Chapter 2
As day segued into evening, the high emotions and teary conversations in the Cunningham household dissolved, giving way to a weak and weary sense of numbness, especially for Richie. After he put his children to bed in Joanie's old bedroom, Richie retired to his childhood bedroom to relax.and remember. So many thoughts flowed through his head, the pennants on the wall bringing him back to his high school days, when the innocence of childhood never prepared him for the nightmare he was now up against. Then he remembered college, and meeting Lori Beth. Was it all worth it? Richie struggled with the idea. If he had never met her, never married her, he wouldn't be living through this pain right now. And what if it had been him in that car, not Lori Beth? His children would still have their mother. Tears started to fall down Richie's face, and onto his pillow. There was a knock at the door.
Richie sat up and wiped his face. "Come in!"
Fonzie entered the room, a refreshing smile on his face. "Hey you just missed it, Whitey dared Beaver to climb up a billboard! Remember when Ralph dared Potsie to do that? We had to call the fire department to get him down."
Richie gave a half hearted laugh. "Yeah. Those guys were really something."
Fonz crossed the room and rested on the bed in a half sitting, half lying position. "How're you feeling?"
Richie took the chair from his desk and spun it around so he was facing Fonz. He slumped forward and rested his face in his hands, sighing. "I don't know, Fonz. My whole life, I always thought that no matter what happened.no matter what kind of curve ball life threw me, I'd be able to handle it. I'd just pick myself up, dust myself off, and move on." Richie abruptly stood up and paced across the room. "I don't know if I can do this. I don't know if I can raise my kids alone. Lori Beth did most of that. I just went to work.and when I wasn't working, I wrote. What do I know about being a mom?"
"First off, Red, you're not alone. You got your parents, you got your sister. hey you even got me. I may be new to this whole dad thing, and I know that it ain't always easy, but look at who you've got around you. You've got enough helpers to start your own nursery school."
Richie continued to walk the floor, flushed. "I can't depend on everyone one else to help me. I'm not a kid anymore! I'm a grown man and I have a responsibility to my children."
"That's right, you do." Fonzie stood up and faced Richie. "You're not shirking your responsibility, Richie. Coming home was probably the most responsible thing you could've done. You can't raise two kids alone. That's why you came home, cuz deep down inside you know that. You're doing a great service to your children by letting your family help you."
Richie was silent, and sat down on the end of his bed. Quietly, he thought out loud. "Why wasn't it me?"
"What?"
"In the car. Why did Lori Beth have to die? She was such a wonderful mother. She was so beautiful. No one could ask for a better wife. Why did God take her away from me? From us? Why didn't He take me instead?"
Fonzie sat down next to Richie and put his arm around him. "No one can answer that, Red. God works in mysterious ways. I'll tell ya something, though. He had a reason.whatever it was, He had a reason."
Both men sat silently on the bed, at a loss for further words. They were disturbed by the sound of a baby crying. They glanced at each other, then stood and walked down the hall to Joanie's old room.
Little Elizabeth had pulled herself to a sitting position in the old crib that was brought up from the basement when Lori Beth and Little Richie had lived with the Cunningham's some three years earlier. Surprisingly, her wails hadn't woken her brother, who slept undisturbed on the bed. Richie reached into the crib and picked up his daughter, bouncing her slightly to try to bring a smile to the little dimpled face. It worked, and in fact even aroused a giggle or two.
"Is she hungry?" Fonzie asked, peering somewhat incredulously at the little girl. Even though he'd spent time with Richie Jr. when he was small, the Fonz was still quite the novice when it came to babies. Especially Lizzie, because she was A.) a girl, and B.) not used to the Fonz, nor he to her. So he preferred to keep his distance for the time being.
"No, she's just scared, being in a new place and all. But she may need a changing. Here." And with that, Richie plunked his daughter into Fonzie's arms and turned in search of the diaper bag. "Ah.there it is," he said.
As Richie sorted through the bag, Fonzie stood holding the baby at arm's length, a look of sheer fright in his eyes. "Uh.Red."
"Yeah Fonz?"
"This ain't cool. She don't know me." Fonzie eyed Lizzie suspiciously. Lizzie eyed Fonzie right back.
"You'll be fine," Richie assured the Fonz as he continued to rifle through the diaper bag. "Just talk to her."
Fonzie looked at Richie incredulously, then looked at Lizzie again. "Yeah," he said more to himself than to anyone else, "I can do that." He cleared his throat, then began. "Heyyyyyyyyy, Elizabeth!"
Lizzie's formerly mild look gradually started to crinkle.
