"So, how'd it go?" Bobby asked Kim as she came back upstairs to where Bobby
was waiting for her.
"Not good," she said, pacing back and forth. She looked out the window and saw Bosco waiting across the street, leaning against his car. "Look, I've gotta get out of here before he decides to go looking for Bosco. Can you go down and talk to him? You know, see if he's okay?" she asked Bobby.
"Wait. Does he know that I know?" Bobby asked her.
"No. It never came up," she answered, grabbing her bag and heading for the door. She opened the door and made eye contact with Bosco. She walked across the darkened street, never breaking that eye contact. He started walking toward her and they met in the middle of the street.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, feeling her tremble. After a moment they walked over to his car. "So, I'm guessing it didn't go as well as you'd hoped?" he asked quietly.
"Can we walk for a little bit?" she said, looking at him with wet eyes. Bosco nodded and they started to slowly walk toward the playground down at the end of the street. Kim reached over and took his hand in her own, moving closer to him. They continued on in silence, listening to the sounds of the night, until they reached the park. Kim sat on the edge of the picnic table and Bosco sat on the bench, his arm resting on her thigh as they watched the cars drive by.
After another moment, Kim finally said. "I'm not sorry."
"Excuse me?" Bosco said, looking at her.
"I'm not sorry I told him," she said, looking down at Bosco. Each time she looked at him, she noticed something else she hadn't noticed before. This time, she noticed how the light from the streetlight reflected in his eyes and picked up the red highlights of his hair.
"Uh huh," Bosco said. "So, what did he say to you?"
"He said that he didn't want you around HIS son," she told him, knowing that it would hurt him, but not wanting him to hear it from Jimmy first. Because she knew that it was only a matter of time before Jimmy and Bosco caught up with each other. She looked down and saw the hurt on his face and it brought tears to his eyes. "I told him that Joey was MY son too and that I had no qualms about letting you be around him. I told him that you're different when you're not working. I told him that he was a self- centered, self-indulgent little boy. Yeah, I think those were my exact words, among others," she said with a smile.
"You said that to him?" he said, standing up and moving around so that he was standing in front of her.
"I did," she said with pride in her voice. He put both hands on her knees and pushed them apart so that he could walk between her legs and put his arms around her.
"So, what happens now?" he asked her. "We wait for him to come 'gunning' for me?" he joked.
"No. I think he'll calm down. I think he thinks that once any woman has been with him, they're ruined for any other kind of relationship," she said, putting her arms around him.
"And?" Bosco said.
"And, he's in for a rude awakening," Kim said, lowering her arms and putting her hands on his backside, giving each cheek a squeeze before she sat up straight and looked him in the eye.
"Hey!" Bosco said, as he jumped back. "I believe you just assaulted a police officer," he said as she stood up.
"Oooh. Then you better take me home and cuff me, Officer," she said, taking his hand as they headed back toward his car.
*^*^*^*^*^*^
Jimmy was sitting on the bench by the basketball hoop when Bobby went downstairs.
"Hey, Jimmy. What's up?" Bobby asked him casually.
Jimmy looked up at him. "Kim's seeing Boscorelli," he stated.
"Yeah?" Bobby said innocently.
"Yeah. Can you believe it? Can you believe that she'd get involved with that jerk?" Jimmy said, starting to get angry again.
"Whoa, man. Easy. Maybe he's different when he's not working," Bobby offered. "You know the kind of crap he has to put up with from people every day. It's bound to have an effect on him. It's like a protective shell he wears on the job," Bobby tried to explain.
"Oh yeah? And how do you know so much?" Jimmy asked, suddenly realizing that Bobby knew about Kim and Bosco. "How long have you known?" he asked Bobby.
"About three months," Bobby answered, looking up at Jimmy with guilt on his face.
"And you didn't tell me?!" Jimmy said angrily.
"It wasn't my place, Jimmy. It's not like she was out doing something dangerous or anything. And they never saw each other on the nights that Joey was with her so how did it make it mine or your business?" Bobby said, getting a little annoyed himself.
"You shoulda told me, Bobby," Jimmy said to him for lack of anything else to say.
"Look. How long have you been seeing Brooke?" Bobby asked.
"That's different," Jimmy protested.
"How so?" Bobby insisted. "Because you can move on and she's not supposed to?"
"No, I never said that," Jimmy said, stopping because he was starting to realize that maybe he wasn't right after all.
"Well, I'm outta here for tonight. You working tomorrow?" Bobby said to Jimmy, standing up.
"Yeah. See ya," Jimmy said as he watched Bobby leave.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Kim and Bosco had walked back to his car. He walked her around to the passenger side and opened the door for her. He closed the door after she got in and started to walk around to his side of the car. He glanced across at the firehouse and saw Jimmy standing in the doorway watching them. Without acknowledging him, Bosco got in the car and headed down the street.
"So, where to now?" Bosco said.
"I dunno. What d'you feel like doing?" Kim asked him.
"Are you hungry?" He asked her.
"A little," she said, realizing that she hadn't eaten all day because she was nervous about talking to Jimmy.
"How about we head over to my Ma's bar? She'll give us something to eat and she can meet you," he suggested looking at her to gauge her reaction.
"Sounds great," she said, finally relaxing.
