Tales From Another Broken Home, chapter 4
Three years later (1989)
"Fuck! Holy fucking shit! College? Like you need college. What are we supposed to do? You can't quit, you're our God damn drummer!" screamed Billie over the phone.
This year has not been off to a good start. Al got accepted into the college he wanted and now he was quitting Green Day( they changed their name after a day long weed binge and an episode of Sesame Street) to go to college. Billie had been trying to talk him out of it, he even quit school for the band. Al was stubborn and just cannot be reasoned with.
"He said, no, huh? '
"Fuckin' ass!" he screamed and punched the wall, "What the fuck are we gonna do?"
"It's okay baby. Calm down."
I rubbed his back up and down and wrapped my arms around him into a big hug. He has been having trouble controlling his anger lately.
"Why don't you ask your friend, Tre'? He's good, a lot better than Al. You know he's a fast learner, maybe you should call him?"
Billie gave me a huge hug and kissed me.
"Yeah. That could work. Oh, I love you. Damn, now where did I put his number?"
Billie spent the next half an hour rummaging through his bedroom. He tore up his closet, drawers, under his bed. He finally found it in one of his old jeans back pockets. I guess it is good to have dirty laundry sometimes.
"Hello? Hi, Mr. Right? This is Billie Joe, is Tre' home?"
"Just a second. Frank! Frank, your friend is on the phone!"
"Yello?"
"Tre'? Hey, it's me. Do you still wanna be in The Lookouts?"
"Why? You wanna ask me something?"
"Yeah, kinda. My drummer, Al, he got accepted to some college and he's gonna drop the band."
"What? That sucks."
"Yeah, I know. I was wondering if you could.... Maybe replace him?"
"Hhmm... Drum for Green Day, huh? It's an offer I can't refuse, I'm in. So where d'ya guys practice?"
"Yes, thanks so much, man. We practice at my house, but until you get adjusted we can meet at your house."
Billie came back into the room after talking to Tre' and he looked like a little kid at Christmas time. He practically jumped on the bed.
"Let me guess, he said yes?"
"Uh-huh. So, you wanna celebrate?"
He looked at me and gave me a passionate kiss. We started kissing harder and harder as I laid down on the mattress. We started making out and... USE YOUR IMAGINATION. We Must have fallen asleep because when I awoke it was getting dark outside.
"Hey, gorgeous." said Billie in a bit of a whisper.
He gave me a hug and kissed my forehead in that loving way he always does.
"Hey, what time is it?"
"I think it's about seven-thirty. Why? You got somewhere to go?"
"No, you do, genius. Band practice with Tre', ring any bells?"
"Huh? Oh, shit! Hurry up, we need to get dressed and go. What are we doin' just fuckin' around in here?"
"Exactly that, fuckin' around."
He laughed as we rushed to get dressed and he grabbed his keys and sped off. We got to Tre's house and ran inside.
"Billie! Hey man, why the fuck are you so late? Oh, hey Adi. You're here too?" asked Tre'.
"Yeah, I'm here with Billie. I wanna hear you try out too."
"Oh, now I know why you're so late."
Tre' winked at Billie and Billie punched him in the arm, jokingly.
"Ha ha ha, ouch man. Word to the wise: harming the drummer before the tryout isn't the best idea."
Mike was tuning his bass and getting impatient, fast. Out of everyone, he loved playing the most. When there was a practice he was there ten minutes early and Billie and Tre' were always around fifteen minutes late.
"Okay, we're all here. Now can we please start?" asked Mike.
"Fine, fine. Let's start before Mikey starts to cry," retorted Tre'.
He got behind his drum set and situated himself.
"Oh, damn. Babe, I think I forgot Blue and... "
"It's okay, I brought it."
I pulled out the battered and faded blue guitar from behind me.
"You're a lifesaver," said Billie as he kissed me and ran off to go tune Blue.
Tre' was great behind the drums. He did not screw up or get off beat once. That is exactly what they needed, they had to be perfect because their next show at the Gilman was this Saturday.. The band was starting to get big. The guys already released a few LP's on Tre's former band mate, Larry Livermore's, record label, Lookout! Records. They started to draw in larger and larger crowds and last summer they even had a mini tour. I'm so proud of them, to even know them. Over the past three years their talent had tripled. The practice ended and Billie had to bring me home.
"Tre' you were on tonight. That was great! I can't wait 'till this weekend. See ya, guys," said Billie.
We drove back to my house on Christie Road. The entire drive back we talked about how excited we were and how much better the songs sounded with Tre's drumming. Billie walked me to the door and kissed me goodbye. I opened the door and walked in, my mother was waiting for me.
"Hey mom, how was your day?"
"We need to talk," she looked at me with a serious look on her face and I sat on the sofa. She sat across from me.
"Okay baby, you have to listen to me until I'm finished saying what I have to say. I know you're gonna be upset but please, don't get angry at me."
"What, mom? What's wrong?"
"Remember why we moved here, to Oakland, three years ago?"
