"Hi, I'm Your Neighbour.", chapter 20
"No no no...this can't happen again, Nat."
"Again? What the FUCK do you mean by 'again'?"
"Oh dear...Uh..before Billie left, when we were teenagers, to go on his tour, I found out I was pregnant. And it's sort of creepy...because I named her Adelene."
"That's strange...but why haven't you told anyone? And where is she, you don't have a daughter running around here."
"I-I was young and nervous...so I put her up for adoption. She lives in Maryland."
"MARYLAND?! That's all the way on the other fucking coast!"
"You don't think I know that? She's about sixteen now...I wish I could meet her. She'd probably hate me though."
"You should contact her."
"I should."
I scheduled a doctor's appointment for the next day. Hopefully, I wasn't pregnant. I thought about what Nat said. I should contact Adelene. I thought about the adoption agency I'd chose...then I searched the number for it in the phone book. I called it and an assistant or secretary or whatever answered.
"Hello, Berkeley Adoption Cen-"
"I know, I know, can I look my daughter up? I need to contact her."
"What is her name?"
"Adelene Sam Armstrong."
"Alright...I've got four. One in Oklahoma, one in North Dakota, and one in Maryland."
"She lives in Maryland."
"Alright...and you're her mother?"
"Yes, Nicole Harper. She just has a different father."
Harper. Not Armstrong, Harper.
"Yes, it does say on your files that her father is not that of your husband."
When she said 'husband', my stomach did backflips.
"Yes, yes. Information please?"
"Phone number is 432-0978, and the area code is-"
"I know the area code, I have a friend who lives in Maryland. All I need is the phone number, thank you."
"No problem. Goodbye."
Click.
That was simpler than I thought...now I need to get ready for my appointment. I got into my Excursion and drove off to the appointment...with the fear of God put in me.
Well, I know you all don't need to hear the whole appointment. But I will tell you that I was relieved so much...I was not pregnant.
And now was the time to call Billie Joe.
I drove home and found Nat on the couch. She gave me a look like she was scared to death for me.
"It's ok, I'm not."
She sighed with relief. I sat next to her and picked the phone up.
"Now is the time."
"It needs to be done." she said.
"Yes, it does."
I dialed his number and waited as the tone droned on. His happy voice rung to me.
"Hey, what's up?"
"I need to talk to you. Meet me?"
"Where?"
"I don't know, somewhere. Just know that this is urgent."
"Uhm...ok, how about the Starbucks that's like five minutes away from your house?"
"Sure. Be there as soon as you can."
"Sure. Are you ok?"
"Yeah...just get there."
And I hung up.
I hadn't seen my husband yet today. I felt like I was going to break down crying if I had. I couldn't believe how fast it had all happened...I didn't want it to happen, but it did. And it happened so unbelievably fast that I couldn't even think of it slowly. I hated that I had done it. I felt sick and horrible. I felt dirty and disgusting. I hated myself for it.
I drove over to the Starbucks and it had already had a nice buzz of talk, so we wouldn't be overheard. And it was most likely he wouldn't be seen, everyone here looked as if they couldn't care less about the frontman of Green Day.
He walked in and I saw him looking over the people for me. He finally found me and came over to the table. He was smiling down the whole way.
"Hey!" he said, hugging me.
"Hey...I need to tell you something."
"Hmm?" he said, making himself comfortable on his tall chair.
"You have a daughter."
He stopped mid-motion and stared at me, shocked out of belief.
"I-what?"
"You...have a daughter." I sighed, and laughed nervously.
"And...I'm guessing she's yours too."
"Yes. She's sixteen and lives in Maryland."
"Damn...so, does she know who I am?"
"I haven't even contacted her yet...but I got the number and I'm going to call her when I get back home."
"W-what are you gonna tell Ethan?"
"...maybe I won't."
He looked at me incredulously. Like I was insane, lost my mind and went psychotic.
"You're not going to tell your husband that you have a daughter who is sixteen in Maryland?"
I sighed. Ethan deserved to know...and I'd defenitely be telling him...just not any time soon.
"I tell him...just, at another time, alright?"
"Sounds good. Whatever suits your lifestyle."
"Yes. Can we call her and maybe book a flight to go see her? That is if she doesn't hate me...or us, for that matter."
"Uhh..sure, we can think about it. What will Ethan say though?"
"He'll think I'm on another exhibit or something. He's not very involved with that anyway."
"Huh?"
"Oh shit...I never told you. Y'know how I have a big house, nice car, etcetera?" I smiled uneasily.
"Yes, I've sort of realized that." he smirked. I smirked back.
"Remember that sketch I drew of you in our early years?"
"Yes."
"I'm an artist. That's where I get my money from...I'm an artist. But I use a pen name. And I'm not going to tell you what it is because then it'll get out."
"Wow, really? That's awesome...I want to see some of your stuff though. May I?"
"Possibly. Alright...well, I'm going to go home and call my daughter."
"Wait."
"Hmm?"
"It would kind of be nice to tell me what my daughter's name is before you LEAVE."
I laughed. "Yeah, it would. Her name is Adelene Sam Armstrong."
"Adelene? Isn't that kind of like Adeline?"
"No, I never notied the similarity." I said sarcastically.
"Oh shut up," he laughed, "I think that's odd. Must be fate."
"I know you're not philosophical, don't act it."
He laughed.
"And...Sam?"
"Samantha, duh."
"Oh. That makes sense. Could I have the number?"
"Why don't you just come over? I'm pretty sure Ethan took the boys out, I probably just haven't seen a note left yet."