"Coochie coochie coo!!!!!!!!!"
There was a moment of silence, than an explosive shriek. "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"
"RED!" Fonzie ran over to Richie, still holding the baby at arm's length. "Here, take her, I think I broke her!"
"Fonz." Richie stood and shifted the spare diaper, safety pins and powder under his arm so he could take his daughter. "You didn't break her. She can sense that you're nervous around her." Richie laid her down on the dressing table and changed her diaper. When he was done he turned to Fonz, who had been hiding in the doorway. "Now come here, Fonzie. Hold out your arms."
Reluctantly Fonz complied, and took Elizabeth. Richie reminded him how to hold the baby so she would be comfortable. Lizzie settled into Fonzie's arms and smiled. "I can dig it. I can dig it." Fonzie grinned.
"Good, now just talk to her."
"What do I say?"
"Well, it doesn't really matter what you say, as long as she senses that you are comfortable with her. Why didn't you have any of these problems with little Rich?"
"I don't know. I guess because he wasn't a chick." Fonzie laughed. "I could relate to him better."
"Fonzie, you have no problem relating to chicks. Just talk to her like you'd talk to any other girl."
Fonzie looked at Richie. "Are you delirious?"
"No, no, you know what I mean. Talk to her.talk to her like you used to talk to Heather."
"Oh yeah." Fonzie smiled when he remembered Heather, the daughter of his most serious girlfriend, Ashley. Fonz had been heartbroken when Ashley left to get back together with her ex-husband. But it was the best thing for all of them, he supposed. In fact, it was right around that time when he found out that Joanie was secretly in love with him. Joanie Arcola, Fonz reminded himself, my cousin's wife. Before the familiar feeling of longing had a chance to wash over him, Fonzie commanded the memory right out of his head. Instead, he looked down at Lizzie. She was looking right back up at him with huge blue eyes. Before he could catch himself, Fonzie blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Hey, you know what? She's got eyes just like Joanie's."
Richie looked at Fonz strangely for a second, and then peered at his daughter's face. "Yeah.I suppose so. I never really noticed before."
"Oh." Fonz suddenly tried to backpedal. "It's just, they're.well.blue. Like hers. Joanie's. You know."
"Mine are blue too, Fonz."
"I knew that." Fonzie looked down at the baby, eager to change the subject. "Hey look, she's sleeping."
"Well how about that." Richie took Elizabeth from Fonzie's arms and put her back in the crib. They stood silently watching her for a few moments, until Richie turned to Fonzie. "You hungry?"
"Sure, whaddya got?" The two friends turned and left the room to head downstairs to Marion's well-stocked kitchen. The Fonz stopped as Richie started down the stairs, and crept back up the hallway. He poked his head into the room where the sleeping children lay. As if on cue, Lizzie opened her eyes and saw Fonzie. He held out a fist, and slowly raised his thumb to a salute. Lizzie closed her eyes and fell back to sleep.
The married Arcolas' new apartment wasn't much, but it certainly provided privacy for the couple, something that Chachi cherished. Although they had been married for several months, the novelty of being alone with his wife hadn't yet worn off for Chachi. No parents telling them what they could or could not do.no rules to follow. It was a small place, all they could afford on a teacher's salary while Chachi continued to work on his music. But it was home.
It had taken a lot of effort to convince Joanie to come back home with him, something that really bothered Chachi. Although Chachi felt horrible about his sister-in-law's death, he didn't feel that it was Joanie's responsibility to stay at the Cunningham's and help out with her niece and nephew. Mr. And Mrs. C could manage that just fine. Besides, Chachi had big news for Joanie, and he wanted to tell her while they were alone.
Joanie was making dinner in the partitioned kitchen, daydreaming. Chachi watched her from the couch. He knew what she was thinking about, or at least he thought he did, by the pained look on her face. Ever since Lori Beth's accident, Chachi noticed a huge change in Joanie.not just the expected sadness that comes with losing a family member, but more of a distancing from him.and even herself, it seemed. She didn't talk much, and when she did, it was always about how short life is, and how we need to live each day like it was our last. Chachi shuffled through some sheet music, wondering if now was the right time to tell her about his big news. He took a breath and walked into the kitchen.
Chachi took in the smell of spaghetti sauce, and smiled. "That smells great, honey."
Joanie, who was standing at the stove stirring the sauce, was jolted to life. "What? Oh, thanks. See, I told you I'd learn how to cook eventually."
Yes but eventually you need to learn to cook something besides spaghetti. Chachi decided not to say that out loud. "Joanie. I have a surprise for you."
