The Beginning Of A Long and Lonely Road, chapter 2
"Billie Joe, do you want something to eat?" Adie asked her devistated husband.
"No, not right now. But thanks Adie," Billie Joe said back to his wife.
"Hun, you need to eat something, anything," Adie started pleading to Billie Joe," Please, you haven't eaten since, well, you know."
"Yeah, I know," Billie Joe said ,"you don't have to remind me. The funerals did enough of that for me, thanks," Billie Joe said with tears welling up in his eyes.
Billie Joe was too depressed to eat, and who wouldn't be. After what had happened to him in the past week, and after what he had seen, nobody would be happy enough to anything.
Flashback two days into the past; the day of Mike and Tre's funerals. Around the cemetaries where the funerals were held, huge crowds, possibly the biggest crowds in a public place anywhere, were gathered. People from around the globe came to Berkley to say their last farewells to their fallen idols. Some held pictures, some held signs showing remebrance of both the lost bassist and the lost drummer. For some, for most, this was the closest they had actually ever been to any members of the band, which made the whole event even sadder. As Billie Joe, Adie, Joey, and Jakob all waked into the cemetaries, wearing all black, you couldn't help but notice the expression on Billie Joe's face. It was a look of sorrow, but on a totally different level than that had ever been seen before. The expression on Billie Joe's face was that of which one would make when they have no more desire to live, no ambition, no more spirit left in them. Billie Joe was in a dark place, and who wouldn't be after what he saw. Within a period of ten minutes he saw not only his good friend die on a hospital bed, but he also saw his best friend, his soul mate for all time, kill himself by jumping off the roof of the hospital the other friend just died in. As the caskets for his friends were brought to the cemetaries of which their families requested they be buried in, the streets of Berkley were lined with hundreds, maybe even thousands of people. Finally, the caskets reached the plots they were ment to be put in, and the cerimonies began. First came Tre's:
"Frank Edwin Wright the Third was a good man, a wonderful father, a fantastic husband, and a spactacular son," the minister began.
"Though not a perfect man, nobody is, he brand so much joy to millions accross the world," the minister continued. "Now, the friend of Frank would like to say a few words of remembrance for the dearly departed.
Billie Joe stood up to give his speech, but his knees felt like jelly, like they would colapse underneath him if he even tried to walk two steps. Somehow, Billie Joe managed to walk up to the front, and start to speek.
"Tre Cool was the greatest drummer I have ever known," Billie Joe started, "and one of the greatest friends I have ever had." "In one way or another, Tre has touched our lives. I remember the first time I met Tre," Billie Joe started to say, laughinh/crying while doing so, "we, Mike and I, had just recovered from Al quiting the band. I remember when Mike and I actually saw tre. He was this skinny, long-haired, smart alec twit who could play the drums better than anyone else out there." "eventually, Tre became a brother to me, well maybe not a brother, because I already have enough of those as it is," (audience laughs)
"Though Tre has left this world, little parts of him will always stay in out hearts," Billie Joe said with tears starting to stream down his cheeks, "and will always live in our memories, weather they be good ones or bad."
Billie Joe sat back down, and started quietly crying.
After Tre's funeral was over, the entire funeral party got back into their cars and drove to where Mike was to be buried. The same size of crowds covered the entire perimeter of the fence too. Towards the middle of Mikes cerimony, Billie Joe prepared to give his speech about Mike. But when the time came for him to do so, he just couldn't do it. With tears gushing out of his eye sockets, he literally had a mental breakdown right there and then.
Soon the two funerals were over, and the Armstrongs went home.
Two days go by. Now we are back in the pesent, where this part of the story began. Billie Joe is lonesome, and he does not know if he can fix it. Adie is concerned, and very worried that her husband might take his own life to numb the pain in his heart from losing Tre and Mike.
The next day, Adie asked Billie Joe if he would like to come along to the supermarket with her.
"No, Adie, I can't go out there, I'm not ready," Billie Joe told his wife.
"Billie, you haven't been out of this house since the funeral. It's unhealthy," Adie told him.
"I suppose your right, Adie," Billie Joe agreed.
Slowly, Billie Joe and Adie walked to their car. They hopped into the front seats, Adie driving, and Adie started the engine. She locked the doors and pulled out of the driveway.
"Honey," Billie Joe asked, "where are you going?"
"To the supermarket, sweety," Adie replied.
"But the supermarket is the other way," Billie Joe said to her.
"No it's not, your just disoriented from the stress," Adie said.
A few minutes went by, and now Adie was pulling the black BMW into the front driveway of a hospital.
"What are we doing here," Billie Joe asked Adie.
"Just picking up something that Tre's mother wanted us to pick up for her," Adie answered.
Adie went inside the hospital for a few minutes. Then she came out and asked
"Billie Joe, it's kind of heavy. Could you come along and help me bring it back to the car?"
"Sure," Billie Joe answered.
The couple walked into the hospital waiting room. Down the hall were two nurses, looking strangely at Billie Joe.
"Adie, why are those nurses looking at me so funny?" Billie Joe asked her.
"Billie, I'm sorry, but I thought it would be for the best and..."
"What did you do. What are they going to do to me Adie," Billie Joe interrupted her.
"Billie," Adie began to answer, "I thought you could benefit from spending a few days in the mental health ward, you know, till things calmed down, and you got things back under control."
The whole time she was talking, the nurses walked closer to Billie Joe. When the nurses got to him, each of the nurses took one of his arms and began to lead him to his hospital room.
"You bitch, you fuckin bitch, you miserable piece of shit, you....," Billie Joe said to Adie as he was being dragged off, kicking and screaming and swearing all the while.
