Lean On Me, Part 1
By: Katie
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters or the song.
They are property of Garry Marshall, Gabe Kaplan, Alan Sacks and Bill Withers.
Lean On Me
by Katie
Katie finds solisce in Lenny when she catches Juan in the arms of another woman--A so-called friend.
Lean on me, when you're not strong and I'll be your friend.
I'll help you carry on....
Bensonhurst Brooklyn, July 1, 1972
Katie and her friends had just gotten off of work. The roommates were walking up the stairs from the subway and that's when Katie's world crumbled. Right there, on Flatbush Avenue, her boyfriend of two years was making out, Kitty Rossi, her so-called friend, right in front of Peking Palace. Katie was the first to see it and went ballistic. The other girls were in shock.
Juan: Katie, please relax sweetie, this isn't what it looks like.
Katie: Oh don't give me that you S.O.B. It's exactly what it looks like.
Juan: Fine, okay, but I had to do something, If you loved me, you'd know what
I want.
Katie: Well I'm not giving you that. I told you, I'm a good girl, I wait till i'm married!
Juan: You're uptight that's what your problem is.
Katie: I'll give you uptight you bastard :makes a fist:
and you! Kitty, damn you, you're supposed to be my friend!
Kitty: Of course, I am.
Katie: YOu call this being a friend?! Kissing my man on a public street where
EVERYbody in Brooklyn can see it?!
Just then, Lenny, Squiggy and Carmine were coming out of a store when they saw all the commotion.
Squiggy: Ooh Lenny, look a fight! Let's place bets on who's gonna win.
Carmine: You're really a sick man Squig.
Squiggy: Why thank you Carmine. It's talent like anything else.
Lenny: You know, those girls look awfully familiar, especially the red-faced one.
Carmine: Isn't that Katie and her friends?
Lenny: Yeah, it does look like them.
Coming from another direction..Vinnie, Freddie and Arnold witness the same scene.
Vinnie: Hey look over there. Isn't that Epstein?
Freddie: That guy getting yelled at by some girl?
Arnold: That's not just some girl, That's Katie.
Ooh..She looks mad too.
Vinnie: Hey what's Kitty doing there! Why is she that close to Epstein
even I don't like to be that close to him!
Freddie: Now Vinnie, Vinnie calm down man.
Arnold: I'm sure it's all very innocent.
Vinnie: C'mon guys let's find out what's going on.
As both groups, Lenny, Squiggy, Carmine and The Sweathogs, got closer, they could see that things were starting to escalate. Juan had already been punched in the face by Katie
and Kitty was the next to get slapped around unless somebody could get it under control.
Crystal: What should we do?
Melissa: I really don't know.
Ashley: Maybe we should cheer her on.
Crystal: Yeah, good idea.
Ashley: Go Katie!! Woohoo!
Vinnie was the first to arrive, he pulled Kitty to the side before Katie could start hitting. Lenny came up behind Katie and held on to her firmly but not roughly.
Kitty: Vinnie, Ow, you're hurting my arm? Just what do you think you're doing?
Vinnie: Oh that's funny, I was gonna ask you the same thing?
Kitty: Look all I was doing was helping him remove a piece of cheese stuck in his teeth.
Carmine: They got toothbrushes and dental floss for that.
Juan: Why don't you Milwaukee people mind your own business!
Squiggy: Listen kid, you better shutcha mout, Before you get it punched in.
Carmine here is the Golden Gloves Champ of Milwaukee!
Juan: Ooh, I'm shakin.
Freddie: Juan shut up. I've heard of this guy.
Vinnie: Yeah Epstein, Carmine could pound you into the pavement if he wanted to.
Arnold: Yeah besides, he knows The Fonz.
Juan: That punk don't scare me.
Lenny practically carries Katie across the street to try and calm her down.
Katie: Let me go! Let me go kick her fat buffalo butt!
Lenny: I ain't lettin go till you calm down!
Katie: C'mon let me go! Len! I wanna squash Juan like a bug and turn him
into Mahtza Ball Tacos! Let me at that S.O.B!
