Cynthia

That's Joycie for you! Poor orphan kid. When Nick, my husband Nick brought her to me it was like he found a lost puppy or somethin. I knew this chick wasn't gonna be a threat so I says to Nicki, I says to Nicki "What the hell" so I gave the kid a job at my father's diner.

Quick study; she knew the register in about two seconds, cute kid too. Strawberry blonde 5'2 and as baby faced as they come, pure as snow and sweet as all American apple pie. We knew that was gonna cause Joycie a mass amount of trouble later either with Mary and her gang or one of the sleaze balls.

Nick and I did our best to protect the kid; he'd walk her to and from work I watched over her at work and the rest of the night she was with her godparents. But Nicki and I… we could only do so much, after all Nicki had married me after he knocked me up junior year so keepin this kid a virgin was not something you would expect from us.

Aside from the fact we liked her, she was a hell of a worker! This girl, she could do ten things at once and customer service, she'd bend over backwards if you asked her. this was great because the place was goin to hell in a hand basket and she brought back some business, some! But not much; that was until Gyp DeCarlo came in one mornin and Joycie waited on him. Now that was a nail biting morning! I mean a lot of people had it out for Joyce because she was so goody-goody, nice Nelly and that can get you killed in Jersey if you do it to the wrong people on the wrong days at the wrong time.

Poor Joyce was so clueless that she asked me why a man coming to the diner would dress so nice. I watched her from next to the Jukebox nervously, she approach the mobster with that dopey smile on her lips. "Oh lord." I prayed crossing myself. "Help her."

I watched and watched, Gyp had no expression which was normal, Joycie did her usual aim to please act and by the time the check came round with a move of his head he told his goons to take a hike and my heart dropped. "he's gonna kill her!" I think in a panic covering my mouth. But, Gyp finally smiled and gestured for Joyce to sit across from him and they started talkin, he loved the little putts! And finally business started to boom all because of little orphan Joycie!

So we finally got enough money to hire busboys, dish washers and a whole gaggle of young pretty waitresses; on roller-skates even. We had so much dough raking in my dad took an early retirement and left the joint to me! Naturally, Joycie was Gyp's waitress of choice. But after a few months of mourning her parents and with all the new action in the diner Joycie started to become a little restless.

"I think I need a new look." She says to me.

"Why?" I ask. "People love the fresh faced baby doll look."

"You mean older people Cynthia." She sighed cleaning off the breakfast nook before looking back at a waitress who was being flirted with. "No one ever looks at me that way, besides Mary and her girls would still like to kick my ass five ways to Sunday, and its only gotten worse since Gyp and I cant take being an outcast anymore!"

"So you wanna whore around like the other idiots around here? Joyce honey, you're the kinda girl that a guy brings home to mama, a regular gem, don't give that up! One day you are gonna land a millionaire and get the hell back out of Jersey, you could buy Mary and all of her goons."

Joyce put a hand to her temple and made her way over to the supply room, letting her hand linger on the nob. "No I don't want to whore around I just want more of a social life then what I have in the diner. I mean between Nick and you babysitting me all the time, I never have the capability to meet anyone on my own."

"Who do you need to meet?" I questioned animatedly. "Ask Gyp; he'll introduce you to anyone you want."

Joycie laughed and shook her head. "No, I mean, see Jersey for what it is; see the Jersey my dad grew up in before Monterey and my mom and me!"

I pursed my lips and relented. "Alright, you wanna try dating a stugots from Jersey ok! But I pick the date and it will be chaperoned! That is the only way your godparents are gonna let you date."

"So…" she mused. "it's a blind date?"

"Nah, he wont be blind."

At this she laughed. "no, I mean I wont know who it is." She bit her lip in disapontment

I put my hands on my hips. "Honey, its not like your old lady is pickin the date, its me! the gal who landed good-lookin Nick! Have I ever let you down?"…

I did let her down that night; the night of the date, not due to my own fault of course. We had it all set; it was goin to be a double date, me, Nicki, Joyce and one of the bus boys Chino! And I was really lookin forward to it too, I mean it wasn't often that Nick and I get to go out anymore but of course as soon as we start headin out our son, Junior, comes out of his room and throws up. Stomach bug, so we call the babysitter tell her not to come. I need to stay home cause I'm mom and I need Nicki to stay home and be my errand boy. So I leave it to Nick to find another chaperon for Joyce,…. Big mistake!

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