Where Will We All Go When It's Too Late, chapter 5
"Hello, my name's Billie Joe Armstrong. Not Y, I-E, that's right... Yes, it's about a girl... No, she's not my kid... Nope... Yes... Huh? Okay..."
I stood on legs made of jelly and trembled beside Billie Joe. We were in his suite now and he called the social welfare committee.
"Yes, of course... Yes. We found her, she had escaped, so we found her on the street... And her father is very mean to her... Yes. Lindsay. Wait." He took the phone off his ear and turned to me. "Hey, Linds, what's your last name?"
"Lindsay Fucker," I whispered.
Billie Joe nodded and almost told the guy he talked to.
"Linds!" He grinned. "Seriously."
"Okay, Knight."
He nodded again and picked up the phone.
"Here we go, Lindsay Knight. Yes. Alright. No, no, no, noo waay!"
I panted and mimed "Dad?", and Billie nodded.
"She can't, he's an alcoholic... Yes. Of course. Yes. Here she comes." He handed me the phone. "She wants to talk to you."
I took the phone.
"Hello, this is Lindsay", I said as kindly as possible.
"I'm from the Social Welfare Committee and my name's Rita. Do you know this guy who talked to me just now?"
"Yes," I replied and even nodded convincingly. "They found me when I had ran off."
I heard how Rita's fingers rattled on the computer keyboard.
"Did you ran off because of your dad's alcoholic problems?"
I moaned.
"Yeah."
After a terrible quarter talking to Rita the Killer Billie talked to her again and after that additional ten minutes we could hang up.
Billie breathed.
"It's gonna be alright now, Linds."
"What's gonna happen to me?"
"They will... They will try to find you an adoptive family, and--"
"What?! New parents? New siblings?!"
***
I was supposed to stay at the hotel with the guys the rest of that week. But they were going home to their families at the Sunday. And back Friday, I met my new parents.
I'll tell you.
"Lindsay, they're here now!" Mike called from the hall.
Of course I knew. I didn't want to know though. I laid on my mattress on the floor in the bedroom. But I couldn't do else than meeting my new parents now. I stood up and walked out in the hall.
There stood Mike, Billie, Tré and a stranger. Who should become my parent. My mom. I had expected an old lady in fur coat and red lipstick, but this woman looked really cool. She had tattooes on her arms, something written in french and a peace sign. She was dressed in camouflage pants.
"Hey there", she said and smiled. "I'm Jennifer."
"Lindsay," I said and shook her hand.
Billie beamed at me and mimed "Great!"
"You guys want something to eat?" he asked and made a gesture to the restaurant downstairs.
"I'd love to. Is it okay with you, Lindsay?" Jennifer asked and waved little with her black rucksack.
"Sure. I can't complain."
Jennifer seemed nice, sweet and glad, but something wasn't right between us. I felt so hollow, sitting there, eating great food and talking to her. I just felt that I wasn't the right child for her. I wasn't right for anyone.
"Thanks for a wonderful evening, you all," said Jennifer and pushed her chair onto the table. "And see you tomorrow, Lindsay, when we'll move to me."
I swallowed and collected all my courage.
"I'm not gonna follow you there."
Everybody froze. Tré even forgot to shut his mouth. Totally silent.
Jennifer glared at me.
"Excuse me?"
"I won't become your kid," I repeated and faced her eyes as steady as I could.
"But the paperworks is already filed, you can't!" yelled Jennifer.
"Paperworks are not thoughts!" I shouted.
"What do you mean?"
"Come on! I mean that no papers can correspond to my feelings!"
"But it's already settled!"
I threw my glass at the floor and the sherds spread all over the floor.
"Linds!" shouted Tré, trying to call me down.
"Nobody but me understands!" I felt the tears run down my cheeks. "I don't wanna live with you!"
"Oh yes you are going with me!" Jennifer took a step closer. "You won't--"
"YOU ARE PATHETIC!" roared Billie and jumped out in front of Jennifer. His face was red. "Don't you understand how stupid you are? Trying to force Linds to live with you? Huh?"
Jennifer stared at him. Her hair was untidy after her argument. Also she was red in the face.
"Now who's side do you think they are on? It's already signed!" she complained.
"Listen up now," whispered Billie. "I can steal these papers, but you can't steal her life. Go to hell. Now. Get lost."
"Fine!"
Jennifer threw her stuff in her rucksack, stomped as much as possible and rushed out of the hotel.
I, Billie, Tré and Mike still sat around the table, with opened mouths.
"What... The... Hell," Tré panted, shaking his head. "Unbelievable."
I still cried.
"Oh Lindsay!" said Billie and put my hands in his. "I know this may come like a shock for you, but if we find you a new family it's gonna be much better..."
I turned my crying face away from him.
"Lindsay, why do you feel this? You're gonna do great over there..."