"Sure."
And we left.
"Again? What the FUCK do you mean by 'again'?"
"Oh dear...Uh..before Billie left, when we were teenagers, to go on his tour, I found out I was pregnant. And it's sort of creepy...because I named her Adelene."
"That's strange...but why haven't you told anyone? And where is she, you don't have a daughter running around here."
"I-I was young and nervous...so I put her up for adoption. She lives in Maryland."
"MARYLAND?! That's all the way on the other fucking coast!"
"You don't think I know that? She's about sixteen now...I wish I could meet her. She'd probably hate me though."
"You should contact her."
"I should."
I scheduled a doctor's appointment for the next day. Hopefully, I wasn't pregnant. I thought about what Nat said. I should contact Adelene. I thought about the adoption agency I'd chose...then I searched the number for it in the phone book. I called it and an assistant or secretary or whatever answered.
"Hello, Berkeley Adoption Cen-"
"I know, I know, can I look my daughter up? I need to contact her."
"What is her name?"
"Adelene Sam Armstrong."
"Alright...I've got four. One in Oklahoma, one in North Dakota, and one in Maryland."
"She lives in Maryland."
"Alright...and you're her mother?"
"Yes, Nicole Harper. She just has a different father."
Harper. Not Armstrong, Harper.
"Yes, it does say on your files that her father is not that of your husband."
When she said 'husband', my stomach did backflips.
"Yes, yes. Information please?"
"Phone number is 432-0978, and the area code is-"
"I know the area code, I have a friend who lives in Maryland. All I need is the phone number, thank you."
"No problem. Goodbye."
Click.
That was simpler than I thought...now I need to get ready for my appointment. I got into my Excursion and drove off to the appointment...with the fear of God put in me.
Well, I know you all don't need to hear the whole appointment. But I will tell you that I was relieved so much...I was not pregnant.
And now was the time to call Billie Joe.
I drove home and found Nat on the couch. She gave me a look like she was scared to death for me.
"It's ok, I'm not."
She sighed with relief. I sat next to her and picked the phone up.
"Now is the time."
"It needs to be done." she said.
"Yes, it does."
I dialed his number and waited as the tone droned on. His happy voice rung to me.
"Hey, what's up?"
"I need to talk to you. Meet me?"
"Where?"
"I don't know, somewhere. Just know that this is urgent."
"Uhm...ok, how about the Starbucks that's like five minutes away from your house?"
"Sure. Be there as soon as you can."
"Sure. Are you ok?"
"Yeah...just get there."
And I hung up.
I hadn't seen my husband yet today. I felt like I was going to break down crying if I had. I couldn't believe how fast it had all happened...I didn't want it to happen, but it did. And it happened so unbelievably fast that I couldn't even think of it slowly. I hated that I had done it. I felt sick and horrible. I felt dirty and disgusting. I hated myself for it.
I drove over to the Starbucks and it had already had a nice buzz of talk, so we wouldn't be overheard. And it was most likely he wouldn't be seen, everyone here looked as if they couldn't care less about the frontman of Green Day.
He walked in and I saw him looking over the people for me. He finally found me and came over to the table. He was smiling down the whole way.
"Hey!" he said, hugging me.
"Hey...I need to tell you something."
"Hmm?" he said, making himself comfortable on his tall chair.
"You have a daughter."
He stopped mid-motion and stared at me, shocked out of belief.
"I-what?"
"You...have a daughter." I sighed, and laughed nervously.
"And...I'm guessing she's yours too."
"Yes. She's sixteen and lives in Maryland."
"Damn...so, does she know who I am?"
"I haven't even contacted her yet...but I got the number and I'm going to call her when I get back home."
"W-what are you gonna tell Ethan?"
"...maybe I won't."
He looked at me incredulously. Like I was insane, lost my mind and went psychotic.
"You're not going to tell your husband that you have a daughter who is sixteen in Maryland?"
I sighed. Ethan deserved to know...and I'd defenitely be telling him...just not any time soon.
"I tell him...just, at another time, alright?"
"Sounds good. Whatever suits your lifestyle."
"Yes. Can we call her and maybe book a flight to go see her? That is if she doesn't hate me...or us, for that matter."
"Uhh..sure, we can think about it. What will Ethan say though?"
"He'll think I'm on another exhibit or something. He's not very involved with that anyway."
"Huh?"
"Oh shit...I never told you. Y'know how I have a big house, nice car, etcetera?" I smiled uneasily.
"Yes, I've sort of realized that." he smirked. I smirked back.
"Remember that sketch I drew of you in our early years?"
"Yes."
"I'm an artist. That's where I get my money from...I'm an artist. But I use a pen name. And I'm not going to tell you what it is because then it'll get out."
"Wow, really? That's awesome...I want to see some of your stuff though. May I?"
"Possibly. Alright...well, I'm going to go home and call my daughter."
"Wait."
"Hmm?"
"It would kind of be nice to tell me what my daughter's name is before you LEAVE."
I laughed. "Yeah, it would. Her name is Adelene Sam Armstrong."
"Adelene? Isn't that kind of like Adeline?"
"No, I never notied the similarity." I said sarcastically.
"Oh shut up," he laughed, "I think that's odd. Must be fate."
"I know you're not philosophical, don't act it."
He laughed.
"And...Sam?"
"Samantha, duh."
"Oh. That makes sense. Could I have the number?"
"Why don't you just come over? I'm pretty sure Ethan took the boys out, I probably just haven't seen a note left yet."
"Sure."
And we left.
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