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"Take on Me"

We're talking away

I don't know what I'm to say

I'll say it anyway

- A-Ha

Joyce finished making change for a customer, smiling at him and wishing him a nice day. He mumbled a "thank you" in return and was gone—and her smile widened when she recognized the customer behind him. Bob Newby might not be the kind of man who would have caused her heart to pound years ago, but she'd seen what happened when you got involved with men who were too sure of how good-looking they were. Bob's whole innocent, good soul shone in his eyes, and that made him the finest sight she had seen in a long time.

He held up two paper bags. Lunch! "Baloney?"

Baloney had never been her favorite, but maybe she hadn't given it enough of a chance. Joyce smiled and shrugged, willing to take whichever bag he gave her.

They sat on a bench in the sunshine outside the store. Joyce couldn't believe it was November 1 and she was sitting out here in a light jacket, but she intended to enjoy it. Cold weather would set in for real soon enough.

Bob finished his sandwich and dabbed at his mouth with a napkin. "Last night was fun."

"It was," Joyce agreed, through a mouthful of baloney sandwich.

He hesitated. "I'm sorry if I … overstepped anything."

She touched his arm. "No, you didn't!" The idea of taking her away from a place where such a terrible thing had happened was a generous and thoughtful one. She only wished she could explain to him why she couldn't. She only wished she could explain it to herself.

Bob nodded, but he didn't seem like he believed her. "'Kay. I mean … I just, I … I like you so much! And not just you—everything that comes with you. Your family, your boys. And I hope it's not wishful thinking, but I kinda feel like I'm breaking through with them. I mean, not so much Jonathan, he's a tough cookie to crack, but …"

Joyce couldn't argue with that one. In some ways, Jonathan had been better this past year, happier—but in others, he was more distant, even with her, than he had ever been.

Bob went on, thinking out loud, "With Will … I don't know, I feel like we're—connecting."

She smiled. "He likes you, too." Maybe not 'connecting', but Will at least thought Bob's jokes were funny, and he seemed to like that Bob made Joyce happy. He had, at the very least, not given her a hassle about Bob sleeping over last night, and he'd been okay with Bob driving him to school this morning.

"Yeah?"

"Mm-hm. I can tell."

"Good." Bob smiled. He reached for his Dr. Pepper, popping the tab. "Oh … there was something else I was going to mention. It's not a big deal at all, but—I just noticed this morning that my JVC was a little … dinged up."

"Your what?"

"The video camera?"

"Oh." Oh, no. The boys had taken his video camera and dropped it, or hadn't been careful with it. Lonnie would have gone ballistic if they'd messed up something of his. Joyce tensed, waiting for Bob's anger.

"It … it still works fine and everything, I just … I went back and watched the tape, and there were some older kids picking on Will."

"What?" Joyce was torn between relief and gratitude that Bob was more concerned for her son than for his expensive equipment, and rage that after everything he had been through, kids were still making life harder for Will. This was the kind of thing she wished she could protect him from. Maybe she should take Bob up on his offer, move to Maine, somewhere peaceful and normal. If only Will was completely well, and not so dependent on the doctors at Hawkins Lab to care for him.

"Scared him," Bob added, looking like he had been remembering times in his own past.

"Who were they? Were they the Zimmerman brothers again?" Because she was going to have some strong words with their mom. The woman had promised they'd leave Will alone last time.

"Um, I don't know. They were wearing masks and sort of makeup, and … maybe. They were the right age."

Forget their mother. She clearly didn't have control of her delinquents. This time Joyce was going straight to the source. "I'll kill them," she said vehemently. "I swear to God, I will—" She caught herself before she swore, a habit she was trying to get out of around Bob. "I will kill them."

"See, that's what I love about you. You punch back."

Joyce gave him a half-smile, not sure if punching back was really something to be admired, and Bob grimaced.

"I was never one to really put up a fight."

Boy, did she remember that. All those times Lonnie stole Bob's lunch, and Hopper leaned on him for the homework. Poor guy. She wished she could go back in time and make the guys treat him better.

Bob nodded, thinking it through. "I struggled a lot like Will when I was a kid. With bullies. It's the ones like us, that don't punch back, that people really take advantage of. You know, they rub your nose in it just a little bit more. I don't know why they do that," he finished, the hurt of it still there in his voice, making Joyce wish all the more that she could change things for him. Or for Will.

She didn't have an answer for him, though. She'd never really known why people did that, either.

"Maybe it makes them feel … powerful," Bob speculated. "But hey," he added, brightening, "look at me now. I get to date Joyce Byers. Ha!"

Joyce laughed. She wasn't sure she was much of a prize, but if Bob wanted to think so, who was she to burst his bubble? And it made her feel good that her mere presence in his life made him so happy.

"See, it all works out in the end, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does."

They kissed, soft and sweet, an affirmation that it was okay to be two normal people eating lunch on a bench, being happy. She never wanted it to end.