Cynthia

"Maybe it will be another boy!"

I rolled my eyes and straightened Nicki's tie and snorted. "I'm already outnumbered by men in this house, I would like the numbers to be even again."

It was foreseeable; as soon as my extra help leaves I find out I'm four months pregnant with the second Massi kid. I was happy and scared at the same time; I wondered how the diner was gonna do now that Joycie was gone and I was goin to be laid out with a baby soon. Also this hick Crewe had a brilliant idea that the boys' group could record back up; the suck part was that they could be called into the studio at a drop of a hat which really put a strain on Nick's job at the Western Auto; so there was always the fear in the back of my mind that he was gonna get laid off for leavin work so much.

My only comfort was Mary Castelluccio or Valli or whatever the hell her last name was now, cause about a week after I found out I was expectin Mary starts gettin morning sickness; it was a joke between me and Joyce that she left just in time cause there must have been somethin in the water in Belleville that made everyone knocked up.

Nicki breaks the silence. "I don't wanna girl, cause if she's as pretty as you I don't wanna have to carry a stick in my car to beat off guys."

I smile and crane my neck up to meet his lips, he only wraps his arms around my waist and picks me up so that we can be eye level; he kisses me gruffly and with passion as I cup his cheek and my foot pops a little.

"No one get the door, I gotta key!" we heard a familiar voice come through the front door with a hint of annoyed sarcasm, ending our kiss.

"Tommooch!" Nicki yelled from the bedroom making me lose my focus on his cufflinks.

"Ni chooch." Tommy replied scoopin up baby Nick from the floor and givin him a kiss on the temple. "Gettin big ay ragazzo mio! You wanna dance? Dance with Uncle Tommy huh." He started movin around the livin room with the baby balanced on his hip. He kept this up until Nick and I entered the room and then put the baby down quickly, cause I guess he didn't want anyone to know that he had a heart.

"Hey lookin like a beached whale already I see!" He comments pointing to my swollen stomach and I walk up to himwith a strut . "You're crusin for a brusin Devito!" I hiss.

"Anytime pom-poms." He counters. I push him playfully at the high-school nickname he had given me sophomore year when I laughed at him for not being able to get on the football team. I was a cheerleader.

"Hey you ready to go or not? I just wanna get this damn party over with." Tommy snapped looking at Nick.

"Jesus Tommy, no reason to get so short. I'll get the car!" Nick swallowed, grabbing his keys and muttering as he went out the door. Tommy had been actin a little off the last couple of weeks and no one knew why, he was shorter tempered than usual, so I decided to pry a little.

"So how's Deana?" I question nodding my head. Tommy tensed and ran a hand down his face, lookin away slightly. "I don't wanna talk about it." He says in a voice far too low and soft for an Italian. Deana and Tommy were no exception to the "marry straight outta high school" rule. She was the prettiest girl in school and he was the guy every girl wanted, so it was only natural that they would end up tying the knot; they didn't love each other; Hell, they didn't even know each other. It was a marriage based on three things; pride, vanity and tolerance. And it appeared the tolerance part was wearin thin.

Tommy started to look back at me only to get detoured by a picture on the coffee table; she was in her cap and gown, smiling and lookin off in the distance, it was Joycie's graduation photo. Tommy cleared his throat and pointed at the picture. "How is she?" his voice was still soft.

"She's good." I reply. "Studyin hard. Believe it or not she misses Belleville like crazy!"

"Does she ever…." He trails off, with a wave of his hand his voice gets loud again. "Ah skip it, she would call if she did!" and he starts out the door. I bit my lip and in a moment of empathy I call out to him. "Ay Devito!"

He turns. "She asks bout you every chance she gets, just in case you were wonderin."

He grins a little as he holds the door open. "She's a good kid." He says. "I wouldn't expect any less." And with that he left. Tommy had his pride so I knew he wouldn't call her and Joyce did try to call him but Deana always hung up and never gave him messages, as for me, I didn't feel it would be right settin them up on phone dates, I didn't wanna watch her go down that same road of fallin for him again; not that it was likely, but after all; you know what they say about absence…

It was Frankie, Bob, Nick and Tommy in the group now. Bob was lethally the smartest one in the group when it came to music; but with women…. No dice. Tommy didn't want to babysit anymore squares; since he had already done it with Frankie. Frankie liked Gaudio and Nicki just wanted what was best for the group.

Meanwhile Crewe has this party for no good reason other than to get Bob and Judy together.

So they went to the party and while Bob was at the piano; Judy decided to make her move. She walked over with short red hair bouncing and a dimpled smiled on her face. She put a hand on his shoulder and when Bob turned and saw who it was; well, he fell clean off the piano bench.

"Oh I'm sorry." Said Judy, sincerely. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

Bob tried to pull himself up coolly, but he ends up hitting a few piano keys gaining the attention of the entire room. He finally gets up and straightens. "I-I'm not frightened of anything, except maybe those lizards that run at people." he bumbled; ringing his hands. Judy put her hand to her lips and stifled a giggle. "Oh my, that would be scary!"

They smiled at each other like a couple of lovesick dopes before realization dawns on Bob that it might be wise to introduce himself. "Bob Gaudio song writer, keyboardist and Herpetophobiac apparently." He laughed

"Judy Parker, song writer, aspiring producer and Arachnophobiac; spiders creep me out." She shook his hand without any awkwardness. "I wanted to ask were you classically trained?"

Bob opened his mouth to answer when Tommy grabbed him by the shoulders and started dragging him towards the door. "Crewe's little friends are starting to hit on me, I don't do guys tryin to pick me up, time to go! Say goodnight Bobby!"

Bob leaned back against Tommy's forceful dragging. "Goodbye Ms. Parker, lovely meeting you!"

"Goodbye Bob!" she waved animatedly. "I hope we see more of each other!"

Tommy could only growl and push Bob out the door as hard as he could. "Runnin lizards scare him." Tommy grumbled. "I'll give you a runnin lizard, hell I'll be a runnin lizard if it will get you outta my group."

Cynthia's prego! and I finally was able to write a little kiss scene. Poor Bob is afraid of reptiles.

tell me what you guys think :)