Joanie continued to stir the sauce. "Oh really? What is it?"
Chachi felt a little deflated. Normally, Joanie goes nuts over surprises. Now, she barely seemed to care. He began anyway. "Remember last month when that agent came to Arnolds and heard me sing?"
Joanie thought for a moment. "Oh yeah, that guy.Drake Hollyday?"
Chachi smiled. "Right! Anyway, he called me last week.he wants to sign me!"
"Oh Chach.that's great! But why did you wait a whole week to tell me?"
"Well, I was going to tell you a few days ago over a special dinner, but." Chachi glossed over the mention of the past week's events. "Anyway, there's more."
Joanie turned off the boiling water, which held the pasta, and reached for a strainer. "Oh really? What?"
Chachi braced himself for what he hoped would be a shriek of excitement from his wife. "We're going on tour!"
Joanie froze, right as she was about to pour the pasta into the sink. "What?"
"Tour," Chachi was confused by the look of utter shock on Joanie's face. "We're going on tour. Next week."
Joanie dropped the pan into the sink, splashing water everywhere. "Where exactly is this tour?"
"Joanie!" Chachi narrowly avoided getting soaked. "What's the matter with you? Our first gig is in California, then after that we tour the whole country! Isn't that great?"
"Great?! When were you planning on telling me this? I can't go to California.or anywhere else for that matter!"
"What do you mean you can't go?" Chachi was starting to raise his voice now to match Joanie's. "This is my dream, Joanie, it's what I've been waiting for!"
"Your dream, what YOU'VE been waiting for.you know Chachi, there are other people in this world too. My brother needs me right now. I can't just up and leave!" Joanie tore off her apron and stalked out of the kitchen.
"Are you serious?" Chachi followed Joanie into the living room, where they faced off. "Richie doesn't need your help, he's got your parents to help him. You can't go putting your life on hold just because of what happened to Lori Beth!"
"Oh but I can put my life on hold to go jetting off with you to California!" It was apparent now that many more things were bothering Joanie than she had ever let on.
"Wait a minute.is this even about Richie, or are you just making up excuses because you don't want to go with me?"
"I don't want to leave my family! I can't.and I won't!" and with that, Joanie grabbed her jacket and ran out the door.
As day segued into evening, the high emotions and teary conversations in the Cunningham household dissolved, giving way to a weak and weary sense of numbness, especially for Richie. After he put his children to bed in Joanie's old bedroom, Richie retired to his childhood bedroom to relax.and remember. So many thoughts flowed through his head, the pennants on the wall bringing him back to his high school days, when the innocence of childhood never prepared him for the nightmare he was now up against. Then he remembered college, and meeting Lori Beth. Was it all worth it? Richie struggled with the idea. If he had never met her, never married her, he wouldn't be living through this pain right now. And what if it had been him in that car, not Lori Beth? His children would still have their mother. Tears started to fall down Richie's face, and onto his pillow. There was a knock at the door.
Richie sat up and wiped his face. "Come in!"
Fonzie entered the room, a refreshing smile on his face. "Hey you just missed it, Whitey dared Beaver to climb up a billboard! Remember when Ralph dared Potsie to do that? We had to call the fire department to get him down."
Richie gave a half hearted laugh. "Yeah. Those guys were really something."
Fonz crossed the room and rested on the bed in a half sitting, half lying position. "How're you feeling?"
Richie took the chair from his desk and spun it around so he was facing Fonz. He slumped forward and rested his face in his hands, sighing. "I don't know, Fonz. My whole life, I always thought that no matter what happened.no matter what kind of curve ball life threw me, I'd be able to handle it. I'd just pick myself up, dust myself off, and move on." Richie abruptly stood up and paced across the room. "I don't know if I can do this. I don't know if I can raise my kids alone. Lori Beth did most of that. I just went to work.and when I wasn't working, I wrote. What do I know about being a mom?"
"First off, Red, you're not alone. You got your parents, you got your sister. hey you even got me. I may be new to this whole dad thing, and I know that it ain't always easy, but look at who you've got around you. You've got enough helpers to start your own nursery school."
Richie continued to walk the floor, flushed. "I can't depend on everyone one else to help me. I'm not a kid anymore! I'm a grown man and I have a responsibility to my children."
"That's right, you do." Fonzie stood up and faced Richie. "You're not shirking your responsibility, Richie. Coming home was probably the most responsible thing you could've done. You can't raise two kids alone. That's why you came home, cuz deep down inside you know that. You're doing a great service to your children by letting your family help you."
