Our Hearts Are Kept in Wicker Baskets and Porcelain Jars, chapter 3
(Same as before... Adies thoughts are bold, and Billie's are italic)
*RECAP*
The drummer and the bass player nodded slowly, confused, and unsure of what was about to come through the guitarist's mouth.
"I'm quitting the band."
"Huh?" Mike and Tre both said at the same time. They were lost for words.
"Ok... Well, I have reasons... I mean, this isn't just happening out of the blue." Billie tried to reassure his friends.
"Well then why the fuck are you fucking leaving the fucking band!?" Tre began to yell. He felt betrayed. Billie was his best friend besides Mike, and Green Day was his life. He didn't have much else.
"Tre, calm the fuck down... just listen to what Bill's gotta say." Mike wasn't happy either, but Billie was the rational one in the band, so he had to have a good reason.
Billie sighed and looked down at his lap. He felt a tear run down his cheek and fall down onto the pocket of his jeans. He wiped his eyes and looked up at his former band mates and swallowed.
"J-Joey committed suicide this morning... and... and Adie... Adie's pregnant... "
Tre's eyes widened and Mike gasped.
"Oh, Bill.. My god Bill... I'm so sorry... I shouldn't have gotten so worked up." Tre was now feelings pangs of guilt. How could he have been so selfish?
Billie was unsuccessfully fighting back tears. The salty drops were streaming down his face, and there was no use in pretending to not be crying anymore. "No, Tre... It's not your fault. You didn't know... There was no way you could have."
"Billie, are you ok?" Mike asked. He was now worried for Billie.
"Y-Yeah. I'm f-fine. Just gotta be strong, r-right?" Billie suddenly began shaking uncontrollably.
"Dude, you okay?" Tre asked in a concerned tone.
Billie nodded and continued to shake. "Im alright."
"You sure?" Mike asked. Billie started getting pale, the color was draining from his face.
"Y-Y-YES! I'M FUCKING F-FINE!!! STOP F-F-UCKING BOTHERING M-ME. I'm FINE!"
"Ok Bill." Mike said, although he was not convinced.
"Hey, y-you guys? Can I just have some.. some time alone please?"
"Sure. I guess we'll see you later Bill. Call me if you gotta talk." Mike said as him and Tre headed for the stairs.
"B-Bye guys." Billie said as he slowly headed up the stairs behind them. He heard the front door close, and he began to calm down, but started crying again. Joey, his first born, had left the world with no explanation. Just a 'Im finished, so I'll see ya in the afterlife'.
The front door burst open and the sound of a twelve year old boy talking into his cell phone echoed throughout the foyer, and into the rest of the house.
"Okay Natalie... yeah, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" The boy snapped the phone shut and walked happily into the kitchen.
"Hey Mom!"
"Hey Jakey... you're very late getting home..." Adrienne did not turn to face now only son. Her eyes were still bloodshot from crying. Her and Billie had been crying almost the whole day.
"Yeah, sorry about that... I had a 'previous engagement'"
Adrienne smiled to herself, and Jakob bounded up the stairs and into his room. She thought about how similar he was to his brother. Just the thought of her newly deceased son brought tears to her eyes yet again.
"Billie... What are we going to do with ourselves?" Adrienne collapsed onto the sofa in the living room next to her husband. Billie turned his head towards her and noticed the tears rolling down her face. He scooted closer to her and put his arm around her and pulled her close.
"When are we going to tell him about Joey?" Adrienne looked up into the moist jade eyes that belonged to her husband.
"I think we should soon... " Billie looked down into his lap, "Want me to?"
"Would you?"
"Of course. You are in no state." Billie kissed his wife on the cheek and headed towards his son's room.
"Jake?" He lightly tapped on the door, "Jake... I need to talk to you." Billie twisted the doorknob and proceeded into the room. Jakob looked up from the computer screen at his father.
"Oh, yeah, hey dad. What's up?" Jakob asked.
Billie walked over to his son's bed, and patted the spot next to him. "Come sit here."
Jakob got out of his computer chair and sat down next to his father.
"Jake... ok. A bunch of stuff has happened today that you need to be aware of, cause it'll change the family."
Jakob nodded his head, "But doesn't Joey need to know?"
Billie sighed and shook his head slowly, "It's about Joey, son."
Jakob raised a single eyebrow and looked inquisitively at Billie, "Ok."
"Joey.. he... " Billie felt the tears coming again, and swallowed. No, not again. This happened with Tre and Mike... I gotta be strong for my own kid.. come ON Billie stop fucking crying.,"Joey's dead, Jakey."
Jakob shook his head in disbelief, "Huh!? No, I don't believe you... n-no he was my only brother!"
Billie looked into his son's brown eyes, but quickly looked away. "Jake... he killed himself this morning... while mom was at the meeting for you."
Jakob began to feel nauseous, "No... " was all he could manage to utter, and it was in a soft, raspy whisper. He began to sob, "Dad... I-I-I dunno how to explain it... but, I feel... I feel like I'm alone in the world... Joey was my brother.. he was like... I dunno... my...my best friend."
Billie pulled his son in for a hug, "Yeah, I know how you feel... it was the same sorta thing when my dad died... you feel alone and insecure."
Jakob gave his dad a lopsided smile, "Y-yeah.. that-that's exactly right... "
Billie smiled. "Oh, and Jakey... Mom's having another baby... you're getting a sister."
Jakob's smile faded. "Really?"
"Uh huh... she's four months in."
