Road to Respect ~ Sopranos

Chapter 1

"You mentioned your family a few times now."

"And?" 

The woman sighed and looked at her clip bored. "You mentioned Meadow, AJ, and Joseph."

"Joseph aint mine." Tony told her. "Just some... brat I picked up."

"Picked up?"

"Kids got shitty parents." Tony explained further. "Hell, we all do, but his... they make mine look sane."

"It's awfully kind of you to take him in."

"Yeah well..." Tony sighed. "He's a good kid, a fucking mouth on him though, but a good kid."

"And how does he relate to the ducks?"

"Why the fuck are we still on the fucking duck's doc?"

The woman sighed rubbed her temples. "Why don't you tell me where he was during your anxiety attack."

Joseph

"You girls want any more?" Joey asked as he looked over at Meadow and her friend, Hunter.

"Sure." Meadow held her plate out and Joey placed a pancake onto it. "You know mom would make it right?"

Joey shrugged. "I like cooking. I'm good at it." 

"Meadow, your father and those ducks." Hunter said. Joey looked out the window and saw Tony in his robe, shoulder deep in water and throwing bread to the ducks.  Joey looked from Tony to the ducks and smiled a bit. There were two adult ducks and three little ones, two were white while one was brown.

"I know, the whole yard smells like duck poo." Meadow complained.

"Why didn't anyone wake me up to..." Carmela looked around and saw Meadow eating at Joey's pancakes. "Cook. Joey I could have made them."

Joey just sent her a charming smile and shrugged. "Thought you could use the rest Mrs. Soprano."

Carmela smiled at the boy and behind the boy who was doing the dishes. "You need a haircut." She tugged on his dark brown hair then messed it up. "And it's Carmela"

AJ the walked into the kitchen and started eating at Joey's plate. "Ay, brat!" Joey exclaimed before flicking water at the kid. "That's mine."

"What's the difference?" The boy looked between his plate and Joey's.

"Mine doesn't have Strawberries on it, now move." Joey ordered before taking his spot next to Meadow. 

"Don't like strawberries or something?" Hunter asked him. 

"Allergic." Joey told her before he started to dig in. "Happy birthday by the way kid." He tapped the boy's brim down to cover his eyes. "How old are you again, eleven?"

"Thirteen." The boy says dryly.

"He acts eleven." Meadow spoke up.

"Shut up." AJ ordered.

"So, the male and female duck just made a home in your pool, and did it?" Hunter asked.

"Why are you still caught up on the ducks?" Joey asked as he finished up his food. He walked over to the sink and started to clean it when Carmela took over.

"I got this, just go get dressed." Carmela told him

Joey huffed and ran upstairs to get ready. He put on his blue jeans and black boots first. Then he switched out his shirt for a plain white one and put on his grandfather's old World War Two Airforce jacket. It was the only material thing Joey really cared about.