Violence of Summer, chapter 43
"For Christ sake it's always another day. Always another week. Before we know it, it's another month Micheal!"
"You inconsiderate bastard!" Mike hissed down the phone. "Now I see why Adrienne hates you Billie Joe. It's because you're putting Green Day first before anything else!"
"Adrienne doesn't hate me! She loves me, she's my wife!" Billie shouted into the receiver.
"Yeah well you keep telling yourself that, because it's not gonna last much longer the way you're carrying on," Mike responded calmly.
"Fuck you!" Billie shouted as Mike held the phone away from his ear slightly. "If you don't wanna come back into this band then don't! We can go on without you! We don't need Mike Dirnt to continue Green Day. So go fuck yourself and have a nice life with your teenage crush!"
The dial tone came on as Mike sighed heavily putting the phone down. He turned his head to see Sid coming into the room fully dressed and showered as she smiled back at him. "What's up?"
"Oh nothing. Billie's just bein' a bit grumpy is all."
The phone suddenly started ringing again as Sid raised her eyebrows. "It's probably one of the guys." She shrugged.
Mike breathed out heavily picking the phone up slowly. "Hello?"
"Mike, it's me Tre." Tre's worried voice said down the phone. "Hey, Mike you know he didn't mean all that right? Of course we still want you in the band and everything; He's just had a few. Listen Mike I think it's becoming a problem man, it's not good where the hell are you?"
"Tre calm down I know he was just saying all that stuff to make me angry," Mike said trying to sooth Tre.
"Mike come home with us man. What the hell is going on?"
"Listen Tre, listen to me..." Mike said lowering his voice hearing Sid talking to Ryan in the kitchen. "Something's come up. Something vital. I really can't explain it to you right now but... Just give me a few weeks okay?"
"It's Sid isn't it?" Tre questioned. "It's something to do with Sid right?"
There was a long pause as Tre awaited Mike's explanation of why he wasn't going to be flying home with the boys that evening. "I'll call you in a couple of days." Was all Mike said before hanging up.
***
Billie and Tre sat opposite each other in the café downtown Oxford Street, an awkward silence settling between them. Tre ran both hands over his face rubbing his red eyes tiredly.
"C'mon Billie. Let's just go home 'kay? Our flight leaves in two hours."
"And just leave? What about the contract Tre!?" Billie said impatiently.
"Fuck the contract!" Tre snapped as a few people glanced over at him. He took in a deep breath before continuing. "Jesus Christ Billie, stop revolving yourself around this fucking record contract! It's getting to us bad, go home to your wife and kids already. Your gonna kill yourself over this and it isn't fucking worth it. What the hell, you haven't written anything new in six months! Fuck it Billie, go home its over." Tre threw his napkin down leaning back in his chair as Billie looked up at him wide eyed.
"What do you mean over?" Billie said in a high voice.
"Over, Bill!" Tre said loudly. "How blind are you? This band is never gonna make another record so it's time we just quit it! What's the fucking point huh? It's tearing us all apart."
"Oh stop being so melodramatic," Billie groaned rolling his eyes.
"What would you know?" Tre said sourly starting to get pissed off with Billie's behavior. In fact Billie's behavior had been pissing everyone off for quite some time now. "You've got a lovely wife. You've got two great kids, and after all the shit you've put them through your family is still willing to stay with you. You take things for granted Billie Joe Armstrong."
"Give it a rest." Billie chuckled sarcastically. "What, what, are you blaming your marriage problems on the band now is that it? You think my life's perfect and your's isn't because of Green Day? No, Tre, your life is how it is because of how you made it."
"I made some mistakes, but I know for certain that if it wasn't for Green Day, things would've turned out a lot differently. Not just for me but for Mike to," Tre said angrily. "It's about time you grew up Billie." With that Tre stood up and through some notes down on the table, leaving the café as Billie sat there staring after him. A few moments later the young lad waiting on there table came over to him.
"Would that be all, sir?" he asked politely as Billie looked up at him.
"Uh, yes, yeah, just the bill please." Billie said forcing a smile.
"Certainly. By the way if you don't mind me saying I really loved Dookie." the young waiter beamed.
"Oh thanks man." Billie nodded. "That's really appreciated, you know you should look out for Warning, it's our most recent."
The young waiter looked down at Billie with a surprised look on his face. "Oh really? I thought you guys weren't making music anymore." He chuckled lightly and went off to fetch the bill as Billie sat there with his jaw half open.
Once Billie had paid the bill he went back to the hotel hoping to find Tre there but when he went to his room he found it was locked. He turned his head to see the small podgy house-keeping lady pushing her wheel cart along.
"Hey, excuse me miss?" Billie asked as the small woman turned around and looked at Billie smiling warmly.
"What can I do for you sir?"
"Yeah, I was wondering if my friend came along earlier at all. You know the one who said you had a cute ass."
The house-keeping lady let out a small giggle remembering Tre's previous joke from a couple of days ago as she nodded. "Ah yes, I'm afraid he checked out just a while ago. Is there something you want from the room?"
"Oh, no no, I just wanted to...it doesn't matter. Thank you." Billie walked down the corridor to the next room opening the door to his hotel room stepping inside sighing heavily.
