At a turning point in her life, Josie was dating someone whose presence constantly made her cry. She later noted a friend who told of not being able to wait for her boyfriend to call and ask her out on a date... then, once he arrived, she would dread the remainder of the evening with him. This kind of ambivalence want not new to Jos. There wasn't really problems, per se, with Josie's and Pelligrino's relationship... but Josie felt like she wanted to move on and didn't know how. She never left one man but what she didn't have another. Josie would joke with her brother Jared about the fact that neither of them liked "getting rid of the old car" before they got a new one.
It was Jos's first year of college and she was experiencing new things, people, learning in a whole new life. Pellegrino was still a senior in high school, and his folkes expected that the two would marry shortly thereafter... and move to the Great White North, where Pell intended to study engineering. His folks expected Josie to be the consummate housewife, working while Pell was in school. Josie was never consulted about this and ever the one who wants to please... she didn't speak up until she was drowning in her own tears. One night, she asked Pell if they could date other people .. Pell said yes, but he wasn't going to date anyone else.
Jeannie got a job at a local fast food chain, and Josie started working there shortly thereafter. The first time Josie saw Nelson, he was cleaning a burger grill. Her first thought was "strong shoulders, nice a$$." She knew that she was still dating Pell... but she asked Jeannie to introduce her. Nelson was nice. Curly blonde hair... blue eyes. Funny. Josie forgot all about him when someone said he was 30, and that he was married with a little girl -- she was only 18!
By January, Nelson had hung out for hours before work, while Josie was washing the dishes... he would stand behind her and say "hey stuckup... fine, don't say hello to me"... One night, Jos threw her arms around him and gave him a full body hug. In the next few weeks, Jeannie opened her fat mouth to everyone at work, that Josie had a crush on Nelson. Jos wouldn't see Nel for almost a week, but she waited and wondered the whole time, whether or not Nel would ask her out. Jeannie said she heard that Nelson wanted to ask her out so she wrote him a dumb note.. it was on her birthday in 1992... and incidentally, on the night that Josie left him, he was still carrying that note in his wallet -- a full 12 years later. It read: "Dear Nelson, I heard something interesting... and in case you were wondering, I'm interested!! -- Josie"
Of course he asked her out... and it was a bit awkward on their first date, as Jeannie needed a ride home from work -- her car wouldn't start. It was 2 AM and Josie wanted Nel all to herself. They finally got Jeannie to go to sleep, and then they talked until 7 AM. They talked... they laughed...they cried together. Nelson gave Josie the first kiss he'd ever given anyone. Josie thought he was a bad kisser then. Funny thing... he never got better. She's a bit bitter about that now. But anyway.... Josie slept for a few hours after Nelson left, then called Pellegrino to break up with him.
At Pell's house, she apologized to him and did her best to explain that it all fell apart... it hadn't been right for the longest time.... and she was now with Nelson. It just hit Josie recently, how terribly it must have hurt him.. the way she broke up. It's no wonder that Pellegrino named his first baby after her. He would probably always hurt for her somewhere in his heart.
From that night on, Nel and Jos spent every evening together... before or after school or work... skipping school or work... through sickness, tiredness, arguing... whatever. They felt grateful to have found eachother... but always desperate. They felt as though there was a small window of opportunity for them in life, and they thought they had really beat the odds, to come together in the manner which they did. No one in Josie's life could make her as happy, or laugh as hard as Nelson. No one could brighten Nelson's day, or make him weep like Josie could.
Josie had been abused by boys in the past. She thought the only way that Nelson would continue to care for her, was if she put out.....