"But, isn't she going to replace Joey?"
"Of course not... it'll be fine."
*RECAP*
The drummer and the bass player nodded slowly, confused, and unsure of what was about to come through the guitarist's mouth.
"I'm quitting the band."
"Huh?" Mike and Tre both said at the same time. They were lost for words.
"Ok... Well, I have reasons... I mean, this isn't just happening out of the blue." Billie tried to reassure his friends.
"Well then why the fuck are you fucking leaving the fucking band!?" Tre began to yell. He felt betrayed. Billie was his best friend besides Mike, and Green Day was his life. He didn't have much else.
"Tre, calm the fuck down... just listen to what Bill's gotta say." Mike wasn't happy either, but Billie was the rational one in the band, so he had to have a good reason.
Billie sighed and looked down at his lap. He felt a tear run down his cheek and fall down onto the pocket of his jeans. He wiped his eyes and looked up at his former band mates and swallowed.
"J-Joey committed suicide this morning... and... and Adie... Adie's pregnant... "
Tre's eyes widened and Mike gasped.
"Oh, Bill.. My god Bill... I'm so sorry... I shouldn't have gotten so worked up." Tre was now feelings pangs of guilt. How could he have been so selfish?
Billie was unsuccessfully fighting back tears. The salty drops were streaming down his face, and there was no use in pretending to not be crying anymore. "No, Tre... It's not your fault. You didn't know... There was no way you could have."
"Billie, are you ok?" Mike asked. He was now worried for Billie.
"Y-Yeah. I'm f-fine. Just gotta be strong, r-right?" Billie suddenly began shaking uncontrollably.
"Dude, you okay?" Tre asked in a concerned tone.
Billie nodded and continued to shake. "Im alright."
"You sure?" Mike asked. Billie started getting pale, the color was draining from his face.
"Y-Y-YES! I'M FUCKING F-FINE!!! STOP F-F-UCKING BOTHERING M-ME. I'm FINE!"
"Ok Bill." Mike said, although he was not convinced.
"Hey, y-you guys? Can I just have some.. some time alone please?"
"Sure. I guess we'll see you later Bill. Call me if you gotta talk." Mike said as him and Tre headed for the stairs.
"B-Bye guys." Billie said as he slowly headed up the stairs behind them. He heard the front door close, and he began to calm down, but started crying again. Joey, his first born, had left the world with no explanation. Just a 'Im finished, so I'll see ya in the afterlife'.
The front door burst open and the sound of a twelve year old boy talking into his cell phone echoed throughout the foyer, and into the rest of the house.
"Okay Natalie... yeah, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" The boy snapped the phone shut and walked happily into the kitchen.
"Hey Mom!"
"Hey Jakey... you're very late getting home..." Adrienne did not turn to face now only son. Her eyes were still bloodshot from crying. Her and Billie had been crying almost the whole day.
"Yeah, sorry about that... I had a 'previous engagement'"
Adrienne smiled to herself, and Jakob bounded up the stairs and into his room. She thought about how similar he was to his brother. Just the thought of her newly deceased son brought tears to her eyes yet again.
"Billie... What are we going to do with ourselves?" Adrienne collapsed onto the sofa in the living room next to her husband. Billie turned his head towards her and noticed the tears rolling down her face. He scooted closer to her and put his arm around her and pulled her close.
"When are we going to tell him about Joey?" Adrienne looked up into the moist jade eyes that belonged to her husband.
"I think we should soon... " Billie looked down into his lap, "Want me to?"
"Would you?"
"Of course. You are in no state." Billie kissed his wife on the cheek and headed towards his son's room.
"Jake?" He lightly tapped on the door, "Jake... I need to talk to you." Billie twisted the doorknob and proceeded into the room. Jakob looked up from the computer screen at his father.
"Oh, yeah, hey dad. What's up?" Jakob asked.
Billie walked over to his son's bed, and patted the spot next to him. "Come sit here."
Jakob got out of his computer chair and sat down next to his father.
"Jake... ok. A bunch of stuff has happened today that you need to be aware of, cause it'll change the family."
Jakob nodded his head, "But doesn't Joey need to know?"
Billie sighed and shook his head slowly, "It's about Joey, son."
Jakob raised a single eyebrow and looked inquisitively at Billie, "Ok."
"Joey.. he... " Billie felt the tears coming again, and swallowed. No, not again. This happened with Tre and Mike... I gotta be strong for my own kid.. come ON Billie stop fucking crying.,"Joey's dead, Jakey."
Jakob shook his head in disbelief, "Huh!? No, I don't believe you... n-no he was my only brother!"
Billie looked into his son's brown eyes, but quickly looked away. "Jake... he killed himself this morning... while mom was at the meeting for you."
Jakob began to feel nauseous, "No... " was all he could manage to utter, and it was in a soft, raspy whisper. He began to sob, "Dad... I-I-I dunno how to explain it... but, I feel... I feel like I'm alone in the world... Joey was my brother.. he was like... I dunno... my...my best friend."
Billie pulled his son in for a hug, "Yeah, I know how you feel... it was the same sorta thing when my dad died... you feel alone and insecure."
Jakob gave his dad a lopsided smile, "Y-yeah.. that-that's exactly right... "
Billie smiled. "Oh, and Jakey... Mom's having another baby... you're getting a sister."
Jakob's smile faded. "Really?"
"Uh huh... she's four months in."
"But, isn't she going to replace Joey?"
"Of course not... it'll be fine."
