Cause She's 2,000 Light Years Away (A Mike Dirnt Story), chapter 21
"MIKE! MIKE! OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!" Billie shouted as he hit the wooden white door. "YOU CAN'T HIDE IN THERE FOREVER!"
Billie paused for an answer but there was no response. "MICHAEL RYAN PRITCHARD, OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR! DO YOU HEAR ME?! YOU'VE BEEN IN THERE FOR A WEEK NOW!" Billie gasped for a breath at the same time he was listening for an answer. But no sound was heard except for his own intake of breaths. He sighed and returned to his own room, closing the door behind him. He fell onto his bed, his right hand rested on his closed eyes.
He was very worried about his best friend, after the night Eleanor left; Mike went straight into his own room without saying a word. Tre and him decided to leave him alone as they thought he needed some time, but one day after another Mike had stayed in the room, except for the occasional visit to the kitchen and toilet. This morning he came out for his usual coffee routine, his eyes were all red with black rims under it; a beard had slowly grown by itself. Billie thought he looked ten years older. This whole situation kept on reminding him of his father's death. That period of time was one that he will never forget; it was hard, miserable, and painful. He wiped away the sad memories that suddenly clouded his mind. He took Blue and started to play 409 In My Coffeemaker and slowly turned it into a complete different tune.
Hours past and Billie felt paranoid about Mike. Unable to withstand it, he got out of his bed and stormed out of his room. "MIKE! I KNOW YOU COULD HEAR ME! OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR RIGHT NOW!" Billie shouted. Minutes later, the door slowly creaked open. Billie was greeted by a wrecked Mike who sighed and climbed back into his bed, covering himself with the blanket.
Billie went in and took a seat on the chair beside the messy table that was piled up with dirty laundry, books, cassettes and a variety of other items. "Mike, you know you can't just lie here all day for the rest of your life."
Mike ignored Billie and closed his eyes. "Mike. I know how you feel. I've been in this situation before. You remembered. And who in the first place told me to let go if the past and just face whatever that's ahead of me?" Billie said. Mike mumbled under the blanket and he opened his eyes that were covered by tears.
"Billie, I just can't. I can't forget about her. She's... She's my whole life."
They both stayed in silence until the opening of the front door of the house suddenly interrupted it. Surely enough in a short time, Tre had joined them.
"Hey!" Tre greeted with a smile, trying to lighten up their moods but instead he received a grumble by Billie and Mike. He ignored it and sat on the edge of Mike's bed. "Mike, there's this psychic that my mum knew. She's really good apparently... According to my mum anyways. Maybe, you could meet her and ask questions." Tre suggested. Mike thought for a while.
"What questions?"
"Well, you could ask her about... Elle." Tre said. Billie looked at Tre with narrow eyes. "What?" Tre asked innocently.
"Actually... That's a good idea." Mike cut in. He jumped out of bed and took some clean clothes from the drawer and ran into the bathroom. Moments later, he came out, looking fresh and younger. "Let's go!" he said enthusiastically. They all jumped into Billie's Ford Fairlane and drove into town.
The three friends came out of the small shop with Mike looking hopeless. For the past hour, Mike had questioned everything he could think of but none of the answers helped; it only made things worse.
He found out the reason why they saw Eleanor; it was because her unfulfilled wish was to have a great time with them for the last time and said her farewell. The old lady that they saw on the bridge that night, the one who handed Eleanor the bowl, it was actually filled with a type of liquid that if a person were to drink it, he or she would forget everything in this life. The bridge, or path, is called the Twilight Bridge. Mike wouldn't believe what the psychic said about Eleanor, and tried the Ouija Board. He was afraid but he was desperate to seek for the answers he wanted. But in the end, all the information that he got was very disappointing. For one of the question that he asked, the arrow had pointed to the letters; 'L-E-T-H-E-R-G-O. ' Those were also the words that the psychic had said. The reason that they saw the Twilight Bridge was to hint them to let go of her, forget about her.
Mike stared out of the car window, an idea suddenly popped into his mind. "Tre? Could I borrow your father's yacht? Just for one day."
"What for?" Tre asked.
"I just want to go out into the sea and think things over, you know. I'll be back tomorrow, I promise." Mike said.
"Alright. Billie, can you just drive to my house? I'll give Mike the keys."
"Thanks, Tre." Mike said appreciatively.
"Hey, no problem. Just be careful, okay?" Tre said.
"Don't worry, I will." Mike assured him.
*
Mike was cruising out into the blue sea, and after traveling for quite a distance he stopped the engine and dropped the anchor. He looked back at the town. It seems so small now. He stood on the platform and enjoyed the cool breeze that hit his face and the sound of the waves hitting the yacht.
"I love you, Mike." He heard Eleanor's voice in his head. He climbed over the steel bars and dove into the deep blue sea. I'm coming Elle. he thought as his body slowly sunk to the bottom of the sea. Weeds surrounded him at the landing. The air inside his lungs slowly decreased as the seconds ticked by, a sudden jolt alerted him.
He opened his eyes to find a figure in a diver's suit. It took his left hand and traced letters on his palm. 'D-O-N-T-G-I-V-E-U-P-M-I-K-E. ' Mike looked at the diver. Those brown eyes he thought. But before he could do anything, the diver pulled his arm and pushed him to the surface. As he reached the top, he took in a big breath of air, choking at the seawater that he had swallowed. Tears trailed down his face. "Elle," he sobbed.
*
Sixteen years later, Mike belongs to one of the most successful bands in the world. He is well known. Now and then, the band will be on a magazine cover. Even after the success of their album, American Idiot, Mike wasn't married. Though he suffered from a bad marriage and he is dating a woman now, deep down inside his heart, he knows that he still loves Eleanor.