Lenny: Fine kick and scream all you want but I ain't lettin go.
Katie: Oh I give up, why am I wasting my time getting upset over Sherlock Sheephead!
Lenny: :laughing:
Katie: Don't laugh it's not funny. I'm really furious!
Lenny: I'm just laughing at the name you called him, I'm not laughing at you.
Katie: I'll laugh at that later, i'm too angry to laugh at anything right now.
Lenny: Well at least, you're calmer so i'll put you down.
Katie: Actually, Don't let go.
Lenny: You think you're gonna kill him or something?
Katie: No, I think I'm gonna start crying, get me out of here will ya?
I don't want Epstein to see me cry.
Lenny: Why the hell not? He really hurt you, he should see that.
Katie: I think he already knows.
Lenny: What about Kitty?
Katie: Oh i'll leave that up to God, let him deal with her. Just get me out of here.
Please. Oh god.
Lenny: Waterworks?
Katie: Yep..(spoken in a whisper)
Katie breaks down and collapses into Lenny's arms, almost knocking him over. In between sobs, she begs him to take her home. He waves Squiggy and Carmine over and they cross the street.
Lenny: Listen guys, i'm gonna take Katie home, She's upset.
Carmine: :sad: Awww..hey listen..Don't waste too much time moping over that jerk.
He's the one who should be crying.
Squiggy: Well Carmine, he is. You pummeled him into the ground.
Katie: :drying her tears: Aww Thanks, I wish I could've done that.
Lenny: In the mood to give a good pummeling huh?
Katie: Like you wouldn't believe..anybody got a hanky?
Carmine, Squiggy and Lenny all hand her their hankerchiefs. Katie grabs Squiggy's stiff one and hands it back to him. It was kinda stiff, She took Lenny's instead. Lenny takes it from her and plays the gentleman, wiping her tears away as Carmine and Squiggy stand back and watch this chivalrous act.
Squiggy: Too bad Laverne and Shirley missed this.
Carmine: Well I don't think Shirl, would like the fighting, but she never liked Juan either.
Lenny: I can't wait to tell Laverne when we see them.
Katie: ::drying her eyes:: You guys tell a story better than I do.
Let's get out of here Len, waterworks are starting up again.
The two walk home in silence. When they arrived
at their building, Katie and Lenny sat on the stoop for awhile.
Katie: Hey Len, I'm sorry I made ya cry.
Lenny: Oh hey, look i'm really sorry about all that.
Katie: Aww..don't worry about that, who said guys can't cry?
Lenny: Squiggy.
Katie: Isn't he the same guy who bawled like a baby when you dropped that block of ice on his foot a couple months ago at Frank and Edna's Memorial Day BBQ?
Lenny: :laughs: He sure did cry alot. You have a point there.
Katie: Thanks for putting up with my waterworks, that was kinda embarassing, I don't usually do that.
Lenny: Don't worry about that, I'm sure everyone who saw and knows you understands.
Katie: Maybe but, I dunno, I think need to go lie down.
Lenny: Want me to walk you up to your apartment?
Katie: Sure, that'll be nice.
Lenny: Not a problem.
They walk up to her door and he kisses her on the forehead and gives her a big hug.
A few days later....
Ashley: Katie, c'mon get up, we're already late for work.
Crystal: Is She still in bed?
Ashley: No..I'm...talking to hear my own voice for the heck of it.
Melissa: I'll take care of this.
She opens the door and there's no Katie only an open window.
Melissa: She's not there.
Ashley: Who's not there.
Melissa and Crystal: Katie.
Ashley: Maybe she left for work already.
Melissa: Out the window?
Ashley: Well there is a fire escape, maybe she escaped to see Lenny.
Crystal: You have a point there, look she's probably at work, we'll see her there.
Katie, up on the roof, watches her friends leave for work. She had leaving on her mind, but could she really just leave everyone behind? Especially Lenny, the guy she had special feelings for.
End of Part 1
Part Two