Richie was silent, and sat down on the end of his bed. Quietly, he thought out loud. "Why wasn't it me?"
"What?"
"In the car. Why did Lori Beth have to die? She was such a wonderful mother. She was so beautiful. No one could ask for a better wife. Why did God take her away from me? From us? Why didn't He take me instead?"
Fonzie sat down next to Richie and put his arm around him. "No one can answer that, Red. God works in mysterious ways. I'll tell ya something, though. He had a reason.whatever it was, He had a reason."
Both men sat silently on the bed, at a loss for further words. They were disturbed by the sound of a baby crying. They glanced at each other, then stood and walked down the hall to Joanie's old room.
Little Elizabeth had pulled herself to a sitting position in the old crib that was brought up from the basement when Lori Beth and Little Richie had lived with the Cunningham's some three years earlier. Surprisingly, her wails hadn't woken her brother, who slept undisturbed on the bed. Richie reached into the crib and picked up his daughter, bouncing her slightly to try to bring a smile to the little dimpled face. It worked, and in fact even aroused a giggle or two.
"Is she hungry?" Fonzie asked, peering somewhat incredulously at the little girl. Even though he'd spent time with Richie Jr. when he was small, the Fonz was still quite the novice when it came to babies. Especially Lizzie, because she was A.) a girl, and B.) not used to the Fonz, nor he to her. So he preferred to keep his distance for the time being.
"No, she's just scared, being in a new place and all. But she may need a changing. Here." And with that, Richie plunked his daughter into Fonzie's arms and turned in search of the diaper bag. "Ah.there it is," he said.
As Richie sorted through the bag, Fonzie stood holding the baby at arm's length, a look of sheer fright in his eyes. "Uh.Red."
"Yeah Fonz?"
"This ain't cool. She don't know me." Fonzie eyed Lizzie suspiciously. Lizzie eyed Fonzie right back.
"You'll be fine," Richie assured the Fonz as he continued to rifle through the diaper bag. "Just talk to her."
Fonzie looked at Richie incredulously, then looked at Lizzie again. "Yeah," he said more to himself than to anyone else, "I can do that." He cleared his throat, then began. "Heyyyyyyyyy, Elizabeth!"
Lizzie's formerly mild look gradually started to crinkle.
"Coochie coochie coo!!!!!!!!!"
There was a moment of silence, than an explosive shriek. "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"
"RED!" Fonzie ran over to Richie, still holding the baby at arm's length. "Here, take her, I think I broke her!"
"Fonz." Richie stood and shifted the spare diaper, safety pins and powder under his arm so he could take his daughter. "You didn't break her. She can sense that you're nervous around her." Richie laid her down on the dressing table and changed her diaper. When he was done he turned to Fonz, who had been hiding in the doorway. "Now come here, Fonzie. Hold out your arms."
Reluctantly Fonz complied, and took Elizabeth. Richie reminded him how to hold the baby so she would be comfortable. Lizzie settled into Fonzie's arms and smiled. "I can dig it. I can dig it." Fonzie grinned.
"Good, now just talk to her."
"What do I say?"
"Well, it doesn't really matter what you say, as long as she senses that you are comfortable with her. Why didn't you have any of these problems with little Rich?"
"I don't know. I guess because he wasn't a chick." Fonzie laughed. "I could relate to him better."
"Fonzie, you have no problem relating to chicks. Just talk to her like you'd talk to any other girl."
Fonzie looked at Richie. "Are you delirious?"
"No, no, you know what I mean. Talk to her.talk to her like you used to talk to Heather."
"Oh yeah." Fonzie smiled when he remembered Heather, the daughter of his most serious girlfriend, Ashley. Fonz had been heartbroken when Ashley left to get back together with her ex-husband. But it was the best thing for all of them, he supposed. In fact, it was right around that time when he found out that Joanie was secretly in love with him. Joanie Arcola, Fonz reminded himself, my cousin's wife. Before the familiar feeling of longing had a chance to wash over him, Fonzie commanded the memory right out of his head. Instead, he looked down at Lizzie. She was looking right back up at him with huge blue eyes. Before he could catch himself, Fonzie blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Hey, you know what? She's got eyes just like Joanie's."
Richie looked at Fonz strangely for a second, and then peered at his daughter's face. "Yeah.I suppose so. I never really noticed before."
"Oh." Fonz suddenly tried to backpedal. "It's just, they're.well.blue. Like hers. Joanie's. You know."
"Mine are blue too, Fonz."