"Don't you understand? I wanna live with you!" I yelled, rushed to the door and shut it with a big BOOM.
I stood on legs made of jelly and trembled beside Billie Joe. We were in his suite now and he called the social welfare committee.
"Yes, of course... Yes. We found her, she had escaped, so we found her on the street... And her father is very mean to her... Yes. Lindsay. Wait." He took the phone off his ear and turned to me. "Hey, Linds, what's your last name?"
"Lindsay Fucker," I whispered.
Billie Joe nodded and almost told the guy he talked to.
"Linds!" He grinned. "Seriously."
"Okay, Knight."
He nodded again and picked up the phone.
"Here we go, Lindsay Knight. Yes. Alright. No, no, no, noo waay!"
I panted and mimed "Dad?", and Billie nodded.
"She can't, he's an alcoholic... Yes. Of course. Yes. Here she comes." He handed me the phone. "She wants to talk to you."
I took the phone.
"Hello, this is Lindsay", I said as kindly as possible.
"I'm from the Social Welfare Committee and my name's Rita. Do you know this guy who talked to me just now?"
"Yes," I replied and even nodded convincingly. "They found me when I had ran off."
I heard how Rita's fingers rattled on the computer keyboard.
"Did you ran off because of your dad's alcoholic problems?"
I moaned.
"Yeah."
After a terrible quarter talking to Rita the Killer Billie talked to her again and after that additional ten minutes we could hang up.
Billie breathed.
"It's gonna be alright now, Linds."
"What's gonna happen to me?"
"They will... They will try to find you an adoptive family, and--"
"What?! New parents? New siblings?!"
***
I was supposed to stay at the hotel with the guys the rest of that week. But they were going home to their families at the Sunday. And back Friday, I met my new parents.
I'll tell you.
"Lindsay, they're here now!" Mike called from the hall.
Of course I knew. I didn't want to know though. I laid on my mattress on the floor in the bedroom. But I couldn't do else than meeting my new parents now. I stood up and walked out in the hall.
There stood Mike, Billie, Tré and a stranger. Who should become my parent. My mom. I had expected an old lady in fur coat and red lipstick, but this woman looked really cool. She had tattooes on her arms, something written in french and a peace sign. She was dressed in camouflage pants.
"Hey there", she said and smiled. "I'm Jennifer."
"Lindsay," I said and shook her hand.
Billie beamed at me and mimed "Great!"
"You guys want something to eat?" he asked and made a gesture to the restaurant downstairs.
"I'd love to. Is it okay with you, Lindsay?" Jennifer asked and waved little with her black rucksack.
"Sure. I can't complain."
Jennifer seemed nice, sweet and glad, but something wasn't right between us. I felt so hollow, sitting there, eating great food and talking to her. I just felt that I wasn't the right child for her. I wasn't right for anyone.
"Thanks for a wonderful evening, you all," said Jennifer and pushed her chair onto the table. "And see you tomorrow, Lindsay, when we'll move to me."
I swallowed and collected all my courage.
"I'm not gonna follow you there."
Everybody froze. Tré even forgot to shut his mouth. Totally silent.
Jennifer glared at me.
"Excuse me?"
"I won't become your kid," I repeated and faced her eyes as steady as I could.
"But the paperworks is already filed, you can't!" yelled Jennifer.
"Paperworks are not thoughts!" I shouted.
"What do you mean?"
"Come on! I mean that no papers can correspond to my feelings!"
"But it's already settled!"
I threw my glass at the floor and the sherds spread all over the floor.
"Linds!" shouted Tré, trying to call me down.
"Nobody but me understands!" I felt the tears run down my cheeks. "I don't wanna live with you!"
"Oh yes you are going with me!" Jennifer took a step closer. "You won't--"
"YOU ARE PATHETIC!" roared Billie and jumped out in front of Jennifer. His face was red. "Don't you understand how stupid you are? Trying to force Linds to live with you? Huh?"
Jennifer stared at him. Her hair was untidy after her argument. Also she was red in the face.
"Now who's side do you think they are on? It's already signed!" she complained.
"Listen up now," whispered Billie. "I can steal these papers, but you can't steal her life. Go to hell. Now. Get lost."
"Fine!"
Jennifer threw her stuff in her rucksack, stomped as much as possible and rushed out of the hotel.
I, Billie, Tré and Mike still sat around the table, with opened mouths.
"What... The... Hell," Tré panted, shaking his head. "Unbelievable."
I still cried.
"Oh Lindsay!" said Billie and put my hands in his. "I know this may come like a shock for you, but if we find you a new family it's gonna be much better..."
I turned my crying face away from him.
"Lindsay, why do you feel this? You're gonna do great over there..."
"Don't you understand? I wanna live with you!" I yelled, rushed to the door and shut it with a big BOOM.
