What's for Lunch? Why Pizza of Course!

Memo to self--When we presume competence of our family and friends with intellectual disabilities don't be surprised when they act competently.

Andy, my 24 year old son with Down syndrome is living with us in Santiago, Chile. He works  at the  office with my husband, Jorge. Andy's duty is document control: shredding and recycling the mountain of documents produced by the civil engineering company.

His independence has been increasing with each passing day that we have been here. Andy gets up in the morning and gets his breakfast. His favorite is ciabiatta  with a tall glass of pineapple juice.




With his morning bath routine finished and his favorite shirt on he gathers his belongings, office badge, and apartment key and is off to work on his own. 




When lunch time rolls around a real treat is to go out to Da Dino's Pizza on the corner of Apoquindo and Golda Meir between the Alcantara and Escuela Militar metro stops. This particular day a promise of pizza for lunch was once again made. Unfortunately though, Jorge was called away to a meeting and told Andy he would not be able to go to lunch with him.  Andy however, kept insisting "Pizza for lunch."  As Jorge started to leave for his meeting he told him to go on home for lunch and that they would go out another day. Andy once again insisted on "Pizza for lunch" and went on home without further comment.

About 20 minutes later I called Jorge to let him know I was out running errands in the neighborhood. When Jorge asked if Andy had eaten yet I was a little surprised since I hadn't seen him since this morning and thought he was still with Jorge at work in the office. And then it happened again. That rush of panic; that sense of fear that maybe I have been foolish all this time to let Andy be independent in this foreign country when so many things could go so wrong. By this time I was on the corner looking out across Apoquindo. Andy was nowhere in sight.

We thought about the moment he left the office and then it hit us: Andy went for "Pizza for lunch!"

My heart pounding deep in my stomach, I hurried over to the restauarant realizing the 20 minutes that Andy has been away would be the same amount of time needed to bake a pizza.  Just as I took the first steps leading up to the take-out side of the store, Andy appeared filling the doorway with his face beaming with pride  and the freshly baked pizza  - cheese only- firmly grasped in his hands. As I peered into the store I could see the clerk behind the counter showing me two thumbs up- his face perhaps showing even greater pride in his accomplishment of completing Andy's order.

Andy then informed me he was on his way home now to have "Pizza for lunch" saving half of it for tomorrow's "Pizza for breakfast."