When He Came Around, chapter 34
Mercedes awoke in the morning quite early and was delighted from that, considering that Estelle, William, Mike and Jimmy were home... basically... with the twins gone, she was able to get the house all decorated for this afternoon when Claudia and Tre would arrive with Frankito and the two birthday boys.
Getting to work in the living room, Mercedes sat down on the couch and blew some Spiderman and Superman balloons and got through nearly the whole thing before Mike came thumping downstairs with Jimmy following him like a second shadow. "You're really good at blowing... "
"If you finish that sentence Pritchard, you'll regret it."
Mike laughed and flopped down beside her. "What can I do?" he asked.
"Well, being tall... the little streamers I guess. There's not much else after that. Only the food and shit, but that's later on."
Mike nodded and leaned back against the couch, Jimmy staring at the two of them. "What?" he asked the dog.
Mercedes smiled and looked from Mike to Jimmy with a grin. "I'm not too sure that she understands you."
"She does... even if she has a guy name."
Rolling her eyes, Mercedes yawned and tied the last balloon. "So... did you call Adie?"
Mercedes turned to look at Mike. "I did."
"What did you tell her?"
Mercedes smiled. "I didn't really have to say anything... she just wanted someone to listen to her and to tell her that she was being silly. I think just the fact that I had called her was enough to make her really listen to me. Not to mention the fact that she was dying to get back home."
Mike nodded. "You really care for him... don't you."
"I care for him. And her. I care for their relationship. Cause the last thing that I'd want would be for those kids to grow up with only one parent."
"Like you?"
"Yeah... I had such a divided family as it was... I don't believe anyone should have that. In fact, at the very least, I'll do whatever I can to make sure no one that I love has to go through that. What I grew up in."
"You've never really spoken much about your family... " Mike started.
"I never had a great deal to say. I mean, I loved them sure... my father was the best thing that ever happened to me. He raised me with no limits... there was nothing that I couldn't do. And that also worked against me... whenever something happened... I dealt with it, on my own and without his help. The fact that he didn't help was the best thing he could have taught me, if that makes sense."
Mike smiled. "It makes perfect sense."
"At the end of the day, all he wanted was for me to be happy with what I was doing and for me to be safe. The key to success... in his words, was to find something that makes you tick... and then do it. Just focus on that."
"Sounds like a smart man."
"He was. Quite."
"Was you're brother a lot like him too?"
Mercedes smirked. "The very opposite. He was the type of person that my father would have made fun of in high school or something, yet, he lived his life in the same way that my father had before him. It was amazing... their differences and their similarities."
Mike watched Mercedes as she spoke about her brother and father. To her, they were the greatest men that ever walked on the face of the planet. And he could only wish that someday Estelle would talk about him in such a manner. When Mercedes finished, she looked at Mike and sighed. "I wish I could have met them," he told her.
Mercedes nodded. "I wish you could have as well. They would have loved you," she laughed.
"Really?"
Mercedes shrugged. "Well, they say that a woman is drawn to men that are like their fathers. And every time I think about it, I can't help but put in the similarities that you and my father have."
Mike looked up at her curiously. "Really?"
Mercedes leaned back and Mike put his arm around her shoulder. "Yeah... family coming first, music as a way of life and not just a mere hobby, the ways in which you handle situations, so on and so forth. There's just that confidence that you have, that frame of mind that you've carried since I first met you up until now. Just... I can't really phrase it."
"You did pretty well."
"Thanks."
Mike kissed the top of her head. "Now, shall we put up some streamers?"
"We shall."
And then Mike and Mercedes got up and decorated the room with bright colored streamers for Joey and Liam's birthday party.
*
Mercedes heard the phone ring and rushed to pick it up. William was with Mike in the other room as was Estelle and Jimmy. "Hello?"
"Mercedes," Tre's voice said. "We're leaving pretty soon. Just to give you a head's up."
"Thanks," she answered truthfully.
"Listen, Claudia's going to sit this one out, but I'm still bringing Frankito and obviously the twins."
"Is she alright?" Mercedes asked.
"Yeah, I mean... she's fine. I don't know... she's just not in the mood I guess. She made these cupcake things... not as good as yours of course, but edible... I guess... if you're drunk."
"Tre!"
"Or if you have the munchies and need something. And who knows, maybe we will have the munchies later on."
"Tre... the twins are only turning five."
"My point exactly. Five's an important year."
"Is it?"
"Hell yeah. It's the only year that when people ask you how old you are, you can just shove your whole hand in their face. It's the easiest year."
"Are you finished?" she asked.
"No, but I'll stop for you sake."
"Oh, why thank you."
"So I'll see you in a bit," Tre finished.
"Alright. Thanks for calling."
"My fucking pleasure."
*
"And look who it is!"
"Mommy, do we look older?" Joey asked.
