Author's note: this chapter is not really necessary but it is a chapter for my soul. Enjoy!

Johnny, the waiter

Johnny has been working as a waiter for almost three years now. It wasn't exactly his dream job but it brought some money.

He was actually thinking of becoming a writer. After three years behind the counter he had an uncountable amount of stories on his mind.

People seemed to take Johnny as their personal shrink after a few scotches. Some stories were pretty pathetic and the others were intriguing, mainly because people telling them were intriguing.

This Friday evening, when a woman in blue coat, orange glasses and wild hair stepped through the bar's door he knew he's going to hear one hell of a story and that will be just because this woman will make one totally pitiable story interesting.

He recognized the hesitant woman from before. Maybe a year or so back he called her to come pick up her inebriated boss.

Daniel Meade. Oh, yes that was one of the most interesting and amusing people Johnny ever met. Not because he was rich and famous and a well known womanizer but because he was desperately in love with his assistant and the poor sod didn't even realize it. He claimed to be drowning his sorrows in scotch because some woman named Sofia didn't want a family with him and she left with Hugo or something.

But all the time they were talking he mentioned this Sofia maybe twice while the famous Betty was in his every sentence.

Betty this, Betty that. How without Betty he would have been unemployed, homeless and broke within a week at Mode. How he isn't talented as his dead brother but Betty is. Betty has the best ideas. How he was never good enough for his father. How his mother is an alcoholic. How is no wonder Sofia doesn't want a family with him since his family is screwed up. How Betty's family is so warm and kind. How her boyfriend Wilbur isn't worth her since he cheated on her. How dare he do that to his Betty? How his Betty deserves the best. How this Henry from accounting is a jerk and is just going to hurt her. And oh Betty, The Goddess.

So, after Daniel Meade started ordering "crotch socks" Johnny called this Betty and was very surprised when he actually saw her since he expected some leggy blonde with a heavenly shine all around her.

And now a year later there was still no shine. Not even the one coming from her braces. The braces were gone.

The expression on her face was the one he recognized. Defeated. Depressed. No sign of a happy girl. Despite all this Johnny knew this girl is too stubborn to stay defeated. She'll get back on the horse. She's a Queens girl. Johnny was from Queens too and knew a Queens girl when he saw one.

But for the time being, Betty needed a drink.

After a few drinks it turned out Betty is even more talkative than her boss and no less amusing.

She told Johnny how she left Walter (not Wilbur) for Henry but Henry got back with his previous girlfriend (what a prick) and then when Henry finally left his girlfriend, she showed up pregnant. And then Betty found out Charlie was cheating on Henry and the child was not necessarily his. And then Henry found out as well but they made a paternity test and the child was his. So, then Henry had four months before he had to go to his child in Tucson and he and Betty decided to make the best out of those four months. And Daniel told her she's stupid.

Johnny silently agreed with him although Betty didn't care what he thinks anymore since she wouldn't stop talking about Daniel once she started. It was as if she totally forgot all about Henry's existence.

"I really don't get it why he was so angry! Of course I was glad he cares but really… Not even Papi was so passionate about this… Well, maybe he was but he's my father! Daniel was just acting so weird! Confusing!" Betty was explaining seriously albeit with not so slight slur to the kind waiter whose name she forgot. Again. She didn't understand why she forgot everything this evening. Or why she had a feeling she already told this to the nice waiter.

Maybe before he borrowed my cell phone and browsed through it?

That could be it but Betty couldn't remember correctly so she told him everything again, just to be safe.

"But no matter how much he irks me I can't leave him! He's a good man you know? Of course he makes mistakes. And has no idea about fashion. And I do half of his job. And he calls me to his apartment to help him pick out his shirt. And makes terrible coffee… But that's why he has me! To make his shirts and pick out his coffee...!"

"Er… anyway… give me another of those sweet things! You know, the purple one!" The waiter nodded and glanced at his watch.

Betty got her drink and then she went on with her story that wasn't actually a story but a eulogy to Daniel Meade.

"As I was saying, Daniel just has a lot of insecurities. Like a child sometimes. It's not even his fault. His father is to blame. He was making him feel he's not good enough his whole life. Of course I can't talk too bad about Bradford since he's dead. And let me tell you a secret…"

Betty leaned across the counter, in process shoving empty glass and a bunch of napkins off the counter not even noticing it. The waiter stopped polishing the glass and leaned towards her, his face impassive.

"What's your name again?"

"Johnny."

"Yeah, that's right. Johnny. So, you know, few minutes after…I mean… before Mr Meade died I was in his hospital room. Daniel and Alexis went with their mother and I stayed alone with him. And there I was, feeling terribly awkward… His son is just my assistant after all… I mean I'm his assistant… His son's assistant… Yes that's right. And he goes and asks me or actually orders me to take care of his son! Daniel! "You're the only one who's ever been able to keep Daniel on his path! He'd be lost without you!" And then snap… there goes the straight line on the monitor! Like in some Mexican soap opera! The only thing missing is a priest! No wait! There was a priest! At the funeral! I'm pretty sure the maid is pregnant with him. Or maybe it's just Charlie…"

"So, you see?! I can't leave Daniel! His father was on the deathbed when he asked me to take care of him. I have to take care of him! At least till he learns to take care of himself… which will probably never happen!"

Betty sighed deeply. It's not as if she hated her job or hated taking care of Daniel. But it was a great burden. Keep Daniel on his path was not an easy job. But if she was honest with herself, at the end she would have probably stayed with him anyway. They were just inseparable.

"I did try to leave once after Mr Meade's death but he was haunting me! I couldn't sleep I couldn't eat I couldn't do anything. He was chasing me in my dreams! His head appeared in the fridge and on my computer screen and in the toilet. He was keeping my computer screen kitten hostage!! The guilt was eating me away!"

The nice waiter looked pretty panic stricken by then. Not that Betty noticed. She gave him one of her winning smiles.

"But then I came back… because of Daniel touching speech! It still makes me cry when I think of it!" she sniffled. "And then I could send Mr Meade on Hawaii!!!"

"Have I told you why I didn't want to come back to Mode?"

"Yes you did."

"Are you sure I did? I can't really remember if I told you that I started breaking into people's apartments, staling keys, hiding the fugitives, lying to Daniel! Do you know how hard that was?!" she wailed. "It was killing me from inside! Eating on my bones! Drinking my blood!!"

Her forehead hit the counter.

"Betty?"