The First Day Of The Rest Of My Life, chapter 3
I was bluntly awoken the next morning by my dog jumping on my stomach and sniffing my arms, I jolted forward because of the extra pressure. When he saw I was awake, he groaned happily a bit and started wagging his tail rapidly, which hit mum in the face, this woke her up, and her arm was stuck under Joey's sleeping form. I gave him a quick pat and he jumped off the bed and ran off.
The scene could have been comical if it weren't for the ever present gloom that hung in the air. Mum gently dragged her arm out from underneath Joey, trying in vain not to wake him. When he opened his eyes to see us all together he seemed to loosen a little in sadness, he looked around at the scattered pictures that were crumpled underneath us and a few tears surfaced on his eyes. He, like I wished it was all a horrid dream.
Mum, who was now sitting up, sighed and kneaded her forehead, in the same way I do when something's to hard, or I'm confused. She cleared her throat and said in a strained, raspy voice "Err... why don't you guys go get changed and get some breakfast so you're fed when Mike and Tre get here. Once again she sighed; she seemed to be dreading the meeting with them, because in her mind, it would finalize the situation that she didn't want to accept.
Wordlessly, I and Joey exited the room to get dressed, when I got to the kitchen a box of rice bubbles sat on the table, along with milk, bowls and orange juice. Mum was seated and staring out the window, but I got the impression that she wasn't seeing anything. The sky was now clear, but the ground was sodden and muddy.
I poured myself a bowl of cereal, I took a spoonful but didn't bring it to my mouth, I didn't eat, just watched them float around.
A sharp intake of breath from mum indicated the arrival of Tre's car in our driveway. Joey was still in his bedroom. Mum stood up and waited awkwardly where she was standing. The ring of the doorbell made her stand up a lot straighter and make slowly towards the door. Joey raced out of his room to the door before mum had even taken a stride so she backed up and held onto my chair for support.
I couldn't hear the conversation at the door, but soon enough, Tre walked into our kitchen.
H didn't shout a rude greeting or high-five me for something manly I had achieved the day before, his face was unshaven and his eyes were not bright electric blue and full of life, on the contrary, they were dull and almost grey. There was no hint of a mischievous smirk on his lips which were thin and pale, when he spoke his voice was in a monotone, all he said was "I don't know what to say Adie." Mum gave him a quick hug and he sat down next to me, he linked his fingers with mine, and patted our hands, then he just stared. Nothing was said and we sat silently waiting for Mike
When his car pulled up, Joey once again waited at the door, this time nothing was said Joey entered and sat, then Mike.
If Tre looked bad, it was nothing compared to Mike. When he walked in, winter came with him. He had clearly not slept the night before, he had huge bags underneath his eyes, which were glazed over and bloodshot, his hair was messy and tangled.
Mum nervously stood up to greet him, he muttered "I'm so sorry Adie" Mum started crying again, she was speaking but her words didn't make sense. Tre was looking at me with his other hand clutching my shoulder; Joey had disappeared back into his room. Mike pulled mum into a hug and she just about broke down into his arms she was clinging onto his shoulders and she wasn't letting go " I don't want to believe it Mike, I cant, I cant believe it, I just cant" She cried into his chest.
Mike who was also shaking muttered "I know, I know, me too."
"He just can't be gone Mike he just can't" mum cried
"It's not fair" whispered Tre. I tore my gaze away from my mother to look at Tre; he was close to tears and was having trouble stringing his words together. "It's just not fair" he stated.
"I know" I replied my voice cracking as I started to cry, "I know." Tre brought me into his lap, the way he used to when I was a little kid and I cried into his shirt, his eyes were closed and I could feel him shaking.
After only a minute or two I heard mum cry out in anguish, she was breaking down, her crying was now out of control and she had broken away from Mike, who had a hold around her wrists, she was almost screaming, again she was speaking, but I only caught a few words. "Billie" "no" and "impossible" were audible.
She was doubled over when Mike let go of her and she almost crumpled to the floor, but he caught her in his arms, she cried uncontrollably sitting in a heap on the floor, half wrapped up in mikes arms, and he whispered condolences to her
After a moment or two, when mums crying had subdued, but she still gave multiple heart wrenching sobs, every few moments, Mike helped her to her feet, and walked her into the loungroom
I watched the door that they walked through, I could hear my mother wailing in despair. Tre was still holding me and every now and then he would heave a large sigh. Without realising I was tired I drifted off to sleep.
