Blame it on the Baby

"Frankie did it." Had become Jane's catchphrase. Francesco Rizzoli was turning one years old, and somehow, Jane found a reason to blame everything on him.

In her three year old birthday party, she licked all the frosting of her cake, put the leftovers from her face into Frankie's face and got rid of all the evidence pointing to her.

"Oh no. Who ate all the frosting on your cake Jane."

"Frankie did it." Jane said and pointed at her brother, who was covered in frosting.

"Oh really. How did he get to the cake?"

"I don't know. I wasn't here." Jane said and walked away.

At Christmas, Jane's presents were found opened on Christmas eve.

"Who opened up all your presents Jane?"

"Frankie did it." Jane said.

"Oh yeah? Frankie did it. He opened up all your presents, and none others. How might that be?"

"I don't know. I wasn't here." Jane said playing with the toys she'd gotten.

On New year's, Jane spilled red juice on the carpet and all over her dress. She gave Frankie the juice box and shouted at him: "Bad Frankie." Then shouting at her mother: "Momma. Frankie spilled juice all over me."

"What?" Angela said as she walked towards Jane. "What was Frankie doing with your juice box?"

"I don't know. He took it. He's always taking my stuff."

"Oh no, he spilled juice all over your dress. That means you're going to have to wear the dress aunt Constantina gave you." A dress that was pink and puffy and itchy, a dress that Jane hated.

Angela was clever. She knew that every time Jane used the phrase Frankie did it, she was lying. She always said something else if Frankie actually committed the crime. She was getting a bit worried though, maybe Jane would become a criminal. She was such a good liar and always did her best to get rid of the evidence.

The time she licked all the frosting off her cake and blamed it on Frankie, Angela knew she was lying because she had frosting in her hair. And the time Jane had opened up her Christmas presents and none other was because Jane was the only one whose first letter was J and Angela had recently taught her that J was her letter.

Jane was growing up though, and growing up to a fine young girl, apart from the lying. She was growing fonder of her little brother too and she could see them becoming best friends in the future.

She was starting preschool soon and Angela was sure she'd be way ahead all the other kids. She already knew the letters of the alphabet, she used the correct pronouns when speaking, she could count to thirty and she never wet her bed at night.

Angela wasn't sure if she should bust Jane for lying or just go along with it and make her think that she believed her. Angela never let her go without punishment thoug, but just that kind of punishment that fit the crime.

Like with the frosting, next time she served cake without frosting at all, pretending to blame it on Frankie, but she could see the shameful look in Jane's eyes. And then at Christmas, she let Jane play with the toys she got a day early, but then on Christmas morning, when the family gathered to open the presents, she had no presents to open. Jane then got so sad and disappointed that Angela broke down and let her help Frank jr. to open his presents. Then on New Year's, when she spilled juice on her dress, Angela made her wear a dress that she hated instead. Jane was not happy, but didn't show remorse, so Angela made her wear that dress until she went to bed.

"Honey. Tomorrow's Frankie's birthday. Do you want to pick a toy to give him yourself?" Angela asked.

"Yes." Jane answered and stood up.

"Put your toys away and then we'll leave." Angela said, leaving the room and closing the door. She put on some make-up and changed into nicer clothes to go shopping. When Jane came out of her room, Angela forgot to check if Jane had put her toys away and just started dressing her.

"Did you put all your toys away?" Angela asked when they were in the car.

"Yes."

"You sure can make a mess in a little time. I don't think one toy was in their right place."

"I know. I was playing."

"That's good. Good that you can entertain yourself." Angela said and smiled.

When the Rizzoli girls arrived at Chestnut Hill, Jane got so excited she realized she was desperate to go to the bathroom.

"Oh honey, you didn't go to the bathroom before we left?"

"No. I need to go pee now."

Angela found a bathroom and took her daughter into the stall. It was rather disgusting, so she thanked god that she didn't have to pee herself. Jane didn't seem to mind as she did her business and Angela was glad she was quick.

"Come on. Let's wash your hands." Angela said, looking forward to leave the bathroom stall smell, behind her.

"Let's go to Lionel's Kiddie City. You can pick something for Frankie there. But remember, you're not buying a toy for yourself, you're buying a present for Frankie."

"Okay." Jane answered, not really listening to her mother. Strolling down to Kiddie City.

