Fifteen Years Has Gone So Fast, chapter 2
"Well are you done Bill?" Tre asked, regarding all the questions, after Joey had left them to drink their coffee in peace. Billie Joe didn't respond, instead he just kept watching the boy, studying every move he made. Tre realized bothering with Billie Joe was useless so he just left it; he ignored Billie, staring at the kid and went back to his coffee.
Joey returned to his barstool and sat thinking about the past few minutes. The man he idolized, was looking at him funny and asking him odd questions, not something he expected from a rockstar. But he soon forgot all those thoughts and wondered about the concert tonight, he had never been to a concert before in his life. He was excited but nervous at the same time. His mother had told him he would have a great time, for she herself went to many concerts.
In fact, it was his mother who had gotten him into Green Day. It was a weird thought, she was the only mother he knew that liked the band; usually mothers despised Green Day for giving their children certain thoughts or influencing the way they behaved. But his mother was different.
Joey looked over at the band, they were done with their coffee. He got up and went to their table. "Would you like a refill?" he asked them all.
"We're good, we gotta get going. Get ready for the big show, you know?" Mike said. Joey nodded but frowned.
"I'll just go get your bill," he said quietly. He went into the kitchen and the guys were left alone in the diner.
"I feel bad for the kid, seems a bit lonely," Jason Freese said. All the guys nodded.
"Maybe he could close up the diner early and go watch us warm up," Billie Joe said. All the guys looked at him confused. Billie usually wasn't one to get friendly with the fans, but they could all tell the difference when he started asking the boy questions.
"Billie, what is going on with you?" Tré asked seriously. Tré wasn't the serious type but he was worried about his friend.
"Mike, do you remember Adrienne?" Billie Joe asked his friend who had been with him the longest. Mike thought for a moment.
"Fuck," was all he could say. Everything just clicked; he just understood why Billie Joe had acted weirdly with Joey. "He isn't Bill, he can't be," Mike said.
"It all fits, everything. The name of his mother, his age, even the sad little story about his father," Billie Joe said defending what he knew to be true. Mike was shocked yet happy. He knew his best friend Billie Joe; he knew that Billie Joe had never forgotten Adrienne, for he still carried an old photograph of her in his wallet. And Billie Joe had never married or gotten serious with another woman after Adrienne; he only had one-night stands with girls he could care less about. "But it's got to be too late, I mean, she wouldn't remember me, right?" Billie Joe asked Mike. All the other guys sat confused and speechless at the conversation between their two friends, they had never met Adrienne nor had they heard of her.
"I don't think she could Billie, she had your baby, if he is yours," Mike reasoned. Billie nodded slightly, his head cloudy with too many thoughts and questions.
Joey came out of the kitchen and approached the table with a bill in his hand, he set it down. Ronnie Blake picked it up, "Kid, you had to add this up wrong. It can't only be $10.56," he said. But the kid shrugged. Only ten and a half dollars for six meals, it didn't seem right.
"No, our prices are really cheap. We figured it would draw in a crowd, but no luck yet. In fact, we're closing down since business has been so bad," he said.
He seemed saddened by this news; his eyes were actually tearing up and he could barely force a smile. Mike was taking pity on him, he felt awful for the kid, but now he couldn't stop looking the kid over; he couldn't deny he looked like Billie Joe, this kid was like a replica of his best friend.
"Is this a family business?" Mike asked interested. The diner seemed like a pretty special and sentimental place for the kid.
The boy smiled, "Oh yeah, my mom is working back in the kitchen actually," he said proudly. Billie's heart did flips, she was back here. She was in the same building as him and she had just cooked his meal. Good god, was this really happening he thought.
"Your mom is back there?" Billie Joe asked the kid almost breathlessly as he pointed to the closed kitchen door. The kid looked at him funny and shrugged.
"Yeah," he said obviously unsettled by how much this man was interested in his mother. "Why, do you wanna like rape her or something? You seem really concerned about her," he said trying to look tough.
Billie Joe could tell this kid was protective of his mom, probably cause she was all he had. Billie Joe smiled at the thought of this kid inspecting and interrogating everyman who was interested in dating his mother.
"No, no, I just thought..uh, I don't know. I guess she sounded familiar," Billie
Joe tried to save himself. He should probably stay on this kid's good side, especially if he was his son.
"I really didn't say that much about her," Joey argued with the man he always dreamed of meeting.
Billie Joe sighed and got up from his seat, "Look kid, you didn't have to. I think I know your mom, I'd like to meet her," he said. Billie Joe knew his request was a bit forward but he had to see her, if it was her. Joey eyed Billie Joe suspiciously.
The rest of the guys sat at the table somewhat uncomfortable, but yet confused, except for Mike. He was the only other one who really knew what was going on.
"I already told my mother Green Day was here. She's a big fan, you know? But she said she doesn't want to meet you, and anyway, no customers are allowed back in the kitchen," Joey said.
Billie Joe sighed in frustration, he was getting nowhere with this kid. He had to give some information to this kid to let him see his mother.
"Joey, I think I used to have a relationship with your mom, look, it is very important that I meet her," Billie Joe reasoned with Joey, who was now getting a little annoyed.
"How long ago?" Joey asked getting interested all of the sudden. Billie Joe's heart raced, the kid couldn't be figuring all this out in his head, could he? Fuck Billie thought, Joey couldn't know, not yet.
