One Day Soon, chapter 6
Billie walked silently into the room and sat down heavily in a chair beside Lydia's bed closing the door quietly as he went.
His mind was reeling. No parents? No friends? No siblings? An Ex boyfriend in jail? None of it made sense to him.
Just then Lydia sighed deeply in her sleep. That's when Billie Joe noticed how much clearer her face was, the dark bruises were nearly gone and the gashes on her arms were healing nicely.
What had happened to this poor girl?
Lydia woke up slowly, stretching every inch of her body before fluttering her eyes open slowly.
Then she gasped loudly, brought her covers up to her chin and stared wide eyed at the punk rocker sitting in the chair beside her, snoring slightly.
What was he doing here?
She coughed quietly, trying to wake him up, but he just sighed and rolled his head to the side.
Lydia slowly swung her legs over the other side of the bed and tip toed to the bathroom. She slapped herself a couple times, to make sure she wasn't dreaming and then proceeded to fix her hair and her face as much as she could without the help of make up. She crunched her nose looking down at the hospital gown she had on. Oh well, she thought. It'd have to do.
She came back out to find Billie Joe awake and smiling at her as she walked gracefully back to the bed.
"Hey!" He said with a smile.
"Hi" she said shyly. What was he doing here?
"I woke up and you were gone!" he laughed. "Made me feel unwanted. Almost cried too you know!"
She giggled.
"What are you doing here?" She asked wide eyed and quite seriously.
"Just felt like a visit. I never really got to get to know you that day we spent together in that 5 star room" he joked. "Thought you could use some company."
"Thanks" She smiled. "I don't usually get company. It's nice to have someone to talk to."
Billie Joe frowned at her smile. How could she smile when she admitted that she had no one who would come to visit her?
"How come no one ever comes to see you?" He asked bluntly, wishing immediately he could take it back.
"Well, I don't have any one who could come" she replied just as bluntly. "My parents died a couple years back; I have no other close family. I don't make friends real easy and I kind of lost all the ones I had after my parents died. I guess I become a moody bitch you could say. And well I have a boyfriend." She stopped then and sighed. "Ex boy friend" she corrected. "But he's kind of, locked up at the moment, I suppose you could say."
"Wow" Billie Joe said, staring blankly at his hands.
"I don't know why I just told you all that" Lydia said going slightly red. "Kind of embarrassing isn't it? Not to mention awkward for you!"
"no worries" he smiled. "So what happened to you? Why are you here. If, of course, you don't mind me asking."
"No I don't mind" she said with a smile. "After all I just told you my life story why not add the ending right?" she laughed a little, it sounded very hollow to Billie Joe.
"Well," she began with a deep breath. "Like I said, I have an ex-boyfriend. Well, he was what you may call - a traditionalist. He thought women were property, and you could do anything with them. Long story short, he told me he loved me and I believed him. That love seemed to give him the right to do anything he pleased. Shout at me. Call me names. Hit me. Whatever he wanted."
"Wow" Billie Joe said again. This time staring right into her eyes.
"Yeah, I hear he was sent to jail when I came here. Some restaurant owner found me in the alley way behind his restaurant; Jake was still there so needless to say there was no hiding it."
Billie Joe's mind reeled as he sat there, staring at his hands and listening to her terrible story. It sounded more like fiction then reality. How could anyone go through that? He looked back up to her to see her eyes filled with un shed tears and her hands trembling slightly.
"I'm so sorry" he said in a near whisper. "So, so sorry."
"Don't be" she said, plastering on a smile and blinking rapidly to get rid of the watery eyes.
"I survived, so I have no complaints. By all rights I'm sure I should have died. He broke 3 of my ribs, cut up my arms, beat me black and blue and left me there to die. But I didn't. Although, I'm left with nothing. No friends, no family and no where to live. But I have a little money saved up. I think I'm going to rent out a basement or something."
she looked over at Billie Joe who looked as if he were about to cry.
"Oh my goodness" she chastised herself. "I'm so sorry! I don't know why I'm telling you all of this. I'm so pathetic! Anyways! How are you doing Billie Joe?"
Billie smiled hollowly and took a deep breath. He then proceeded to tell her his sob story, ending on his wife leaving her little note for him this afternoon.
"Oh my goodness" Lydia said, a tear rolling lazily down her left cheek. "That's so awful! I'm so sorry Billie Joe! I really am! And here I am feeling sorry for myself! That's horrible. How many years had you been together?"
"Longer then I can count. But I realized today that I think I'm going to be okay with it - in time of course. But it stings a little less every day. A little less."
"I understand completely" she said smiling.
Then they just sat there in silence - a comfortable silence.
"When do you get out of here?" Billie Joe asked suddenly.
"tomorrow. But they said I could stay here at least until I find somewhere to live." Lydia said with a smile.
"Well then you can leave tomorrow!" Billie Joe said, a little too enthusiastically.
"No, I can't" Lydia said laughing. "I told you Billie - no where to live!"
"He smiled one of his heart wrenching smiles and winked. "I got it covered."
"No Billie I couldn't impose-"
but he cut her off by running out the door yelling.