When the pair arrived at Kiddie City, Jane started shrieking with joy, seeing all these trains and toys.

"Wow, momma look. See the choo choo trainset. Frankie wants one of those." She said, pulling her mother's coat towards the moving trains.

"Unfortunately, these trains are not for young kids like Frankie. What about some of these?" Angela asked pulling Jane towards some baby toys.

"No. Frankie big boy. One year old, wants the new trains." Jane said pulling away from her mother.

Jane loved trains. She had gotten a train set for Christmas and played with it every day. She even had train wallpaper in her room. She got to pick it herself before Christmas.

"What if we buy these trains for Frankie? You can teach him to play with them. They're baby trains."

"Okay. But can I have these trains then?" Jane asked making her puppy face.

"Maybe later Jane. Now I just have enough money for Frankie's present. If you continue being such a good girl, maybe you'll get another train set.

Jane agreed to that and held her mother's hand as they walked out of the shop and then out of the mall and into the car, where she sang all the way home.

The family ate dinner together and Jane didn't go into her room until it was bedtime. Angela was going to get pajamas to put Jane in but when she entered Jane's room she saw a huge mess and the toys were spread all around the floor.

"JANE CLÉMENTINE RIZZOLI!" Angela yelled.

"What?" Jane walked towards her mother, a little bit afraid of what was going to happen.

"You said you had cleaned this mess up. How come it is worse than when we left?"

"I don't know. I didn't do this. Frankie did it." Jane said.

"Oh young lady, I've had enough of the lies. You blame everything on Frankie. Now it's time for action. You clean this mess up and then you're going straight to bed. No bedtime story for you.

"But, but Frankie…"

"No, no, no… You're not blaming this on your brother."

Jane started crying. She went into her room and slammed the door behind her.

"What happened?" Frank ran to his wife in the living room, holding Frank jr.

"She lied to me about cleaning up her bedroom and then she blamed it on Frankie." Angela said angrily.

"But she did."

"Did what?"

"She did clean up her bedroom. I went in to check, before you guys went out and all her toys were put away. I accidentally left the door open and Frank jr messed it all up."

"Oh no, she was telling the truth." Angela stood up in a hurry and ran towards Jane bedroom, grabbing the doorknob, only to realize that the door was locked. "Jane baby, momma's sorry, I know it wasn't you who made the mess. Open the door sweetheart." Angela could hear her daughter's sniffles through the door and tears started filling her eyes.

"I can't open momma. Door's stuck."

"Oh no Frank, what can we do? She's locked inside her bedroom!" Angela was panicking.

Frank put Frankie jr. into his playpen and comforted his wife.

"Don't worry. We'll get her out."

"I need to apologize to her. I said I wouldn't read her a bedtime story." Angela cried.

"Honey. Is the window open?" Frank asked his daughter through the door.

"No." Jane said.

"Then you have to move out of the way darling. Can you sit on your bed for a little while?" Frank asked.

"Okay."

"Are you sitting on the bed?"

"Yes." Jane answered.

"Okay sweetheart, cover your ears, there's gonna be a bang."

Frank moved backwards and then ran into the door as fast as he could, causing it to open. He fell onto the floor, or not exactly the floor, he fell into Jane's train set and broke it. He hurt himself a little bit but when he saw his daughter sitting on the bed, covering her ears and eyes closed, he stood up and picked her up smiling.

"You are a brave little girl, Jane Rizzoli."

Angela came running and grabbed Jane from Frank.

"I'm sorry baby. I know it wasn't you, I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

"Oh no." Frankie looked down to see the train set broken on the floor. "I'm sorry, but daddy broke your trainset."

"We'll go buy the new one tomorrow. The one you liked at the store."

Jane smiled her biggest smile and hugged her mother.

"I forgive you momma." Jane said, hugging her tight.

The Rizzoli's then cleaned up the mess and Angela lied down next to Jane ready to read her a bedtime story.

"Momma?" Jane asked, looking a little guilty.

"Yes?"

"I licked the frosting of the cake on my birthday." Jane said, looking down at her stomach. "I also opened my presents and spilled the juice. I'm sorry."

"I know it was you Jane, it's okay. I forgive you. But stop blaming your brother from now on, because I don't want another mishap like this one.

Jane nodded and the Rizzoli girls read bedtime stories together until the younger one was fast asleep, dreaming about the trains that she'd get tomorrow.