September 15, 1981
Jackie Burkhart looked around her brand new apartment. It was small and kind of run down but it did the job. Soon enough she would be back to the top of the world. She just needed a few months to prove herself in the fashion design company that had hired her. Right now she was just an intern being paid almost nothing but soon enough she'd be at the top.
She sat on the crappy couch she had bought the day before and relaxed. It wasn't easy to move so far away from home with almost no help. With her dad in prison and her mom in…god knows where she didn't have any family to help. Her friends had helped as much as they could but Eric and Donna had school and Kelso had Betsy and Fez was well Fez. He was a limited amount of help on his best days. Kitty, Red and Bob had stored some of the things she couldn't bring with her this time but they all had work so they couldn't actually help her with her move.
Jackie looked at her clock on the wall. It was almost three in the afternoon. She had unpacked quite a bit of her stuff already but was now starving. She only had six hundred dollars to her name. Things had really changed for Jackie Burkhart. She was no longer the richest girl in Point Place but was now just one of plenty of people struggling in New York.
Jackie pulled a twenty from the stack of money in her kitchen drawer. She'd have to deposit her money in the bank soon but today that wasn't her priority. Right now what she needed to do was get something to eat. She hadn't eaten all day and she was feeling a little lightheaded.
Jackie walked down the steps of her fifth floor walkup. She wasn't very familiar with the area but she had seen a cute diner just down the block from her.
There were maybe two dozen people in the tiny restaurant she noticed as they stepped inside. She took a seat at the counter between two older couples.
"Hello. What can I get you?" the waitress asked her a minute after she sat down.
"Um, can I get a Diet Coke and a burger with fries to go please?"
"Sure thing sweetheart."
A few minutes later she had her food and pop. Jackie paid for the food and then walked back to her apartment. She walked up the five flights and let herself into the apartment that was now her home. God she couldn't wait to be rich again. She wanted an apartment that actually had a bedroom instead of a bedroom/living room combo.
Just as she opened her door the phone rang. Jackie dropped the food and pop onto the counter in the kitchen before picking up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Jackie! How are you? How's New York?" Donna asked from the other end.
"I'm good! It's good. I miss everyone though," Jackie admitted.
It sounded like a scuffle on Donna's end and a second later there was someone new on the phone.
"Jackie," Fez said, "when you come home for Christmas can you bring me whores and candy?"
"Fezzie, you know there's candy and sluts in Wisconsin, right?"
"Yes but I heard that there is more candy there and that the girls will do it with foreigners."
Jackie laughed and the phone changed hands again.
"Hey sweet pea," Kelso greeted.
"Hi Kelso."
"Oh man, how's the city? Do you miss me yet?"
"Yes I miss everyone. And you'd love it here. There are so many girls. None of them are as pretty as me but they're not bad."
Jackie again heard the phone switching hands.
"What? No I don't have anything to say," Eric's muffled voice said.
"Oh please string bean, you should feel honored that you get the chance to talk to me."
"So do you like it there devil?"
"Yeah. It's great here."
"Everyone here misses you."
"Aw you miss me," Jackie cooed into the phone.
"Yeah…well…Donna!" Eric called, handing the phone off yet again.
"Jackie, sweetie, is that you?" Mrs. Forman said as she picked up the phone.
"Yes Mrs. Forman. It's me."
"Oh, how's the big apple?"
"It's great here. You all should come visit sometime. I sent Donna my spare key in case she ever wanted to come visit. You're all welcome here whenever you'd like."
"Aw. Now isn't that just the sweetest thing I've ever heard."
Jackie heard the phone being passed along.
"What? Why are you giving me the phone?" Red demanded.
Jackie heard a muffled reply before Red spoke again.
"Hello?"
"Hi Mr. Forman."
"Why would you put me on the phone with the loud one?" Mr. Forman demanded from his wife. Again there was a muffled reply.
"So are you all settled in there?" Red demanded.
"Almost. I'm almost unpacked but I'm still getting my bearings."
"Well good. I'm sure you'll do just fine for yourself out there. You aren't quite as big of a dumbass as the others."
"Thanks Mr. Forman," Jackie replied, genuinely touched.
Jackie heard shuffling on the other end before yet another person got on the phone.
"Hey there, hi there, ho there."
"Hi Bob."
"Oh I miss you kiddo," Bob cried into the phone.
"I miss you too Bob."
Jackie heard him crying.
"That's enough Bob," Red said. "Goodbye Jackie. Call if you need anything."
"Bye Mr. Forman."
After hanging up Jackie ate her food, which had gotten cold. She was already homesick. She had figured that since she wasn't leaving any family behind she wouldn't feel homesick but now she realized that she had left her family behind. They may not have been her biological family but in every other sense of the word they were.