Bosco headed in the direction of his mother's place of employment.
"Not good," she said, pacing back and forth. She looked out the window and saw Bosco waiting across the street, leaning against his car. "Look, I've gotta get out of here before he decides to go looking for Bosco. Can you go down and talk to him? You know, see if he's okay?" she asked Bobby.
"Wait. Does he know that I know?" Bobby asked her.
"No. It never came up," she answered, grabbing her bag and heading for the door. She opened the door and made eye contact with Bosco. She walked across the darkened street, never breaking that eye contact. He started walking toward her and they met in the middle of the street.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, feeling her tremble. After a moment they walked over to his car. "So, I'm guessing it didn't go as well as you'd hoped?" he asked quietly.
"Can we walk for a little bit?" she said, looking at him with wet eyes. Bosco nodded and they started to slowly walk toward the playground down at the end of the street. Kim reached over and took his hand in her own, moving closer to him. They continued on in silence, listening to the sounds of the night, until they reached the park. Kim sat on the edge of the picnic table and Bosco sat on the bench, his arm resting on her thigh as they watched the cars drive by.
After another moment, Kim finally said. "I'm not sorry."
"Excuse me?" Bosco said, looking at her.
"I'm not sorry I told him," she said, looking down at Bosco. Each time she looked at him, she noticed something else she hadn't noticed before. This time, she noticed how the light from the streetlight reflected in his eyes and picked up the red highlights of his hair.
"Uh huh," Bosco said. "So, what did he say to you?"
"He said that he didn't want you around HIS son," she told him, knowing that it would hurt him, but not wanting him to hear it from Jimmy first. Because she knew that it was only a matter of time before Jimmy and Bosco caught up with each other. She looked down and saw the hurt on his face and it brought tears to his eyes. "I told him that Joey was MY son too and that I had no qualms about letting you be around him. I told him that you're different when you're not working. I told him that he was a self- centered, self-indulgent little boy. Yeah, I think those were my exact words, among others," she said with a smile.
"You said that to him?" he said, standing up and moving around so that he was standing in front of her.
"I did," she said with pride in her voice. He put both hands on her knees and pushed them apart so that he could walk between her legs and put his arms around her.
"So, what happens now?" he asked her. "We wait for him to come 'gunning' for me?" he joked.
"No. I think he'll calm down. I think he thinks that once any woman has been with him, they're ruined for any other kind of relationship," she said, putting her arms around him.
"And?" Bosco said.
"And, he's in for a rude awakening," Kim said, lowering her arms and putting her hands on his backside, giving each cheek a squeeze before she sat up straight and looked him in the eye.
"Hey!" Bosco said, as he jumped back. "I believe you just assaulted a police officer," he said as she stood up.
"Oooh. Then you better take me home and cuff me, Officer," she said, taking his hand as they headed back toward his car.
*^*^*^*^*^*^
Jimmy was sitting on the bench by the basketball hoop when Bobby went downstairs.
"Hey, Jimmy. What's up?" Bobby asked him casually.
Jimmy looked up at him. "Kim's seeing Boscorelli," he stated.
"Yeah?" Bobby said innocently.
"Yeah. Can you believe it? Can you believe that she'd get involved with that jerk?" Jimmy said, starting to get angry again.
"Whoa, man. Easy. Maybe he's different when he's not working," Bobby offered. "You know the kind of crap he has to put up with from people every day. It's bound to have an effect on him. It's like a protective shell he wears on the job," Bobby tried to explain.
"Oh yeah? And how do you know so much?" Jimmy asked, suddenly realizing that Bobby knew about Kim and Bosco. "How long have you known?" he asked Bobby.
"About three months," Bobby answered, looking up at Jimmy with guilt on his face.
"And you didn't tell me?!" Jimmy said angrily.
"It wasn't my place, Jimmy. It's not like she was out doing something dangerous or anything. And they never saw each other on the nights that Joey was with her so how did it make it mine or your business?" Bobby said, getting a little annoyed himself.
"You shoulda told me, Bobby," Jimmy said to him for lack of anything else to say.
"Look. How long have you been seeing Brooke?" Bobby asked.
"That's different," Jimmy protested.
"How so?" Bobby insisted. "Because you can move on and she's not supposed to?"
"No, I never said that," Jimmy said, stopping because he was starting to realize that maybe he wasn't right after all.
"Well, I'm outta here for tonight. You working tomorrow?" Bobby said to Jimmy, standing up.
"Yeah. See ya," Jimmy said as he watched Bobby leave.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Kim and Bosco had walked back to his car. He walked her around to the passenger side and opened the door for her. He closed the door after she got in and started to walk around to his side of the car. He glanced across at the firehouse and saw Jimmy standing in the doorway watching them. Without acknowledging him, Bosco got in the car and headed down the street.
"So, where to now?" Bosco said.
"I dunno. What d'you feel like doing?" Kim asked him.
"Are you hungry?" He asked her.
"A little," she said, realizing that she hadn't eaten all day because she was nervous about talking to Jimmy.
"How about we head over to my Ma's bar? She'll give us something to eat and she can meet you," he suggested looking at her to gauge her reaction.
"Sounds great," she said, finally relaxing.
Bosco headed in the direction of his mother's place of employment.