Mercedes gasped with exaggeration. "I think I see a wrinkle!"
"Mom!" Liam cut in with a pout.
Mercedes placed a hand on her forehead and sighed. "Growing up before my eyes... my little boys... adults now! Adults!"
Tre laughed as he watched Mercedes get all melodramatic. She was definitely something else. As Tre walked in, his eyes caught Jimmy and the drummer took an immediate liking to Jimmy, and with Estelle's request, picked up the huge mutt and held Jimmy in his arms.
Mercedes had turned her head and was a little taken aback when she saw Tre holding Jimmy. And part of her flickered when she saw the bulging muscles in Tre's arms. Reminding her of when she first met Tre, she felt herself blush and turn her attention back to whatever she was doing before, which no longer seemed that interesting.
The Armstrongs were the next ones to show up. Adrienne decided to keep a distance to Jimmy, as did surprisingly, Billie Joe. When he had come in, Jimmy charged at him and leapt up on the singer, licking... or more slobbering on his face. "Eww fu... get off."
"Funny," Tre said as he clapped his hands to get Jimmy's attention away from Billie. "You don't say that when I lick your face."
Billie rolled his eyes as he watched Tre play with the dog along with Estelle and Joey Marciano. "Billie," Mercedes said, finally coming over to him. She planned on just placing a little kiss on his cheek, but Billie snaked his arms around her and pulled her towards him. "Thank you... thank you for calling you. You didn't have to... "
"I wanted to."
They pulled apart and Mercedes was a little surprised to see the abundant honesty in his eyes. She just waved it off. "I wanted to," she repeated.
Billie Joe just nodded and for the rest of their lives, nothing more was ever said on the subject.
*
So for the big double birthday party that night, Billie Joe pulled out a guitar and amp, courtesy of Mike, and played a punk version of 'Happy Birthday' as he sang along. Joey and Liam, the kings for the day, blew out all their candles and had the biggest slices of cake, considering that they were another year older.
Around the table, that had to be extended, Mercedes sat with William on her lap, watching as her two boys laughed at a story that Mike was telling them. And she bit her lower lip, as she always did when she had no words to describe what she was feeling. Everyone she relied on, save Cristina, was surrounding the table, laughing and just enjoying themselves. No one would ever guess that three of the people at the table were famous punk-rock stars that toured the world and frankly, she was amazed at how they managed everything so well. "It's nice, isn't it?"
Mercedes turned suddenly to see that Tre was looking at her and leaning closer to her. "It took me too long to really appreciate this... you're one lucky woman Mercedes."
"Oh Tre... believe me... I know."
Getting to work in the living room, Mercedes sat down on the couch and blew some Spiderman and Superman balloons and got through nearly the whole thing before Mike came thumping downstairs with Jimmy following him like a second shadow. "You're really good at blowing... "
"If you finish that sentence Pritchard, you'll regret it."
Mike laughed and flopped down beside her. "What can I do?" he asked.
"Well, being tall... the little streamers I guess. There's not much else after that. Only the food and shit, but that's later on."
Mike nodded and leaned back against the couch, Jimmy staring at the two of them. "What?" he asked the dog.
Mercedes smiled and looked from Mike to Jimmy with a grin. "I'm not too sure that she understands you."
"She does... even if she has a guy name."
Rolling her eyes, Mercedes yawned and tied the last balloon. "So... did you call Adie?"
Mercedes turned to look at Mike. "I did."
"What did you tell her?"
Mercedes smiled. "I didn't really have to say anything... she just wanted someone to listen to her and to tell her that she was being silly. I think just the fact that I had called her was enough to make her really listen to me. Not to mention the fact that she was dying to get back home."
Mike nodded. "You really care for him... don't you."
"I care for him. And her. I care for their relationship. Cause the last thing that I'd want would be for those kids to grow up with only one parent."
"Like you?"
"Yeah... I had such a divided family as it was... I don't believe anyone should have that. In fact, at the very least, I'll do whatever I can to make sure no one that I love has to go through that. What I grew up in."
"You've never really spoken much about your family... " Mike started.
"I never had a great deal to say. I mean, I loved them sure... my father was the best thing that ever happened to me. He raised me with no limits... there was nothing that I couldn't do. And that also worked against me... whenever something happened... I dealt with it, on my own and without his help. The fact that he didn't help was the best thing he could have taught me, if that makes sense."
Mike smiled. "It makes perfect sense."
"At the end of the day, all he wanted was for me to be happy with what I was doing and for me to be safe. The key to success... in his words, was to find something that makes you tick... and then do it. Just focus on that."
"Sounds like a smart man."
"He was. Quite."
"Was you're brother a lot like him too?"
Mercedes smirked. "The very opposite. He was the type of person that my father would have made fun of in high school or something, yet, he lived his life in the same way that my father had before him. It was amazing... their differences and their similarities."
