guy. Jayna saw that neither of them was wearing gloves.
What kind of idiots hold up a joint without wearing gloves, she wondered. Th
ese two didn’t look very smart. Their actions were very animated. As soon as the till was emptied into their bag, they came out running, almost bumping into each other. Bumbling idiots seemed an appropriate description for these two. The idling car pulled up and the goons jumped in. Their driver floored the gas pedal; they drove away their tires squealing.
Jayna was already calling 911.
The employees of the pizza place came out of the shop, running after the thieves. They couldn’t believe what had just happened. They were pretty shaken up.
Jayna drove back to where she was previously parked. The girls came out of the car and walked up to the employees.
“I already called 911,” Jayna said.
“Are you guys okay,” Pavlina asked.
The men were talking all at the same time, shouting at each other. “I can’t believe those bastards robbed us,” the older one said. He looked like he was in charge, possibly the owner-manager of the place.
“Sir, don’t worry about it,” Pavlina said. “The cops are on their way. I’ve got their license plate and a description of the men who robbed you.”
The manager took another look at Pavlina and Jayna.
“Weren’t you girls having pizza in there,” he asked.
“Yes, we were,” Jayna said. “We left just as they were walking in, to get something from the car. We noticed that something weird was going on in there, so we thought we’d wait and see what’d happen next, if you’d need our help. We got a pretty good description of those guys and their car.”
Jayna thought she’d censor her story slightly so as not to sound totally crazy to these men. She didn’t think it would be a good idea to say her friend had a vision about the robbery seconds before it happened. She would question Pavlina about that as soon as they were done here.
A police cruiser pulled in to the plaza, his lights flashing. He stopped in front of the pizza shop. Two uniformed policemen came out.
“What’s going on here?” asked one of them.
“We’ve been robbed,” said the manager. “These two young ladies saw the whole thing.”
“Has anyone been hurt,” asked the second cop.
“No. No one’s been hurt, but everyone’s pretty shaken up. The guy was holding a gun,” said the manager.
“Okay, let’s go in and talk about what happened. We need to speak to each of you separately.”
Jayna came forward.
“Officer, the two guys who robbed the place were not wearing any gloves. Perhaps you want to get their fingerprints off the door handles. They used this door, so you probably don’t want to touch it. We can go in from the other door, the one we used when we were leaving.”
Pavlina nodded to second Jayna’s suggestion.
“They were in a black Nissan, four doors,” Pavlina gave them the license plate. “They went that way,” She pointed the way.
One of the officers was on his radio, giving a description of the car and the license plate to dispatch.
Some of the other merchants came out of their stores to see what was happening. Everyone was shocked to hear that an armed robbery had taken place in their quiet neighborhood.
The officers spoke to all five employees, and the girls. The owner-manager of the shop was grateful for the details the girls had provided. One of the officers came back from his cruiser in the parking lot to say that the thieves had already been apprehended.
Everyone agreed it was a lucky break that the girls were so observant and noted so many details. Their help was instrumental to the police in catching the thieves so quickly.
The manager of the shop couldn’t thank the girls enough for their quick thinking and all their help.
“You girls come back anytime,” he said. “I will make you the best pizza - on the house,” he declared.