2028, chapter 12
The first person in to see Billie Joe, after a long time with Adrienne in which nobody really wants to know what went on, was Joey. Joey had offered to let Jakob come in as well, but Jakob declined knowing his brother and father had some things to work out before they talked in public.
"Hey," Joey muttered, staring at a shoelace just as Mike had done in the waiting room.
"Hey," Billie Joe said, looking at the wall to the left of his bed.
"I'm sorry," Joey finally said, after a long, uncomfortable silence, this time looking into his father's green eyes and speaking softly, but clearly.
"What are you saying sorry for?" Billie asked.
"For just being a shit, for disagreeing, for leaving, for everything."
"Joey, that wasn't all your fault," Billie sighed, "You were a teenager, that's what you're supposed to do. I admit, I wasn't nice either, I was just as much of a shit and a dick as you were."
"No, I shouldn't have just-"
"Joey stop," Billie shushed his older son, who seemed to be sorry for his actions and attempting to prove something that was already proven, "I get it, alright? Look, we both fucked up and that's that. This was fucking fifteen years ago, can we let bygones be bygones and forget the shit ever happened?"
Joey nodded, finally appreciating what he had felt for his father all the time, love.
**
Then came Jakob, then came Ellie and Katie, things went fine until Tre and Mike knew it was their turn. The two of them exchanged worried glances and headed into the room, surprised to see Billie smile wider than ever when they came in.
"Don't you hate us?" Tre asked, his duck-like voice adding a slightly funny edge to the comment, but not enough to make anyone do more than dispense a quiet chuckle and half a smile. But they immediately turned back from that.
"No. When I was in the ambulance, I had a small bit of consciousness and I realized something. People were shouting things as they tried to keep me alive, and someone shouted 'It's Billie Joe! From Green Day! It's Billie Joe! Remember 'American Idiot,' remember?' and I realized that I can leave the band, I can pretend like those thirty years of my life never happened but I can never really make them go away, it was time spent, and time spent well. As hard as I try not to, I will always be Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day to every single person who's ever heard a goddamn song, and I can't change that. I thought to myself, 'Damn! Billie Joe, you've been an idiot! All these years you sat and wondered what was wrong with your life, and all the time it was right there in front of you,' and I realized you guys are one of the best fucking things that ever happened to me."
Mike and Tre were silent, realizing that what he had just said made perfect sense and, it was more than true. Within that moment, that small moment between 8:06 AM and 8:07 AM, things immediately changed. The three were back again, the loud one, the civilized one and the political one. Green Day was back.
But there was one thing that nobody quite dared to say, and for once Tre's talkativeness brought things to what it should be.
"So... should we reunite?"
Mike and Billie immediately started laughing and they nodded, and that, was how Green Day came back.
"Hey," Joey muttered, staring at a shoelace just as Mike had done in the waiting room.
"Hey," Billie Joe said, looking at the wall to the left of his bed.
"I'm sorry," Joey finally said, after a long, uncomfortable silence, this time looking into his father's green eyes and speaking softly, but clearly.
"What are you saying sorry for?" Billie asked.
"For just being a shit, for disagreeing, for leaving, for everything."
"Joey, that wasn't all your fault," Billie sighed, "You were a teenager, that's what you're supposed to do. I admit, I wasn't nice either, I was just as much of a shit and a dick as you were."
"No, I shouldn't have just-"
"Joey stop," Billie shushed his older son, who seemed to be sorry for his actions and attempting to prove something that was already proven, "I get it, alright? Look, we both fucked up and that's that. This was fucking fifteen years ago, can we let bygones be bygones and forget the shit ever happened?"
Joey nodded, finally appreciating what he had felt for his father all the time, love.
**
Then came Jakob, then came Ellie and Katie, things went fine until Tre and Mike knew it was their turn. The two of them exchanged worried glances and headed into the room, surprised to see Billie smile wider than ever when they came in.
"Don't you hate us?" Tre asked, his duck-like voice adding a slightly funny edge to the comment, but not enough to make anyone do more than dispense a quiet chuckle and half a smile. But they immediately turned back from that.
"No. When I was in the ambulance, I had a small bit of consciousness and I realized something. People were shouting things as they tried to keep me alive, and someone shouted 'It's Billie Joe! From Green Day! It's Billie Joe! Remember 'American Idiot,' remember?' and I realized that I can leave the band, I can pretend like those thirty years of my life never happened but I can never really make them go away, it was time spent, and time spent well. As hard as I try not to, I will always be Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day to every single person who's ever heard a goddamn song, and I can't change that. I thought to myself, 'Damn! Billie Joe, you've been an idiot! All these years you sat and wondered what was wrong with your life, and all the time it was right there in front of you,' and I realized you guys are one of the best fucking things that ever happened to me."
Mike and Tre were silent, realizing that what he had just said made perfect sense and, it was more than true. Within that moment, that small moment between 8:06 AM and 8:07 AM, things immediately changed. The three were back again, the loud one, the civilized one and the political one. Green Day was back.
But there was one thing that nobody quite dared to say, and for once Tre's talkativeness brought things to what it should be.
"So... should we reunite?"
Mike and Billie immediately started laughing and they nodded, and that, was how Green Day came back.