"Yeah, your job transfer. Why?"
"Well, we're goin' back home."
"Home? Back to New Orleans?"
My mom nodded. That nod made me sick. I felt like I got it by a train. I went momentarily deaf and I felt like my head was in a fishbowl. I just broke down and started to cry. I never cried this hard, not when my dad died, not even when we moved away. Why did this have to happen now? Why me? Every time I finally start to like something, my life finally starts to look up, reality is thrown in my face. I ran into my room and picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"B... B... Billie?" I managed to say, in between sobs.
"Adi? Oh, no, what's wrong? What happened?"
"M... M... My M... Mom got a transfer. W... We are moving back to N... New Orleans."
"What?" he yelled and I could tell at his voice he was a mixture of shock and anger. "She can't fuckin' do that. You don't wanna go. You can't leave me, baby. I can't live without you."
"I know. I never wanna leave you, but I'm seventeen and I have to go with her."
"When are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow."
"Fuck!" said Billie, he was choking back tears with every word he spoke. I know he wanted me to stay, maybe even more than I did.
"I have to go. Please come over tomorrow morning so w... We can say good... Good... Oh my God."
I started crying even more, tears streaming down my face. I got off the phone with him. He, the one guy in the world that understands me, the one person who cares for me with all his heart, my soul mate. I cried myself to sleep.
Next morning, I woke up early and packed up all of my things. My mother tried to talk to me, but I just ignored her. How could she even look at me, knowing she completely destroyed my life? We packed the car and we were about to leave when their was a knock at the front door. Billie, Mike and Tre' all had sad looks on their faces as I walked out the door.
"Hey. Bill told us. I can't believe you're actually leaving. It's gonna be so boring without you," said Mike.
"Yeah, who am I gonna hang with now? Who's gonna laugh at me when I do something stupid?" said Tre'.
"We... We got you this," said Billie.
He handed me a huge white teddy bear holding a heart that says 'We'll miss you'. I started to cry.
"Oh, don't cry, babe. You're gonna make me start crying."
He wiped away my tears and gave me a long kiss. The last kiss. Mike and Tre' gave me big hugs. Billie looked at me, his green eyes filled with sadness and he broke down.
"Oh God, please Adi. Don't leave, don't go. You can't, you can't leave me. I'm gonna be all alone. You're the only woman I'll ever love! Please!"
Tears were streaming down his face and he lurched on my leg. It broke my heart as Mike and Tre' had to pull him off of me. I got into the car and stared out of the window. The last thing I saw was my heart, fading in the distance.
"Fuck! Holy fucking shit! College? Like you need college. What are we supposed to do? You can't quit, you're our God damn drummer!" screamed Billie over the phone.
This year has not been off to a good start. Al got accepted into the college he wanted and now he was quitting Green Day( they changed their name after a day long weed binge and an episode of Sesame Street) to go to college. Billie had been trying to talk him out of it, he even quit school for the band. Al was stubborn and just cannot be reasoned with.
"He said, no, huh? '
"Fuckin' ass!" he screamed and punched the wall, "What the fuck are we gonna do?"
"It's okay baby. Calm down."
I rubbed his back up and down and wrapped my arms around him into a big hug. He has been having trouble controlling his anger lately.
"Why don't you ask your friend, Tre'? He's good, a lot better than Al. You know he's a fast learner, maybe you should call him?"
Billie gave me a huge hug and kissed me.
"Yeah. That could work. Oh, I love you. Damn, now where did I put his number?"
Billie spent the next half an hour rummaging through his bedroom. He tore up his closet, drawers, under his bed. He finally found it in one of his old jeans back pockets. I guess it is good to have dirty laundry sometimes.
"Hello? Hi, Mr. Right? This is Billie Joe, is Tre' home?"
"Just a second. Frank! Frank, your friend is on the phone!"
"Yello?"
"Tre'? Hey, it's me. Do you still wanna be in The Lookouts?"
"Why? You wanna ask me something?"
"Yeah, kinda. My drummer, Al, he got accepted to some college and he's gonna drop the band."
"What? That sucks."
"Yeah, I know. I was wondering if you could.... Maybe replace him?"
"Hhmm... Drum for Green Day, huh? It's an offer I can't refuse, I'm in. So where d'ya guys practice?"
"Yes, thanks so much, man. We practice at my house, but until you get adjusted we can meet at your house."
Billie came back into the room after talking to Tre' and he looked like a little kid at Christmas time. He practically jumped on the bed.
"Let me guess, he said yes?"
"Uh-huh. So, you wanna celebrate?"
He looked at me and gave me a passionate kiss. We started kissing harder and harder as I laid down on the mattress. We started making out and... USE YOUR IMAGINATION. We Must have fallen asleep because when I awoke it was getting dark outside.
"Hey, gorgeous." said Billie in a bit of a whisper.
He gave me a hug and kissed my forehead in that loving way he always does.
"Hey, what time is it?"
"I think it's about seven-thirty. Why? You got somewhere to go?"