Mike watched Mercedes as she spoke about her brother and father. To her, they were the greatest men that ever walked on the face of the planet. And he could only wish that someday Estelle would talk about him in such a manner. When Mercedes finished, she looked at Mike and sighed. "I wish I could have met them," he told her.
Mercedes nodded. "I wish you could have as well. They would have loved you," she laughed.
"Really?"
Mercedes shrugged. "Well, they say that a woman is drawn to men that are like their fathers. And every time I think about it, I can't help but put in the similarities that you and my father have."
Mike looked up at her curiously. "Really?"
Mercedes leaned back and Mike put his arm around her shoulder. "Yeah... family coming first, music as a way of life and not just a mere hobby, the ways in which you handle situations, so on and so forth. There's just that confidence that you have, that frame of mind that you've carried since I first met you up until now. Just... I can't really phrase it."
"You did pretty well."
"Thanks."
Mike kissed the top of her head. "Now, shall we put up some streamers?"
"We shall."
And then Mike and Mercedes got up and decorated the room with bright colored streamers for Joey and Liam's birthday party.
*
Mercedes heard the phone ring and rushed to pick it up. William was with Mike in the other room as was Estelle and Jimmy. "Hello?"
"Mercedes," Tre's voice said. "We're leaving pretty soon. Just to give you a head's up."
"Thanks," she answered truthfully.
"Listen, Claudia's going to sit this one out, but I'm still bringing Frankito and obviously the twins."
"Is she alright?" Mercedes asked.
"Yeah, I mean... she's fine. I don't know... she's just not in the mood I guess. She made these cupcake things... not as good as yours of course, but edible... I guess... if you're drunk."
"Tre!"
"Or if you have the munchies and need something. And who knows, maybe we will have the munchies later on."
"Tre... the twins are only turning five."
"My point exactly. Five's an important year."
"Is it?"
"Hell yeah. It's the only year that when people ask you how old you are, you can just shove your whole hand in their face. It's the easiest year."
"Are you finished?" she asked.
"No, but I'll stop for you sake."
"Oh, why thank you."
"So I'll see you in a bit," Tre finished.
"Alright. Thanks for calling."
"My fucking pleasure."
*
"And look who it is!"
"Mommy, do we look older?" Joey asked.
Mercedes gasped with exaggeration. "I think I see a wrinkle!"
"Mom!" Liam cut in with a pout.
Mercedes placed a hand on her forehead and sighed. "Growing up before my eyes... my little boys... adults now! Adults!"
Tre laughed as he watched Mercedes get all melodramatic. She was definitely something else. As Tre walked in, his eyes caught Jimmy and the drummer took an immediate liking to Jimmy, and with Estelle's request, picked up the huge mutt and held Jimmy in his arms.
Mercedes had turned her head and was a little taken aback when she saw Tre holding Jimmy. And part of her flickered when she saw the bulging muscles in Tre's arms. Reminding her of when she first met Tre, she felt herself blush and turn her attention back to whatever she was doing before, which no longer seemed that interesting.
The Armstrongs were the next ones to show up. Adrienne decided to keep a distance to Jimmy, as did surprisingly, Billie Joe. When he had come in, Jimmy charged at him and leapt up on the singer, licking... or more slobbering on his face. "Eww fu... get off."
"Funny," Tre said as he clapped his hands to get Jimmy's attention away from Billie. "You don't say that when I lick your face."
Billie rolled his eyes as he watched Tre play with the dog along with Estelle and Joey Marciano. "Billie," Mercedes said, finally coming over to him. She planned on just placing a little kiss on his cheek, but Billie snaked his arms around her and pulled her towards him. "Thank you... thank you for calling you. You didn't have to... "
"I wanted to."
They pulled apart and Mercedes was a little surprised to see the abundant honesty in his eyes. She just waved it off. "I wanted to," she repeated.
Billie Joe just nodded and for the rest of their lives, nothing more was ever said on the subject.
*
So for the big double birthday party that night, Billie Joe pulled out a guitar and amp, courtesy of Mike, and played a punk version of 'Happy Birthday' as he sang along. Joey and Liam, the kings for the day, blew out all their candles and had the biggest slices of cake, considering that they were another year older.
Around the table, that had to be extended, Mercedes sat with William on her lap, watching as her two boys laughed at a story that Mike was telling them. And she bit her lower lip, as she always did when she had no words to describe what she was feeling. Everyone she relied on, save Cristina, was surrounding the table, laughing and just enjoying themselves. No one would ever guess that three of the people at the table were famous punk-rock stars that toured the world and frankly, she was amazed at how they managed everything so well. "It's nice, isn't it?"
Mercedes turned suddenly to see that Tre was looking at her and leaning closer to her. "It took me too long to really appreciate this... you're one lucky woman Mercedes."
"Oh Tre... believe me... I know."