[i] I look around at the equipment surrounding me, and all the material that was needed to hold this enormous structure up. Employees, with headsets and clipboards were doing the rounds making sure everything was as planned. I look out onto the stage where My Chemical Romance were doing there absolute best with their own, "Helena" I look out at the crowd, they can't see me, but I can see thousands of people, rocking out, having a good time. They are not making anywhere near as much noise as I know they can, and will.
I look over at my Dad who is pointing something out to Joey. When he sees me looking, he offers me a grin and continues with his conversation
My Chemical Romance leave the stage to applause and the radio comes back on. Roadies walk out to prepare the stage for what everyone came to see: Green Day, My Dad and His Best Friends. Someone slumped into the plastic seat next to me and I tore my gaze away from the insanities of the mosh pit, to look into the joyful face of my father. "You still get nervous, don't you Dad?" I ask.
" Me? Nah. Not nervous, excited as hell but not nervous." He replies, then takes a sip of his Australian VB
"Why not?" I ask.
"Why?" he says "because every single person out there" he motions to the crowd with the hand holding his beer. "loves Green Day"
I nod, not really understanding.
Dad sits up in his seat and leans forward. "look at it this way" he says putting his free arm around me"They all bought the tickets, they love Green Day." He smirks then adds "I'm not trying to be full of myself, but, they aren't here to judge us, they've already done that, the like what we do." He said
This time I understand what he's saying "So its sort of, you've made it, you don't have anything to prove?"
Dad gives a non-committal jerk of the head "sort of" he says. "We still want to give them a helluva show, we still want them to have a good time, but we don't have anything riding on our performance. Hell, I still want to play well, but those guys out there, wont mind if my voice cracks, or I fall to pieces halfway through Wake Me Up When September Ends"
I smirk "mm" I say "I get it; you don't have to win them over."
"Exactly" he says.
Someone from stage crew talks into his headset and extends his arm to my Father, "alright Mr. Armstrong, on in 2 minutes"
"Oh um...Yep!" he says, Mike and Tre, standing on the edge of the stage side by side. The space oddesy starts up and Dad leans over and says to me "ready to see me kick some serious Aussie ass?"
I grin. "Always" I reply.
He pushes himself out of his chair and steps onto the stage followed by mike and Tre, the stadium explodes with noise.
Dad takes a chug of his beer and holds it up for the crowd to see.
"HOW YOU GOING TONIGHT SYDNEY?" He yells into the microphone, to a deafening uproar, he picks up his guitar and strikes the first chords... .<i/>
The scene could have been comical if it weren't for the ever present gloom that hung in the air. Mum gently dragged her arm out from underneath Joey, trying in vain not to wake him. When he opened his eyes to see us all together he seemed to loosen a little in sadness, he looked around at the scattered pictures that were crumpled underneath us and a few tears surfaced on his eyes. He, like I wished it was all a horrid dream.
Mum, who was now sitting up, sighed and kneaded her forehead, in the same way I do when something's to hard, or I'm confused. She cleared her throat and said in a strained, raspy voice "Err... why don't you guys go get changed and get some breakfast so you're fed when Mike and Tre get here. Once again she sighed; she seemed to be dreading the meeting with them, because in her mind, it would finalize the situation that she didn't want to accept.
Wordlessly, I and Joey exited the room to get dressed, when I got to the kitchen a box of rice bubbles sat on the table, along with milk, bowls and orange juice. Mum was seated and staring out the window, but I got the impression that she wasn't seeing anything. The sky was now clear, but the ground was sodden and muddy.
I poured myself a bowl of cereal, I took a spoonful but didn't bring it to my mouth, I didn't eat, just watched them float around.
A sharp intake of breath from mum indicated the arrival of Tre's car in our driveway. Joey was still in his bedroom. Mum stood up and waited awkwardly where she was standing. The ring of the doorbell made her stand up a lot straighter and make slowly towards the door. Joey raced out of his room to the door before mum had even taken a stride so she backed up and held onto my chair for support.
I couldn't hear the conversation at the door, but soon enough, Tre walked into our kitchen.
H didn't shout a rude greeting or high-five me for something manly I had achieved the day before, his face was unshaven and his eyes were not bright electric blue and full of life, on the contrary, they were dull and almost grey. There was no hint of a mischievous smirk on his lips which were thin and pale, when he spoke his voice was in a monotone, all he said was "I don't know what to say Adie." Mum gave him a quick hug and he sat down next to me, he linked his fingers with mine, and patted our hands, then he just stared. Nothing was said and we sat silently waiting for Mike
When his car pulled up, Joey once again waited at the door, this time nothing was said Joey entered and sat, then Mike.