This would be another intersection on Billie Joe's lonely road.
"No, not right now. But thanks Adie," Billie Joe said back to his wife.
"Hun, you need to eat something, anything," Adie started pleading to Billie Joe," Please, you haven't eaten since, well, you know."
"Yeah, I know," Billie Joe said ,"you don't have to remind me. The funerals did enough of that for me, thanks," Billie Joe said with tears welling up in his eyes.
Billie Joe was too depressed to eat, and who wouldn't be. After what had happened to him in the past week, and after what he had seen, nobody would be happy enough to anything.
Flashback two days into the past; the day of Mike and Tre's funerals. Around the cemetaries where the funerals were held, huge crowds, possibly the biggest crowds in a public place anywhere, were gathered. People from around the globe came to Berkley to say their last farewells to their fallen idols. Some held pictures, some held signs showing remebrance of both the lost bassist and the lost drummer. For some, for most, this was the closest they had actually ever been to any members of the band, which made the whole event even sadder. As Billie Joe, Adie, Joey, and Jakob all waked into the cemetaries, wearing all black, you couldn't help but notice the expression on Billie Joe's face. It was a look of sorrow, but on a totally different level than that had ever been seen before. The expression on Billie Joe's face was that of which one would make when they have no more desire to live, no ambition, no more spirit left in them. Billie Joe was in a dark place, and who wouldn't be after what he saw. Within a period of ten minutes he saw not only his good friend die on a hospital bed, but he also saw his best friend, his soul mate for all time, kill himself by jumping off the roof of the hospital the other friend just died in. As the caskets for his friends were brought to the cemetaries of which their families requested they be buried in, the streets of Berkley were lined with hundreds, maybe even thousands of people. Finally, the caskets reached the plots they were ment to be put in, and the cerimonies began. First came Tre's:
"Frank Edwin Wright the Third was a good man, a wonderful father, a fantastic husband, and a spactacular son," the minister began.
"Though not a perfect man, nobody is, he brand so much joy to millions accross the world," the minister continued. "Now, the friend of Frank would like to say a few words of remembrance for the dearly departed.
Billie Joe stood up to give his speech, but his knees felt like jelly, like they would colapse underneath him if he even tried to walk two steps. Somehow, Billie Joe managed to walk up to the front, and start to speek.
"Tre Cool was the greatest drummer I have ever known," Billie Joe started, "and one of the greatest friends I have ever had." "In one way or another, Tre has touched our lives. I remember the first time I met Tre," Billie Joe started to say, laughinh/crying while doing so, "we, Mike and I, had just recovered from Al quiting the band. I remember when Mike and I actually saw tre. He was this skinny, long-haired, smart alec twit who could play the drums better than anyone else out there." "eventually, Tre became a brother to me, well maybe not a brother, because I already have enough of those as it is," (audience laughs)
"Though Tre has left this world, little parts of him will always stay in out hearts," Billie Joe said with tears starting to stream down his cheeks, "and will always live in our memories, weather they be good ones or bad."
Billie Joe sat back down, and started quietly crying.
After Tre's funeral was over, the entire funeral party got back into their cars and drove to where Mike was to be buried. The same size of crowds covered the entire perimeter of the fence too. Towards the middle of Mikes cerimony, Billie Joe prepared to give his speech about Mike. But when the time came for him to do so, he just couldn't do it. With tears gushing out of his eye sockets, he literally had a mental breakdown right there and then.
Soon the two funerals were over, and the Armstrongs went home.
Two days go by. Now we are back in the pesent, where this part of the story began. Billie Joe is lonesome, and he does not know if he can fix it. Adie is concerned, and very worried that her husband might take his own life to numb the pain in his heart from losing Tre and Mike.
The next day, Adie asked Billie Joe if he would like to come along to the supermarket with her.
"No, Adie, I can't go out there, I'm not ready," Billie Joe told his wife.
"Billie, you haven't been out of this house since the funeral. It's unhealthy," Adie told him.
"I suppose your right, Adie," Billie Joe agreed.
Slowly, Billie Joe and Adie walked to their car. They hopped into the front seats, Adie driving, and Adie started the engine. She locked the doors and pulled out of the driveway.
"Honey," Billie Joe asked, "where are you going?"
"To the supermarket, sweety," Adie replied.
"But the supermarket is the other way," Billie Joe said to her.
"No it's not, your just disoriented from the stress," Adie said.
A few minutes went by, and now Adie was pulling the black BMW into the front driveway of a hospital.
"What are we doing here," Billie Joe asked Adie.
"Just picking up something that Tre's mother wanted us to pick up for her," Adie answered.
Adie went inside the hospital for a few minutes. Then she came out and asked
"Billie Joe, it's kind of heavy. Could you come along and help me bring it back to the car?"
"Sure," Billie Joe answered.
The couple walked into the hospital waiting room. Down the hall were two nurses, looking strangely at Billie Joe.
"Adie, why are those nurses looking at me so funny?" Billie Joe asked her.
"Billie, I'm sorry, but I thought it would be for the best and..."
"What did you do. What are they going to do to me Adie," Billie Joe interrupted her.
"Billie," Adie began to answer, "I thought you could benefit from spending a few days in the mental health ward, you know, till things calmed down, and you got things back under control."
The whole time she was talking, the nurses walked closer to Billie Joe. When the nurses got to him, each of the nurses took one of his arms and began to lead him to his hospital room.
"You bitch, you fuckin bitch, you miserable piece of shit, you....," Billie Joe said to Adie as he was being dragged off, kicking and screaming and swearing all the while.
This would be another intersection on Billie Joe's lonely road.