"Be ready at 8 o'clock tomorrow Lydia! No excuses!"
and he was gone.
His mind was reeling. No parents? No friends? No siblings? An Ex boyfriend in jail? None of it made sense to him.
Just then Lydia sighed deeply in her sleep. That's when Billie Joe noticed how much clearer her face was, the dark bruises were nearly gone and the gashes on her arms were healing nicely.
What had happened to this poor girl?
Lydia woke up slowly, stretching every inch of her body before fluttering her eyes open slowly.
Then she gasped loudly, brought her covers up to her chin and stared wide eyed at the punk rocker sitting in the chair beside her, snoring slightly.
What was he doing here?
She coughed quietly, trying to wake him up, but he just sighed and rolled his head to the side.
Lydia slowly swung her legs over the other side of the bed and tip toed to the bathroom. She slapped herself a couple times, to make sure she wasn't dreaming and then proceeded to fix her hair and her face as much as she could without the help of make up. She crunched her nose looking down at the hospital gown she had on. Oh well, she thought. It'd have to do.
She came back out to find Billie Joe awake and smiling at her as she walked gracefully back to the bed.
"Hey!" He said with a smile.
"Hi" she said shyly. What was he doing here?
"I woke up and you were gone!" he laughed. "Made me feel unwanted. Almost cried too you know!"
She giggled.
"What are you doing here?" She asked wide eyed and quite seriously.
"Just felt like a visit. I never really got to get to know you that day we spent together in that 5 star room" he joked. "Thought you could use some company."
"Thanks" She smiled. "I don't usually get company. It's nice to have someone to talk to."
Billie Joe frowned at her smile. How could she smile when she admitted that she had no one who would come to visit her?
"How come no one ever comes to see you?" He asked bluntly, wishing immediately he could take it back.
"Well, I don't have any one who could come" she replied just as bluntly. "My parents died a couple years back; I have no other close family. I don't make friends real easy and I kind of lost all the ones I had after my parents died. I guess I become a moody bitch you could say. And well I have a boyfriend." She stopped then and sighed. "Ex boy friend" she corrected. "But he's kind of, locked up at the moment, I suppose you could say."
"Wow" Billie Joe said, staring blankly at his hands.
"I don't know why I just told you all that" Lydia said going slightly red. "Kind of embarrassing isn't it? Not to mention awkward for you!"
"no worries" he smiled. "So what happened to you? Why are you here. If, of course, you don't mind me asking."
"No I don't mind" she said with a smile. "After all I just told you my life story why not add the ending right?" she laughed a little, it sounded very hollow to Billie Joe.
"Well," she began with a deep breath. "Like I said, I have an ex-boyfriend. Well, he was what you may call - a traditionalist. He thought women were property, and you could do anything with them. Long story short, he told me he loved me and I believed him. That love seemed to give him the right to do anything he pleased. Shout at me. Call me names. Hit me. Whatever he wanted."
"Wow" Billie Joe said again. This time staring right into her eyes.
"Yeah, I hear he was sent to jail when I came here. Some restaurant owner found me in the alley way behind his restaurant; Jake was still there so needless to say there was no hiding it."
Billie Joe's mind reeled as he sat there, staring at his hands and listening to her terrible story. It sounded more like fiction then reality. How could anyone go through that? He looked back up to her to see her eyes filled with un shed tears and her hands trembling slightly.
"I'm so sorry" he said in a near whisper. "So, so sorry."
"Don't be" she said, plastering on a smile and blinking rapidly to get rid of the watery eyes.
"I survived, so I have no complaints. By all rights I'm sure I should have died. He broke 3 of my ribs, cut up my arms, beat me black and blue and left me there to die. But I didn't. Although, I'm left with nothing. No friends, no family and no where to live. But I have a little money saved up. I think I'm going to rent out a basement or something."
she looked over at Billie Joe who looked as if he were about to cry.
"Oh my goodness" she chastised herself. "I'm so sorry! I don't know why I'm telling you all of this. I'm so pathetic! Anyways! How are you doing Billie Joe?"
Billie smiled hollowly and took a deep breath. He then proceeded to tell her his sob story, ending on his wife leaving her little note for him this afternoon.
"Oh my goodness" Lydia said, a tear rolling lazily down her left cheek. "That's so awful! I'm so sorry Billie Joe! I really am! And here I am feeling sorry for myself! That's horrible. How many years had you been together?"
"Longer then I can count. But I realized today that I think I'm going to be okay with it - in time of course. But it stings a little less every day. A little less."
"I understand completely" she said smiling.
Then they just sat there in silence - a comfortable silence.
"When do you get out of here?" Billie Joe asked suddenly.
"tomorrow. But they said I could stay here at least until I find somewhere to live." Lydia said with a smile.
"Well then you can leave tomorrow!" Billie Joe said, a little too enthusiastically.
"No, I can't" Lydia said laughing. "I told you Billie - no where to live!"
"He smiled one of his heart wrenching smiles and winked. "I got it covered."
"No Billie I couldn't impose-"
but he cut her off by running out the door yelling.
"Be ready at 8 o'clock tomorrow Lydia! No excuses!"
and he was gone.
