Chapter 9: Autism in the News
The next day, I met one of my other best friends, Carly Shay and her parents, Sam and Freddie, at Pamela's P&G Diner in Squirrel Hill. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Carly greeted back. "What are you in the mood for today?" Mrs. Shay asked. "Waffles with bacon," I replied. "I remember one spring morning when we made waffles for breakfast, Carly," Mr. Benson remembered. "Oh yeah, when the weather was getting warmer and I was in 8th grade," Carly remembered. "Come to think of it, I will have some waffles and bacon, too!" Later that day, we joined some more of my friends Alex Russo, Justin Evans, and Max Greenwald for a discussion group at Carnegie Library about autism in the news. "There is a special event going on regarding autism this coming Saturday at the South Side," Mrs. Shay reminded us. "Don't miss it," Mr. Benson chimed in. "I will share my thoughts on this topic later," Carly continued. "Alex, why don't you say what you have to say first?" "Okay," Alex agreed. She cleared her throat. "Most newspapers state that there is no right age to finish college, such as in mine and Angel's cases, for example." "There have been a lot more jobs regarding autism that people take, such as when someone autistic does something special to make the community a better place," Justin pointed out. "Like this one young teenager who practiced tutoring younger kids and gave it all he got," Max told everyone, "and just so you know, the young kid was quite amazed with his memory and skills!" "That is pretty amazing, Max," I agreed. "And, Justin himself is a teacher. Although, Justin doesn't have autism, while Alex does." Carly also talked about what she saw on various PBS shows like Arthur and Sesame Street regarding autism. "I can't go out to dinner with you guys tonight because some of my relatives are joining me for a turkey dinner at my house," Carly told everyone. "That's okay, Carly," I remarked. "Some of my best friends, Emily, Michael, and Erin Mistle will join us at the Uno Chicago Grill for dinner!" After discussion group was over, Alex, Justin, Max, and I drove up to Uno Chicago Grill in Homestead for dinner. Emily, Michael, and Erin joined us there. "Hi, Alex!" Emily greeted. "It's good to see you again!" "It's good to see you too, Emily," Alex agreed. "What made you want to come here?" Emily asked. "Well, Emily, I was reminded of when I first came here my senior year as I was about to graduate from high school, and Justin reminded me to try something new," Alex told Emily. "Michael is always reminding me to try new things, too," Emily pointed out. "Why didn't you guys come to Longhorn Steakhouse with us last month?" Justin asked Michael. "Because I had plans to cook a lasagna dinner for all of us to eat," Michael explained. "It's okay, guys," I pointed out. "Carly's family couldn't come tonight because of the turkey dinner." "Erin, what have you been doing?" Max asked. "I am still trying to figure out a career I would like to have since I just graduated from college," Erin told Max. We all ordered our beverages, in which Emily, Michael, Erin, and I ordered wine and spirits. Emily, Michael, Erin, and I also ordered pizza, while Alex and Justin ordered Caesar salads, and Justin got a skinless baked potato with his meal, and Max ordered a hamburger and French fries. "Does anybody want dessert or anything else to eat?" I asked my friends. "Michael has a snack for all of us to eat in the car, Angel," Emily reminded me. "I have crackers for us to eat," Michael told us. "You like graham crackers with peanut butter and jelly, right?" "Correct," I replied. "I like to eat graham crackers, too," Erin chimed in. "Only I like chocolate-hazelnut spread and sliced strawberries on my graham crackers." Alex, Justin, and Max ordered a Deep Dish Brownie Sundae, in which they could split together. "I probably don't want anything like that, since my tummy really can't afford that," I told Emily, Michael, and Erin. "And certainly not Ritz crackers with cheddar cheese on them!" "I guess we should get going, huh, girls?" Michael asked us. "Thanks for a great day, guys!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome," Alex replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"