If Tre looked bad, it was nothing compared to Mike. When he walked in, winter came with him. He had clearly not slept the night before, he had huge bags underneath his eyes, which were glazed over and bloodshot, his hair was messy and tangled.
Mum nervously stood up to greet him, he muttered "I'm so sorry Adie" Mum started crying again, she was speaking but her words didn't make sense. Tre was looking at me with his other hand clutching my shoulder; Joey had disappeared back into his room. Mike pulled mum into a hug and she just about broke down into his arms she was clinging onto his shoulders and she wasn't letting go " I don't want to believe it Mike, I cant, I cant believe it, I just cant" She cried into his chest.
Mike who was also shaking muttered "I know, I know, me too."
"He just can't be gone Mike he just can't" mum cried
"It's not fair" whispered Tre. I tore my gaze away from my mother to look at Tre; he was close to tears and was having trouble stringing his words together. "It's just not fair" he stated.
"I know" I replied my voice cracking as I started to cry, "I know." Tre brought me into his lap, the way he used to when I was a little kid and I cried into his shirt, his eyes were closed and I could feel him shaking.
After only a minute or two I heard mum cry out in anguish, she was breaking down, her crying was now out of control and she had broken away from Mike, who had a hold around her wrists, she was almost screaming, again she was speaking, but I only caught a few words. "Billie" "no" and "impossible" were audible.
She was doubled over when Mike let go of her and she almost crumpled to the floor, but he caught her in his arms, she cried uncontrollably sitting in a heap on the floor, half wrapped up in mikes arms, and he whispered condolences to her
After a moment or two, when mums crying had subdued, but she still gave multiple heart wrenching sobs, every few moments, Mike helped her to her feet, and walked her into the loungroom
I watched the door that they walked through, I could hear my mother wailing in despair. Tre was still holding me and every now and then he would heave a large sigh. Without realising I was tired I drifted off to sleep.
[i] I look around at the equipment surrounding me, and all the material that was needed to hold this enormous structure up. Employees, with headsets and clipboards were doing the rounds making sure everything was as planned. I look out onto the stage where My Chemical Romance were doing there absolute best with their own, "Helena" I look out at the crowd, they can't see me, but I can see thousands of people, rocking out, having a good time. They are not making anywhere near as much noise as I know they can, and will.
I look over at my Dad who is pointing something out to Joey. When he sees me looking, he offers me a grin and continues with his conversation
My Chemical Romance leave the stage to applause and the radio comes back on. Roadies walk out to prepare the stage for what everyone came to see: Green Day, My Dad and His Best Friends. Someone slumped into the plastic seat next to me and I tore my gaze away from the insanities of the mosh pit, to look into the joyful face of my father. "You still get nervous, don't you Dad?" I ask.
" Me? Nah. Not nervous, excited as hell but not nervous." He replies, then takes a sip of his Australian VB
"Why not?" I ask.
"Why?" he says "because every single person out there" he motions to the crowd with the hand holding his beer. "loves Green Day"
I nod, not really understanding.
Dad sits up in his seat and leans forward. "look at it this way" he says putting his free arm around me"They all bought the tickets, they love Green Day." He smirks then adds "I'm not trying to be full of myself, but, they aren't here to judge us, they've already done that, the like what we do." He said
This time I understand what he's saying "So its sort of, you've made it, you don't have anything to prove?"
Dad gives a non-committal jerk of the head "sort of" he says. "We still want to give them a helluva show, we still want them to have a good time, but we don't have anything riding on our performance. Hell, I still want to play well, but those guys out there, wont mind if my voice cracks, or I fall to pieces halfway through Wake Me Up When September Ends"
I smirk "mm" I say "I get it; you don't have to win them over."
"Exactly" he says.
Someone from stage crew talks into his headset and extends his arm to my Father, "alright Mr. Armstrong, on in 2 minutes"
"Oh um...Yep!" he says, Mike and Tre, standing on the edge of the stage side by side. The space oddesy starts up and Dad leans over and says to me "ready to see me kick some serious Aussie ass?"
I grin. "Always" I reply.
He pushes himself out of his chair and steps onto the stage followed by mike and Tre, the stadium explodes with noise.
Dad takes a chug of his beer and holds it up for the crowd to see.
"HOW YOU GOING TONIGHT SYDNEY?" He yells into the microphone, to a deafening uproar, he picks up his guitar and strikes the first chords... .<i/>