Billie paused for an answer but there was no response. "MICHAEL RYAN PRITCHARD, OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR! DO YOU HEAR ME?! YOU'VE BEEN IN THERE FOR A WEEK NOW!" Billie gasped for a breath at the same time he was listening for an answer. But no sound was heard except for his own intake of breaths. He sighed and returned to his own room, closing the door behind him. He fell onto his bed, his right hand rested on his closed eyes.
He was very worried about his best friend, after the night Eleanor left; Mike went straight into his own room without saying a word. Tre and him decided to leave him alone as they thought he needed some time, but one day after another Mike had stayed in the room, except for the occasional visit to the kitchen and toilet. This morning he came out for his usual coffee routine, his eyes were all red with black rims under it; a beard had slowly grown by itself. Billie thought he looked ten years older. This whole situation kept on reminding him of his father's death. That period of time was one that he will never forget; it was hard, miserable, and painful. He wiped away the sad memories that suddenly clouded his mind. He took Blue and started to play 409 In My Coffeemaker and slowly turned it into a complete different tune.
Hours past and Billie felt paranoid about Mike. Unable to withstand it, he got out of his bed and stormed out of his room. "MIKE! I KNOW YOU COULD HEAR ME! OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR RIGHT NOW!" Billie shouted. Minutes later, the door slowly creaked open. Billie was greeted by a wrecked Mike who sighed and climbed back into his bed, covering himself with the blanket.
Billie went in and took a seat on the chair beside the messy table that was piled up with dirty laundry, books, cassettes and a variety of other items. "Mike, you know you can't just lie here all day for the rest of your life."
Mike ignored Billie and closed his eyes. "Mike. I know how you feel. I've been in this situation before. You remembered. And who in the first place told me to let go if the past and just face whatever that's ahead of me?" Billie said. Mike mumbled under the blanket and he opened his eyes that were covered by tears.
"Billie, I just can't. I can't forget about her. She's... She's my whole life."
They both stayed in silence until the opening of the front door of the house suddenly interrupted it. Surely enough in a short time, Tre had joined them.
"Hey!" Tre greeted with a smile, trying to lighten up their moods but instead he received a grumble by Billie and Mike. He ignored it and sat on the edge of Mike's bed. "Mike, there's this psychic that my mum knew. She's really good apparently... According to my mum anyways. Maybe, you could meet her and ask questions." Tre suggested. Mike thought for a while.
"What questions?"
"Well, you could ask her about... Elle." Tre said. Billie looked at Tre with narrow eyes. "What?" Tre asked innocently.
"Actually... That's a good idea." Mike cut in. He jumped out of bed and took some clean clothes from the drawer and ran into the bathroom. Moments later, he came out, looking fresh and younger. "Let's go!" he said enthusiastically. They all jumped into Billie's Ford Fairlane and drove into town.
The three friends came out of the small shop with Mike looking hopeless. For the past hour, Mike had questioned everything he could think of but none of the answers helped; it only made things worse.
He found out the reason why they saw Eleanor; it was because her unfulfilled wish was to have a great time with them for the last time and said her farewell. The old lady that they saw on the bridge that night, the one who handed Eleanor the bowl, it was actually filled with a type of liquid that if a person were to drink it, he or she would forget everything in this life. The bridge, or path, is called the Twilight Bridge. Mike wouldn't believe what the psychic said about Eleanor, and tried the Ouija Board. He was afraid but he was desperate to seek for the answers he wanted. But in the end, all the information that he got was very disappointing. For one of the question that he asked, the arrow had pointed to the letters; 'L-E-T-H-E-R-G-O. ' Those were also the words that the psychic had said. The reason that they saw the Twilight Bridge was to hint them to let go of her, forget about her.
Mike stared out of the car window, an idea suddenly popped into his mind. "Tre? Could I borrow your father's yacht? Just for one day."
"What for?" Tre asked.
"I just want to go out into the sea and think things over, you know. I'll be back tomorrow, I promise." Mike said.
"Alright. Billie, can you just drive to my house? I'll give Mike the keys."
"Thanks, Tre." Mike said appreciatively.
"Hey, no problem. Just be careful, okay?" Tre said.
"Don't worry, I will." Mike assured him.
*
Mike was cruising out into the blue sea, and after traveling for quite a distance he stopped the engine and dropped the anchor. He looked back at the town. It seems so small now. He stood on the platform and enjoyed the cool breeze that hit his face and the sound of the waves hitting the yacht.
"I love you, Mike." He heard Eleanor's voice in his head. He climbed over the steel bars and dove into the deep blue sea. I'm coming Elle. he thought as his body slowly sunk to the bottom of the sea. Weeds surrounded him at the landing. The air inside his lungs slowly decreased as the seconds ticked by, a sudden jolt alerted him.
He opened his eyes to find a figure in a diver's suit. It took his left hand and traced letters on his palm. 'D-O-N-T-G-I-V-E-U-P-M-I-K-E. ' Mike looked at the diver. Those brown eyes he thought. But before he could do anything, the diver pulled his arm and pushed him to the surface. As he reached the top, he took in a big breath of air, choking at the seawater that he had swallowed. Tears trailed down his face. "Elle," he sobbed.
*
Sixteen years later, Mike belongs to one of the most successful bands in the world. He is well known. Now and then, the band will be on a magazine cover. Even after the success of their album, American Idiot, Mike wasn't married. Though he suffered from a bad marriage and he is dating a woman now, deep down inside his heart, he knows that he still loves Eleanor.
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