The three members of Green Day didn't speak to each other for the remainder of that year...
"You inconsiderate bastard!" Mike hissed down the phone. "Now I see why Adrienne hates you Billie Joe. It's because you're putting Green Day first before anything else!"
"Adrienne doesn't hate me! She loves me, she's my wife!" Billie shouted into the receiver.
"Yeah well you keep telling yourself that, because it's not gonna last much longer the way you're carrying on," Mike responded calmly.
"Fuck you!" Billie shouted as Mike held the phone away from his ear slightly. "If you don't wanna come back into this band then don't! We can go on without you! We don't need Mike Dirnt to continue Green Day. So go fuck yourself and have a nice life with your teenage crush!"
The dial tone came on as Mike sighed heavily putting the phone down. He turned his head to see Sid coming into the room fully dressed and showered as she smiled back at him. "What's up?"
"Oh nothing. Billie's just bein' a bit grumpy is all."
The phone suddenly started ringing again as Sid raised her eyebrows. "It's probably one of the guys." She shrugged.
Mike breathed out heavily picking the phone up slowly. "Hello?"
"Mike, it's me Tre." Tre's worried voice said down the phone. "Hey, Mike you know he didn't mean all that right? Of course we still want you in the band and everything; He's just had a few. Listen Mike I think it's becoming a problem man, it's not good where the hell are you?"
"Tre calm down I know he was just saying all that stuff to make me angry," Mike said trying to sooth Tre.
"Mike come home with us man. What the hell is going on?"
"Listen Tre, listen to me..." Mike said lowering his voice hearing Sid talking to Ryan in the kitchen. "Something's come up. Something vital. I really can't explain it to you right now but... Just give me a few weeks okay?"
"It's Sid isn't it?" Tre questioned. "It's something to do with Sid right?"
There was a long pause as Tre awaited Mike's explanation of why he wasn't going to be flying home with the boys that evening. "I'll call you in a couple of days." Was all Mike said before hanging up.
***
Billie and Tre sat opposite each other in the café downtown Oxford Street, an awkward silence settling between them. Tre ran both hands over his face rubbing his red eyes tiredly.
"C'mon Billie. Let's just go home 'kay? Our flight leaves in two hours."
"And just leave? What about the contract Tre!?" Billie said impatiently.
"Fuck the contract!" Tre snapped as a few people glanced over at him. He took in a deep breath before continuing. "Jesus Christ Billie, stop revolving yourself around this fucking record contract! It's getting to us bad, go home to your wife and kids already. Your gonna kill yourself over this and it isn't fucking worth it. What the hell, you haven't written anything new in six months! Fuck it Billie, go home its over." Tre threw his napkin down leaning back in his chair as Billie looked up at him wide eyed.
"What do you mean over?" Billie said in a high voice.
"Over, Bill!" Tre said loudly. "How blind are you? This band is never gonna make another record so it's time we just quit it! What's the fucking point huh? It's tearing us all apart."
"Oh stop being so melodramatic," Billie groaned rolling his eyes.
"What would you know?" Tre said sourly starting to get pissed off with Billie's behavior. In fact Billie's behavior had been pissing everyone off for quite some time now. "You've got a lovely wife. You've got two great kids, and after all the shit you've put them through your family is still willing to stay with you. You take things for granted Billie Joe Armstrong."
"Give it a rest." Billie chuckled sarcastically. "What, what, are you blaming your marriage problems on the band now is that it? You think my life's perfect and your's isn't because of Green Day? No, Tre, your life is how it is because of how you made it."
"I made some mistakes, but I know for certain that if it wasn't for Green Day, things would've turned out a lot differently. Not just for me but for Mike to," Tre said angrily. "It's about time you grew up Billie." With that Tre stood up and through some notes down on the table, leaving the café as Billie sat there staring after him. A few moments later the young lad waiting on there table came over to him.
"Would that be all, sir?" he asked politely as Billie looked up at him.
"Uh, yes, yeah, just the bill please." Billie said forcing a smile.
"Certainly. By the way if you don't mind me saying I really loved Dookie." the young waiter beamed.
"Oh thanks man." Billie nodded. "That's really appreciated, you know you should look out for Warning, it's our most recent."
The young waiter looked down at Billie with a surprised look on his face. "Oh really? I thought you guys weren't making music anymore." He chuckled lightly and went off to fetch the bill as Billie sat there with his jaw half open.
Once Billie had paid the bill he went back to the hotel hoping to find Tre there but when he went to his room he found it was locked. He turned his head to see the small podgy house-keeping lady pushing her wheel cart along.
"Hey, excuse me miss?" Billie asked as the small woman turned around and looked at Billie smiling warmly.
"What can I do for you sir?"
"Yeah, I was wondering if my friend came along earlier at all. You know the one who said you had a cute ass."
The house-keeping lady let out a small giggle remembering Tre's previous joke from a couple of days ago as she nodded. "Ah yes, I'm afraid he checked out just a while ago. Is there something you want from the room?"
"Oh, no no, I just wanted to...it doesn't matter. Thank you." Billie walked down the corridor to the next room opening the door to his hotel room stepping inside sighing heavily.
The three members of Green Day didn't speak to each other for the remainder of that year...
