New Beginnings

Chapter 4

As Uncle Jon guided the pickup truck through the dusky streets of L.A. toward Poncherello's apartment, my heart was pounding. I had never been to a CHP party before and I was really nervous. The truck lurched as it rolled over a speed bump and I gripped the armrest tightly. Uncle Jon spun the steering wheel and the truck pulled neatly into space in the parking garage. Uncle Jon opened his door and stepped out. I hesitated, not sure if I was ready for this. "Hey, you comin'?" Uncle Jon asked.

I swallowed hard. "Yeah, I'm comin'." I stepped out of the truck and followed Uncle Jon up the stairs to Frank Poncherello's apartment. He knocked on the door and it opened to reveal Bonnie standing in the doorway.

"Hi! Come on in!" She swung the door open wide and I followed Uncle Jon inside. As Uncle Jon was greeted by his friends, I hung in the background. I had never been in Poncherello's apartment before and I found it interesting to see it. The smell of nachos filled the air along with the sound of chattering voices.

Just then, Ponch came over to where I was standing. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me playfully away from the wall where I had retreated. "What are you hiding in a corner for?" he asked.

"Come on, Joanna. This is your party," Bonnie said. She led me to the center of the room, and then she stopped. "What's the matter, Joanna? You look scared."

I shook my head. "No, I'm okay."

Bonnie looked doubtful, but she didn't have time to respond. The doorbell rang, and when Ponch opened the door, Officer Grossman came in carrying a large box. "Well, hey! Look who finally decided to show up," Ponch laughed, jabbing Grossie with his elbow.

"Frank, I told you that you shouldn't have let Grossman pick up the cake," Sergeant Getraer said with a smug smile. "You'll be lucky if there's any left."

Grossman looked insulted as Ponch took the box and opened it. "Nope! It's still in here," he announced.

"Good, then let's get on with this thing," Sergeant Getraer said impatiently.

"Alright, alright."

Ponch carried the box into the kitchen and Getraer made his way to the center of the room. He cleared his throat and said loudly, "Excuse me, people." Everyone stopped talking and looked up at him. I watched curiously, wondering what this was about. "Now," Getraer went on, "We came here tonight to celebrate Joanna's adoption by Jon Baker."

"Yay!" Everyone cheered and clapped.

"Now, now wait a minute!" Getraer said firmly. "Now somebody, I don't know who, but somebody thought that it would a good idea to have a cake. So, when Ponch decides he's ready..."

"I'm ready, sarge," Ponch declared. He stepped out of the kitchen holding a large platter with the biggest cake I had ever seen. He set the platter on an end table and I saw that it had at least ten candles burning on it. Several of the men whistled at the sight of the cake.

"Alright, that's enough," Getraer said. "Now, where is Joanna?" He scanned the crowd and saw me near the back of the room. "Come up here."

I obeyed and went up to stand beside him. Getraer cleared his throat again and said in his best speech-making voice, "Joanna, I know this is all just a lot of fuss, but we wanted to show you how happy we are that you've joined our group. So, with no further ado, welcome to the CHP family! And, you'd better blow those candles before they drip any more wax onto the cake."

Everyone laughed and I took a big deep breath, and blew out every candle. Everyone cheered, and Ponch handed me a knife. "Cut big pieces," he whispered.

I grinned; the feeling of nervousness had vanished. I stuck the knife into the cake and cut large pieces for everyone. When Sergeant Getraer came over for his piece, he handed me something. I looked at it and saw that it was an I D card. It had my picture, and my name, and it also had a six-pointed star. "What's this?" I wondered.

"It's an identity card," Getraer explained. "It allows you to be in the station without a visitors badge. I thought since you were going to be around alot, it might not be a bad idea."

Tears filled my eyes as I looked down at the card. For the first time in a long time, I belonged to somebody. In fact, I belonged to a whole bunch of people. From Harlan Arliss, all the way up to Sergeant Getraer, I belonged to them. "Hey, you okay?" Uncle Jon knelt down and looked into my face. "You're crying, Joanna."

I wiped the tears off my face with the back of my hand. "Uncle Jon," I choked.

"Hey." Uncle Jon put his arms around me and we embraced. Being in his arms was the sweetest feeling I had ever known. "Welcome home," he whispered.