"Oh, my God, Jerry!" I said when he emerged, "Everybody thinks this baby is real and that's it's mine!" At that moment, the baby stopped crying and let out a soft coo. I sighed in relief...

I felt like an ass. Like a stupid ass. Here I was, a thirteen-year-old girl (apparently) with a doll! Could anything be more embarrassing?

Yes, it could. I could be a thirteen-year-old girl with a doll in a soda shop.

"What a thweet widdle dolly-wolly you have, Marcie-Warcie," Jerry said. Carla and Pat snorted with laughter.

"What are you doing with that thing?" Carla asked.

"It's her dolly!" Jerry said.

"The damn thing looks real," Pat commented.

"It smells real," Jerry added.

"It sounds real, too," I said, "and that's the bad part." The four of us were sitting in a booth, and I shoved the little monster behind my back, between me and the wall. The waitress rushed over with a shocked expression.

"Miss," she said. "You can't treat a baby like that."

"It isn't real," I said. "It's just a doll. See?"

She clearly didn't believe me until she looked at it for a while and touched it.

"I'll be darned," she said. "There I was, thinking how awful! You, a little slip of girl, with a baby!" She glanced at Jerry, and it was clear she'd been thinking something about him, too. He blushed, and that made me feel a little better about my own blushing.

The waitress took our orders and left. Jerry asked who my teachers were, and told me something (usually something funny) about each one. Our food came, and we started into it. Carla and Pat were getting along great. He had his arm around her, and she actually put her head on his shoulder at one point. It seemed awfully fast to me. I guess they'd been admiring each other from afar for a long time...

Suddenly, the baby started to cry. I fumbled a bit, but quickly got the key into its back.

"Jerry, I think I better go outside until the baby stops crying," I said. "There's no telling how long it goes on." The piercing cries made everyone in the place stare.

Jerry stood up and I slid past him, holding the doll awkwardly. A wet spot on the floor made me slip, and I almost dropped the baby. Someone let out a shocked gasp, and I heard a stage whisper, "A child at her age, can you believe that?" My face turned a deep crimson, and I got out the door as quickly as possible. I looked back through the window and saw Jerry putting money on the table.

Unconsciously, I started rocking the baby in my arms and talking to it. "It's all right, it's all right," I cooed. When I caught myself, I stopped. How stupid could I be? The only thing that helped the "baby" was the plastic key: I just had to hold it in until the crying stopped.

"Maybe it's hungry," a woman passing by suggested, "Don't you have anything to feed your baby?"

Her friend said, "It's either hungry or it needs to be changed. Doesn't look like you have any diapers, either."

"No, no," I said, "it isn't that," but before I could explain, they shook their heads in disgust and walked off.

"Of course, she knows better!" one said.

"Girls that age having babies!" the other replied. "What did her parents teach her? A child having a child!"

They looked at me with heavy disapproval.

"Oh, my God, Jerry!" I said when he emerged, "Everybody thinks this baby is real and that's it's mine!" At that moment, the baby stopped crying and let out a soft coo. I sighed in relief and removed the key.

"Do you want to go back inside?" he asked. "I have your stuff here, but if you want, we can go in and sit down again."

"No, I hate to spoil the day, but I ought to go home."

He cocked his head and smiled. "'Date?' Is this a date for you?"

I blushed. "No, I didn't say 'day', I said 'date'. I mean... I said... oh, whatever."

"Don't worry about it," he said. "I was just teasing. Anyway, we met, had some food, your baby cried... Hey, this is my first time out with a single mom!"

We laughed and I felt a little better.

"The thing is," I said, "Is... ah, that I'm not technically allowed to, uh, go out..." It sounded lame as I said it, but Jerry shrugged.

"There's no law against talking, is there?"

"No," I said. "I like talking to you." Why did I say that!?

"Good!" he replied. "I like talking to you. Hey, what if we talk at a movie tomorrow? Or maybe we could whisper?"

"I just told you," I said, incredulous. "I'm not allowed to go out with boys."

"What if you go the movies by yourself, and we happen to bump into each other? And what if we accidentally sit together?" he asked.

I gaped at him in disbelief. "You are persistent, aren't you?"

"It's my middle name," he replied. "Before you get there, I could buy two tickets by mistake, and way too much popcorn for one person..."

"I can't anyway," I told him. "For one thing, I have this doll that could cry during the movie, and for another, I have to go shopping."

"You could do that anytime," he scoffed.

"No, I can't," I countered. "I don't have any clothes for school."

"Did someone steal them all?" he laughed.

I blushed. "I just... oh, Lord. Listen, I can't explain."

"I get it," he said. "It's a girl thing. Just as long as you're not avoiding me."

"I'm not," I said.

"Then how about next weekend?" he smiled as if he already knew the answer. I looked in his face and eyes, and tried to think of an excuse.

"If my aunt finds out, I'll be grounded forever," I said.

"We can meet inside the theatre, in the dark," he said. "No one will even see us."

I agonized in silence.

"Keep it simple," he said. "Just say yes."

I started thinking. This was only my second day as a girl, and already I was getting asked out. If I said no to Jerry, some other boy or boys could start pestering me — not that Jerry was a pest! In fact, I liked Jerry. If I was a boy — I mean, if I — what I mean is, I'd like hanging out with Jerry anyway. So maybe it was best to encourage him... up to a point. He could deflect the attention of other boys. So I said, "Yes."

"Great!" he replied.

"We can talk next week about when and where and what..."

"...and how," he finished.

"And how," I echoed, smiling.

"Great!" he repeated. "So, next weekend, then... So, in the meantime, can I walk you and your baby home? I hope you don't mind if I don't offer to carry it."

"I don't mind, if you don't mind walking with a girl and her doll," I replied.

"I should line you up with a stroller," he said. "And don't you need a big bag for diapers and bottles and stuff?"

"Yes, that's all I need," I replied, rolling my eyes and laughing.

I couldn't help it. His banter was irresistible.

I shifted the doll from one arm to the other. It wasn't heavy, but it was inconvenient. Jerry was watching me, and he said, "I was kidding before about the stroller, but I think we might have one at home. I mean, my little sister probably has her doll stroller. I think she'll lend it to you." His eyes twinkled. "But you'll have to swear that you won't keep it."

I smiled and shook my head at his silliness. Why not? I asked myself. I already look ridiculous. "Do you really think so?" I asked. "How old is she?"

"Nine," he said. "But she still has all her old toys."

And so we made a slight detour to Jerry's house...

© 2006, 2007 by Kaleigh Way