A Wiseguy and a Psychiatrist Walk Into a Bar, Part 2
The second chapter of my Sopranos fic -- because I know I have gazillions of fans out there who were waiting with baited breath, haha.
Tony Soprano felt like he had the world by the balls. The Canadian he had come upstate to meet had agreed to do the hit on Joey D’Agostino, and as he enjoyed the mingling tastes of his drink and cigar, Tony was congratulating himself on his shrewdness in farming out the job - there was little likelihood of the hit being traced back to Jersey, and that was how Tony wanted it. Business was good, in spite of the recession. Stimulus money was providing new opportunities for scams, and those poor suckers who had lost their jobs or homes were drowning their sorrows at the Bing or hoping to get lucky at cards. Meadow was dating an anesthesiologist who was already earning a six figure salary. And AJ, living on his parents' money while he interned at a film studio in Los Angeles, seemed at least to be staying out of trouble. For the moment, it was a joy to participate in the suffering of the world.
“The same again, please.”
Tony nearly choked on his drink. Dr. Melfi? Here? Now?
She sat next to him, crossing her legs, leaning her elbow easily on the counter, and tilting her face up towards him. She smelled like wine and perfume. She looked - not great, honestly. She looked tired, and older than the last time he’d seen her. But her bare legs were dangling inches from his own. She was smiling. And her voice, as she said Nice to see you again, was making him crazy. At this moment, he wanted her as much as he had ever wanted any woman. He felt like a teenager. He smiled goofily at her.
“Jesus, where’d you come from?” he said. “Scared me half to death. You’re lucky you don’t have to give me the Heimlich maneuver, the amount of ice I just swallowed.”
“I’m sorry. I was sitting over there -” she gestured. “I saw you come in.”
“Wait a minute,” he said, “you’ve been watching me?”
She shrugged, and he thought she blushed slightly, but it was difficult to see in the light. “You look good,” she said. “How are you?”
“Honestly?” he said. “Pretty damn good. I just settled a piece of business. I guess you saw.” She nodded. “You know me,” he said jokingly, “smart like a fox.”
“Yes, I do know you,” she said.
Suddenly suspicious, of what he didn’t know, Tony said, “So what are you doing all the way up here? Don’t you work in Jersey no more? ‘Cause I almost called your office a couple of times a while back…”
“Oh, yeah?” she said.
“Yeah. What if I’d been in crisis trying to reach you?”
“I still work in New Jersey, Anthony. My son got married today. I came up for the wedding.”
“Oh. Well that’s nice. Good for him. Felicitations.”
“Thank you,” she said.
He reached for his wallet and pulled out a fat roll of bills. “Here. Give him that. Wedding present.”
“You’ve never even met Jason,” Dr. Melfi pointed out. “I can’t possibly take that.”
“Why not? You’re not my doctor anymore. There wouldn’t be any breach of ethics or nothing now. You fired me as a patient, remember?”
“I remember,” she said. “And you’re right, there wouldn’t be any breach of ethics.”
He watched her as she thought a minute.
“I’ll tell you what,” she said. “Keep your money. But buy me a drink.”
Tony Soprano felt like he had the world by the balls. The Canadian he had come upstate to meet had agreed to do the hit on Joey D’Agostino, and as he enjoyed the mingling tastes of his drink and cigar, Tony was congratulating himself on his shrewdness in farming out the job - there was little likelihood of the hit being traced back to Jersey, and that was how Tony wanted it. Business was good, in spite of the recession. Stimulus money was providing new opportunities for scams, and those poor suckers who had lost their jobs or homes were drowning their sorrows at the Bing or hoping to get lucky at cards. Meadow was dating an anesthesiologist who was already earning a six figure salary. And AJ, living on his parents' money while he interned at a film studio in Los Angeles, seemed at least to be staying out of trouble. For the moment, it was a joy to participate in the suffering of the world.
“The same again, please.”
Tony nearly choked on his drink. Dr. Melfi? Here? Now?
She sat next to him, crossing her legs, leaning her elbow easily on the counter, and tilting her face up towards him. She smelled like wine and perfume. She looked - not great, honestly. She looked tired, and older than the last time he’d seen her. But her bare legs were dangling inches from his own. She was smiling. And her voice, as she said Nice to see you again, was making him crazy. At this moment, he wanted her as much as he had ever wanted any woman. He felt like a teenager. He smiled goofily at her.
“Jesus, where’d you come from?” he said. “Scared me half to death. You’re lucky you don’t have to give me the Heimlich maneuver, the amount of ice I just swallowed.”
“I’m sorry. I was sitting over there -” she gestured. “I saw you come in.”
“Wait a minute,” he said, “you’ve been watching me?”
She shrugged, and he thought she blushed slightly, but it was difficult to see in the light. “You look good,” she said. “How are you?”
“Honestly?” he said. “Pretty damn good. I just settled a piece of business. I guess you saw.” She nodded. “You know me,” he said jokingly, “smart like a fox.”
“Yes, I do know you,” she said.
Suddenly suspicious, of what he didn’t know, Tony said, “So what are you doing all the way up here? Don’t you work in Jersey no more? ‘Cause I almost called your office a couple of times a while back…”
“Oh, yeah?” she said.
“Yeah. What if I’d been in crisis trying to reach you?”
“I still work in New Jersey, Anthony. My son got married today. I came up for the wedding.”
“Oh. Well that’s nice. Good for him. Felicitations.”
“Thank you,” she said.
He reached for his wallet and pulled out a fat roll of bills. “Here. Give him that. Wedding present.”
“You’ve never even met Jason,” Dr. Melfi pointed out. “I can’t possibly take that.”
“Why not? You’re not my doctor anymore. There wouldn’t be any breach of ethics or nothing now. You fired me as a patient, remember?”
“I remember,” she said. “And you’re right, there wouldn’t be any breach of ethics.”
He watched her as she thought a minute.
“I’ll tell you what,” she said. “Keep your money. But buy me a drink.”