Meadow: A Sopranos Fanfic

The Happy Wanderer

Eric Scantino was the owner of 14 "Sandra's Goods" locations, the name being an indirect throwback to the shop his family had owned up until the 90's before his father had run it into the ground. Because of the way his dad had lost the business, he made sure to name the place after his then wife, Sandra Molaski, instead - in order to keep the reputation surrounding his family name away from the business.
Amongst the proud Italian people of North Caldwell, the name Scantino was as good as saying 'Hit on 19.'
He had dealt with a lot of this anger and pain through countless hours of therapy and soul-searching. He even went as far as travel to Las Vegas to purposefully lose $10,000 on his 25th birthday in order to prove to himself that he hated gambling and disavow the Scantino gene once and for all. The same gene that had killed most of his father's dreams once and for all as well.
Instead of that, what he came to realize was that he also had the ability to become as addicted to gambling as his own father had been if he wasnt careful, and was regretful of making the trip to begin with, since it proved to be a weakening experience rather than a strengthening one. That was the last time he or his family ever went back to Las Vegas, and even when his new wife, Emily, had asked him to vacation in AC, he never went near another table again.
However, there are many forms of gambling, and Eric Scantino was about to learn just this... as he turned the corner of the vegetable isle and into the cereal isle to see none other than Meadow Soprano at the end of it reading the label off a canister of oatmeal.

***

"Well that's funny, I remember it quite differently," Eric said smiling, while looking down at his $5 coffee. Meadow was sipping on a frap, shaking her head, cheeks lifted in a mocking smile. "Nope, you were the one who bounced on me! In fact, as I remember it, you told me," Meadow raises a finger, "'Fuck you, fuck your gangster father, and fuck this!' then walked off the stage." Eric winced once and shook his head in embarrassment, "Good God I can't believe how young I was... ugh... horrible."
"Nah it's ok," Meadow was looking around the corner parking lot from their position outside of the little bakery. When the black Hyundai Genesis at the end of the lot rolled it's window down a bit to reveal one of Blundettos sitting behind it, focused on her safety; she sat back again and relaxed as much as her subconscious allowed.
"I had to sing my heart will go on..." She said while taking another sip from her oversized cup. Eric did a double take, "... you what?"
"My heart will go on? The main theme song from Titanic?"
"What? You mean like when I left the stage???" Eric was grabbing a napkin so hard his nails were cutting through and digging into his skin, "Shoot me now."
Meadow laughed and checked herself when she heard the teenager in her own voice.
"This is fun..." What did I just say?! Stop flirting you idiot.

"You were gone a little while, weren't you?" Eric followed her lead and sat back, ignoring the buzz of his phone who was surely his wife calling for the upteenth time to check if he had gotten the Bleach WITHOUT the flowery scent.
"Uh-huh. After dad...," she took a sip with both hands on the straw, again, reverting to her teenage ways. This is getting stupid, Said one part of her brain - I know I know! You don't think I know? Said the other, more reasonable side.
"I was really sorry when I heard what had happened by the way."
"Yea. Well, I left for Italy after breaking up with Patrick - My ex - and spent a long time out there. I went to a few other places too, Norway, Germany, Korea."
He nodded along, "Korea, really..."
"Yep," she nodded back.
Awkward silence.
He made a jump forward, "You know Meadow... there's...," and stopped, almost like if catching his mistake in mid-air.
Meadow stirred her whipped cream in the same awkward silence as before, and then;
"You've read the papers, is that it?" She lifted her eyes to meet his.
"Something like that," he kept his eyes down, so as not to meet hers.
"And?"
Silence yet again, but he brought his eyes up after a few moments and shrugged, "Come on Med, I know who you are. There isn't a person in all of North Jersey who doesn't know you're first female American boss."
Gamble #1, Eric Scantino.
Meadow was both flattered and surprised. Eric had grown some balls. Good for him. "Ok," she had no idea what she was saying ok to, but, "Ok."
"You have any kids Med?" Eric said trying to draw them back to innocence.
"Oh gawd!" She almost spit out part of her drink, "are we really doing this?"
"Ha, high school was a long time ago, yea? These are the questions to ask at our age." "Oh god," she rolled her eyes, "No, Eric, not even a near miss."
"It makes sense," he said coyly.
"What? Why's that?" She lifted her eyebrows.
He lifted his own eyebrow trying not to go as far as looking at her body while doing it. She rolled her eyes again.
"And you?" She said while throwing a napkin his way.
"One boy, lives with his mother now in Jersey. He's 10."
"Wow," she nodded.
"Wow at the kid, or wow at the 2 marriages?"
"Wow at both," she said, rolling her eyes yet again at his increasing cheekiness and flirty energy.
"So, Sandra's Goods? Pretty great E," she said innocently.
Eric fidgeted, "It's not bad. I run em pretty legit."