Janie Tanner ~A Watty's 2019 Submission

Chapter 1

Donna Jo Tanner, otherwise known as DJ, stood at the doorway, waving goodbye to her grandmother with her younger sister Stephanie. Their mother had just died recently and their grandmother had come to help their father, Danny, take care of them. Though, to be honest, she mostly took care of Danny while DJ's older sister Janie took care of her, Stephanie,  and their baby sister Michelle.

Just then, Danny came in and patted the girls on the back. "Okay! Are we going to have fun or what?" Both girls looked at their dad and frowned. "Hey, hey, hey! Let's see some smiles. Everything is going to work out super great. Your Uncle Jesse is moving in; my best friend Joey is moving in, and you know what that means... That means that you two are going to get to be roommates. Isn't that exciting?" Stephanie smiled at him.

"I can wear all Janie and DJ's clothes!" DJ looked at her dad.

"Do I have to share my room with her?" Danny crouched down to her level and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Honey, it's going to be just like having a slumber party." DJ grimaced.

"Yeah, with only one guest... who never leaves!" Then a tall man wearing a black shirt, jeans, boots, and long black hair came in.

"Hey! Look alive! Uncle Jesse's here!" He shouted. Both girls smiled.

"Uncle Jesse!" They shouted in unison.

"Uncle Jesse!" He said back, pitching his voice to match the girls' as he gave them a tight hug. "All right!" He said in his normal voice. "Hello! DJ, how you doing? That tooth come in yet?" DJ shrugged.

"Nah." Jesse patted her on the back.

'That's okay; one less to brush." He told her. Then Danny went in for a hug.

"Hey, Jesse!" Jesse smiled, but turned down the hug.

"Danno!" Then Danny got straight to the point he wanted to make.

"You missed breakfast; where have you been?" Jesse sighed and put his hands in his pockets, looking like it was a long story.

"I know; sorry. Last night, after my gig at the smash club, I go for a cruise on my Harley, right? Nest thing I know, I'm in Reno. It was dark - who would have known? Then, I happened to wander into this show, Razzle Dazzle '87 - much better than Razzle Dazzle '86, by the way. And I see this incredible showgirl Vanessa, right? Our eyes meet." Danny glanced down at the girls, concerned for what they might hear. "Ba-boom, this lightning bolt of passion shoots across the casino. Turns out, Vanessa is on her way to the Philippines to do a Bob Hope special, and is dying for one last night of good old American -"

"Food, food!" Danny interrupted. "She was hungry, right?" Jesse looked like he remembered that there was a ten and a four year old in the room

"Oh yeah. She was starving. Only we never got a chance to, uh, "eat," because she had to turn her feathers in." Then they heard a laughing voice coming from the kitchen and in came Janie with Michelle in her arms.

"Uncle Jesse, are you telling Stephy and DJ stuff that they shouldn't know?" She asked him, calling Stephanie by the nickname only she used. At thirteen years old, she knew a little bit about what he was talking about.

Jesse smiled. If he had to pick a favourite neice, it would have to be Janie. She'd been his little buddy ever since she could talk.

"Hey, Jane!" He called. He never called her Janie because he always thought that was too babyish. He gave both Janie and Michelle a hug. "How ya been? Ya finally paying rent?" Janie laughed again.

"No, and neither are you." Then Stephanie tugged at his sleeve.

'Uncle Jesse, let's play Ballerina." She demanded. Jese shook his head.

"Uncle Jesse doesn't want to play ballerina."

"Yes he does..." she contradicted.

"No he doesn't..."

"Yes he does..."

"No he doesn't!" The Stephanie pretended to cry. That always got her uncle. 

"Yes he does." Finally, Jesse caved.

"How do you play ballerina?" He asked her. She perked up immediately.

"Dance!" She declared and slowly went aeound in a circle with her hands above her head. Jesse stepped in place and put his hands above his head.

"Okay, that was fun." He said. Then they heard someone making a sound like a trumpet and in came Danny's best friend Joey with a pile of laundry.

"Hi, Joey." Said Danny.

"Hi, Danny." Danny took the pile of laundry from Joey.

"Oh, Joey, buddy. This is the best; you're moving in!" He said excitedly.

"Thanks, Danny. This works out so perfect. I move into a place with a washing machine on the exact day I run out of clean clothes." Danny dropped the dirty pile of clothes and Janie stepped back with Michelle, tryimg to steer clear of the dirty pile of laundry. Joey turned to Jesse. "Jesse, long time no see. Now be honest. Did you ever think we'd end up being roommates?" Jesse shook his head.

"Not once." Jesse replied. Joey smiled and looked around the room.

"I love this guy. Danny, there's no way all my stuff will fit into a room this tiny." Danny looked a little insulted.

"Joey, this is not a tiny room. This is a large alcove. In fact, this is a large alcove that you're living in for free." Joey took another look around.

"You know, now that I take a close look at it, it's enormous... 'normous... 'normous..." He made his voice out to give off an echo effect, then smiled at DJ and Stephanie. "We are gonna have so much fun, aren't we, kids?" Saying that, he imitated a Popeye laughed. DJ looked at Janie.

"Do you think we could catch grandma at the airport?"

"I almost wish Deej. I almost wish."

(Hey guys! Now I know that this maybe a bit different than what I usually do, but this first chapter is only something that you cam look at and determine if you want the story to continue. Vote on the chapter if you want this story to continue and I'll see you guys later!)