"No, you do, genius. Band practice with Tre', ring any bells?"
"Huh? Oh, shit! Hurry up, we need to get dressed and go. What are we doin' just fuckin' around in here?"
"Exactly that, fuckin' around."
He laughed as we rushed to get dressed and he grabbed his keys and sped off. We got to Tre's house and ran inside.
"Billie! Hey man, why the fuck are you so late? Oh, hey Adi. You're here too?" asked Tre'.
"Yeah, I'm here with Billie. I wanna hear you try out too."
"Oh, now I know why you're so late."
Tre' winked at Billie and Billie punched him in the arm, jokingly.
"Ha ha ha, ouch man. Word to the wise: harming the drummer before the tryout isn't the best idea."
Mike was tuning his bass and getting impatient, fast. Out of everyone, he loved playing the most. When there was a practice he was there ten minutes early and Billie and Tre' were always around fifteen minutes late.
"Okay, we're all here. Now can we please start?" asked Mike.
"Fine, fine. Let's start before Mikey starts to cry," retorted Tre'.
He got behind his drum set and situated himself.
"Oh, damn. Babe, I think I forgot Blue and... "
"It's okay, I brought it."
I pulled out the battered and faded blue guitar from behind me.
"You're a lifesaver," said Billie as he kissed me and ran off to go tune Blue.
Tre' was great behind the drums. He did not screw up or get off beat once. That is exactly what they needed, they had to be perfect because their next show at the Gilman was this Saturday.. The band was starting to get big. The guys already released a few LP's on Tre's former band mate, Larry Livermore's, record label, Lookout! Records. They started to draw in larger and larger crowds and last summer they even had a mini tour. I'm so proud of them, to even know them. Over the past three years their talent had tripled. The practice ended and Billie had to bring me home.
"Tre' you were on tonight. That was great! I can't wait 'till this weekend. See ya, guys," said Billie.
We drove back to my house on Christie Road. The entire drive back we talked about how excited we were and how much better the songs sounded with Tre's drumming. Billie walked me to the door and kissed me goodbye. I opened the door and walked in, my mother was waiting for me.
"Hey mom, how was your day?"
"We need to talk," she looked at me with a serious look on her face and I sat on the sofa. She sat across from me.
"Okay baby, you have to listen to me until I'm finished saying what I have to say. I know you're gonna be upset but please, don't get angry at me."
"What, mom? What's wrong?"
"Remember why we moved here, to Oakland, three years ago?"
"Yeah, your job transfer. Why?"
"Well, we're goin' back home."
"Home? Back to New Orleans?"
My mom nodded. That nod made me sick. I felt like I got it by a train. I went momentarily deaf and I felt like my head was in a fishbowl. I just broke down and started to cry. I never cried this hard, not when my dad died, not even when we moved away. Why did this have to happen now? Why me? Every time I finally start to like something, my life finally starts to look up, reality is thrown in my face. I ran into my room and picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"B... B... Billie?" I managed to say, in between sobs.
"Adi? Oh, no, what's wrong? What happened?"
"M... M... My M... Mom got a transfer. W... We are moving back to N... New Orleans."
"What?" he yelled and I could tell at his voice he was a mixture of shock and anger. "She can't fuckin' do that. You don't wanna go. You can't leave me, baby. I can't live without you."
"I know. I never wanna leave you, but I'm seventeen and I have to go with her."
"When are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow."
"Fuck!" said Billie, he was choking back tears with every word he spoke. I know he wanted me to stay, maybe even more than I did.
"I have to go. Please come over tomorrow morning so w... We can say good... Good... Oh my God."
I started crying even more, tears streaming down my face. I got off the phone with him. He, the one guy in the world that understands me, the one person who cares for me with all his heart, my soul mate. I cried myself to sleep.
Next morning, I woke up early and packed up all of my things. My mother tried to talk to me, but I just ignored her. How could she even look at me, knowing she completely destroyed my life? We packed the car and we were about to leave when their was a knock at the front door. Billie, Mike and Tre' all had sad looks on their faces as I walked out the door.
"Hey. Bill told us. I can't believe you're actually leaving. It's gonna be so boring without you," said Mike.
"Yeah, who am I gonna hang with now? Who's gonna laugh at me when I do something stupid?" said Tre'.
"We... We got you this," said Billie.
He handed me a huge white teddy bear holding a heart that says 'We'll miss you'. I started to cry.
"Oh, don't cry, babe. You're gonna make me start crying."
He wiped away my tears and gave me a long kiss. The last kiss. Mike and Tre' gave me big hugs. Billie looked at me, his green eyes filled with sadness and he broke down.
"Oh God, please Adi. Don't leave, don't go. You can't, you can't leave me. I'm gonna be all alone. You're the only woman I'll ever love! Please!"
Tears were streaming down his face and he lurched on my leg. It broke my heart as Mike and Tre' had to pull him off of me. I got into the car and stared out of the window. The last thing I saw was my heart, fading in the distance.