"I knew that." Fonzie looked down at the baby, eager to change the subject. "Hey look, she's sleeping."
"Well how about that." Richie took Elizabeth from Fonzie's arms and put her back in the crib. They stood silently watching her for a few moments, until Richie turned to Fonzie. "You hungry?"
"Sure, whaddya got?" The two friends turned and left the room to head downstairs to Marion's well-stocked kitchen. The Fonz stopped as Richie started down the stairs, and crept back up the hallway. He poked his head into the room where the sleeping children lay. As if on cue, Lizzie opened her eyes and saw Fonzie. He held out a fist, and slowly raised his thumb to a salute. Lizzie closed her eyes and fell back to sleep.
The married Arcolas' new apartment wasn't much, but it certainly provided privacy for the couple, something that Chachi cherished. Although they had been married for several months, the novelty of being alone with his wife hadn't yet worn off for Chachi. No parents telling them what they could or could not do.no rules to follow. It was a small place, all they could afford on a teacher's salary while Chachi continued to work on his music. But it was home.
It had taken a lot of effort to convince Joanie to come back home with him, something that really bothered Chachi. Although Chachi felt horrible about his sister-in-law's death, he didn't feel that it was Joanie's responsibility to stay at the Cunningham's and help out with her niece and nephew. Mr. And Mrs. C could manage that just fine. Besides, Chachi had big news for Joanie, and he wanted to tell her while they were alone.
Joanie was making dinner in the partitioned kitchen, daydreaming. Chachi watched her from the couch. He knew what she was thinking about, or at least he thought he did, by the pained look on her face. Ever since Lori Beth's accident, Chachi noticed a huge change in Joanie.not just the expected sadness that comes with losing a family member, but more of a distancing from him.and even herself, it seemed. She didn't talk much, and when she did, it was always about how short life is, and how we need to live each day like it was our last. Chachi shuffled through some sheet music, wondering if now was the right time to tell her about his big news. He took a breath and walked into the kitchen.
Chachi took in the smell of spaghetti sauce, and smiled. "That smells great, honey."
Joanie, who was standing at the stove stirring the sauce, was jolted to life. "What? Oh, thanks. See, I told you I'd learn how to cook eventually."
Yes but eventually you need to learn to cook something besides spaghetti. Chachi decided not to say that out loud. "Joanie. I have a surprise for you."
Joanie continued to stir the sauce. "Oh really? What is it?"
Chachi felt a little deflated. Normally, Joanie goes nuts over surprises. Now, she barely seemed to care. He began anyway. "Remember last month when that agent came to Arnolds and heard me sing?"
Joanie thought for a moment. "Oh yeah, that guy.Drake Hollyday?"
Chachi smiled. "Right! Anyway, he called me last week.he wants to sign me!"
"Oh Chach.that's great! But why did you wait a whole week to tell me?"
"Well, I was going to tell you a few days ago over a special dinner, but." Chachi glossed over the mention of the past week's events. "Anyway, there's more."
Joanie turned off the boiling water, which held the pasta, and reached for a strainer. "Oh really? What?"
Chachi braced himself for what he hoped would be a shriek of excitement from his wife. "We're going on tour!"
Joanie froze, right as she was about to pour the pasta into the sink. "What?"
"Tour," Chachi was confused by the look of utter shock on Joanie's face. "We're going on tour. Next week."
Joanie dropped the pan into the sink, splashing water everywhere. "Where exactly is this tour?"
"Joanie!" Chachi narrowly avoided getting soaked. "What's the matter with you? Our first gig is in California, then after that we tour the whole country! Isn't that great?"
"Great?! When were you planning on telling me this? I can't go to California.or anywhere else for that matter!"
"What do you mean you can't go?" Chachi was starting to raise his voice now to match Joanie's. "This is my dream, Joanie, it's what I've been waiting for!"
"Your dream, what YOU'VE been waiting for.you know Chachi, there are other people in this world too. My brother needs me right now. I can't just up and leave!" Joanie tore off her apron and stalked out of the kitchen.
"Are you serious?" Chachi followed Joanie into the living room, where they faced off. "Richie doesn't need your help, he's got your parents to help him. You can't go putting your life on hold just because of what happened to Lori Beth!"
"Oh but I can put my life on hold to go jetting off with you to California!" It was apparent now that many more things were bothering Joanie than she had ever let on.
"Wait a minute.is this even about Richie, or are you just making up excuses because you don't want to go with me?"
"I don't want to leave my family! I can't.and I won't!" and with that, Joanie grabbed her jacket and ran out the door.