Joyce

"Everything is fine here Cynthia!" I assure glancing back at the booth at the kids coloring, patiently waiting on me for lunch.

"Are you sure you got this?" she pressed and I could almost feel her eyebrow arch threw the phone.

"Yes I'm sure! Rich and I have the diner running like clockwork, Junior and Patti are on schedule with eating and homework and I am going to drop them off at Nick's folks' before I head over to class." I pause. "Just enjoy San Francisco and take care of Nicki for me, you guys deserve this."

I peak back at the booth again only to note that my obstinate guitarist had slid into the seat across from the two kids chatting with them or more accurately at them. I sighed.

"Take good care of my babies, give them a kiss for me each of them." Cynthia said snapping me back to reality and in the background I could hear Nick rushing her along. "I'm goin, I'm goin!" she shot back. "Bye Joycie."

What I hadn't told her or anyone for that matter was; that when I dropped the kids off with Nicki's parents at night, I wasn't studying when I got home,…I was out… with my boyfriend… my first steady boyfriend.

I mean there were times I would try to get him to help me study for math…but…we got distracted

His hands played across my torso as we kissed each other again and again. With him leaning up against the drivers door my body hovered above his my one hand on the wheel for stability the other on the back of his neck and shoulders. It must have been only 60 degrees out under the stars with the top of the Cadillac down but there was enough heat between us alone to warm the surrounding air. It was kinda funny; here we were well into our twenties, parking by the lake like a couple of teenagers.

"I think I like kissing you." I managed to whisper in between one of our kisses. "Its about time!" he said before pulling me into his lips again, pressing me flesh against him. After a few more moments I pulled away and I laughed. There was my lipstick smudged on and around his mouth, I took my finger and brushed some away. "You look like you had a run in with a clown." I giggled, he looked up at me with a soft expression and brought a hand to my cheek. "Marone, you are so beautiful." He says and I wrap my hand over his, there is a moment of silence and motionlessness; and I study his face and he studies mine, then he laughs as I through my legs over his lap and lean back against my own door.

Sweet Talkin Guy playing on the radio like a warning from some higher power from above telling me that what I was doing was wrong, that Tommy was wrong for me, every was just wrong about this. however I closed my eyes and let myself drift away on the song.

I remember standing there in the courtroom with Cynthia as they prosecuted Frankie and told him to get a new set of friends, a bandage over his ear from giving the wrong answer one too many times. Frankie's mom pointing a finger and saying "you're the devil you know that Tommy." And him singing Earth Angel to assert authority and lack of empathy for Mrs. Castelluccio ,the bang of the judge's scaffold as he rattled off a list of petty crimes committed by Gaetono Devito. The six month sentence. The way his eyes met mine as he was escorted out. Not his wife or his lovers eyes, mine, he stared into them.

So intensely all I could think at only 16 was "what does he want from me?"

"Joyce? Have you heard a word of what I've said?" His voice snaps me back to present day. I open my eyes again and sigh pulling myself up a bit. "Sorry Tommy, no I wasn't, my mind was elsewhere."

He pursed his lips. "Not havin second thoughts are you? Cause if you are my hand to God theres no reason to! Look I'm your friend and a good one at that, i would be a boyfriend who is always there for you and smacks around anyone who doesn't treat you nice"

"Oh, it isn't that." I sigh and then the question arises. "Tommy, that day in the courtroom you looked at me a certain way, what were you thinking in that moment?"

He looked at me strangely, straightening up indignantly. "You want me to remember what I was thinkin that far back? I could have been thinkin anythin. I was probably thinkin I don't want laundry duty."

I nudge him with my heel and laugh. "You are such a jerk." My eyes flutter shut once more as his fingers message my legs. God, I hope I was doing the right thing. Giving him a chance like this; we had agreed when we started this thing to keep it under wraps so no one would be hawking him and so no one would jump down my throat. He said "I want to try walkin the straight and narrow without anyone holdin my hand but you."

And I honestly wanted to believe him, but we would see…

I wonder how Cynthia and Nick are doing in San Fran?

Tommy/Joyce is now official! can it last?!