"Doesn't matter," Billie said trying to cover up his last answer. Joey didn't break, he wasn't going to let some rockstar harass his mother.
"Yes it does. It matters to me," he said his eyes getting teary once again. His voice cracked when he said it, he was getting upset. He had to know, he had to of figured it out thought Billie Joe.
"I...I just need to see her," Billie Joe pleaded the boy.
Joey wiped his face to conceal his tears, he didn't want to break down in front of a bunch of guys. That would be awkward, but it was already awkward. "Is it you? Are you him?" Joey asked with a cracking voice. Billie Joe knew what he was asking and looked down at his shoes.
"Yeah, I think I am," Billie Joe said guiltily. He heard the boy sigh, Billie Joe felt horrible but amazed all at the same time. He had made a child, but he had missed the boy's entire childhood.
"I'll get her, she'll see you now that I know," he said turning away slowly and then vanishing into the kitchen once more.
Joey returned to his barstool and sat thinking about the past few minutes. The man he idolized, was looking at him funny and asking him odd questions, not something he expected from a rockstar. But he soon forgot all those thoughts and wondered about the concert tonight, he had never been to a concert before in his life. He was excited but nervous at the same time. His mother had told him he would have a great time, for she herself went to many concerts.
In fact, it was his mother who had gotten him into Green Day. It was a weird thought, she was the only mother he knew that liked the band; usually mothers despised Green Day for giving their children certain thoughts or influencing the way they behaved. But his mother was different.
Joey looked over at the band, they were done with their coffee. He got up and went to their table. "Would you like a refill?" he asked them all.
"We're good, we gotta get going. Get ready for the big show, you know?" Mike said. Joey nodded but frowned.
"I'll just go get your bill," he said quietly. He went into the kitchen and the guys were left alone in the diner.
"I feel bad for the kid, seems a bit lonely," Jason Freese said. All the guys nodded.
"Maybe he could close up the diner early and go watch us warm up," Billie Joe said. All the guys looked at him confused. Billie usually wasn't one to get friendly with the fans, but they could all tell the difference when he started asking the boy questions.
"Billie, what is going on with you?" Tré asked seriously. Tré wasn't the serious type but he was worried about his friend.
"Mike, do you remember Adrienne?" Billie Joe asked his friend who had been with him the longest. Mike thought for a moment.
"Fuck," was all he could say. Everything just clicked; he just understood why Billie Joe had acted weirdly with Joey. "He isn't Bill, he can't be," Mike said.
"It all fits, everything. The name of his mother, his age, even the sad little story about his father," Billie Joe said defending what he knew to be true. Mike was shocked yet happy. He knew his best friend Billie Joe; he knew that Billie Joe had never forgotten Adrienne, for he still carried an old photograph of her in his wallet. And Billie Joe had never married or gotten serious with another woman after Adrienne; he only had one-night stands with girls he could care less about. "But it's got to be too late, I mean, she wouldn't remember me, right?" Billie Joe asked Mike. All the other guys sat confused and speechless at the conversation between their two friends, they had never met Adrienne nor had they heard of her.
"I don't think she could Billie, she had your baby, if he is yours," Mike reasoned. Billie nodded slightly, his head cloudy with too many thoughts and questions.
Joey came out of the kitchen and approached the table with a bill in his hand, he set it down. Ronnie Blake picked it up, "Kid, you had to add this up wrong. It can't only be $10.56," he said. But the kid shrugged. Only ten and a half dollars for six meals, it didn't seem right.
"No, our prices are really cheap. We figured it would draw in a crowd, but no luck yet. In fact, we're closing down since business has been so bad," he said.
He seemed saddened by this news; his eyes were actually tearing up and he could barely force a smile. Mike was taking pity on him, he felt awful for the kid, but now he couldn't stop looking the kid over; he couldn't deny he looked like Billie Joe, this kid was like a replica of his best friend.
"Is this a family business?" Mike asked interested. The diner seemed like a pretty special and sentimental place for the kid.
The boy smiled, "Oh yeah, my mom is working back in the kitchen actually," he said proudly. Billie's heart did flips, she was back here. She was in the same building as him and she had just cooked his meal. Good god, was this really happening he thought.
"Your mom is back there?" Billie Joe asked the kid almost breathlessly as he pointed to the closed kitchen door. The kid looked at him funny and shrugged.
"Yeah," he said obviously unsettled by how much this man was interested in his mother. "Why, do you wanna like rape her or something? You seem really concerned about her," he said trying to look tough.
Billie Joe could tell this kid was protective of his mom, probably cause she was all he had. Billie Joe smiled at the thought of this kid inspecting and interrogating everyman who was interested in dating his mother.
"No, no, I just thought..uh, I don't know. I guess she sounded familiar," Billie
Joe tried to save himself. He should probably stay on this kid's good side, especially if he was his son.
"I really didn't say that much about her," Joey argued with the man he always dreamed of meeting.
Billie Joe sighed and got up from his seat, "Look kid, you didn't have to. I think I know your mom, I'd like to meet her," he said. Billie Joe knew his request was a bit forward but he had to see her, if it was her. Joey eyed Billie Joe suspiciously.
The rest of the guys sat at the table somewhat uncomfortable, but yet confused, except for Mike. He was the only other one who really knew what was going on.
"I already told my mother Green Day was here. She's a big fan, you know? But she said she doesn't want to meet you, and anyway, no customers are allowed back in the kitchen," Joey said.
Billie Joe sighed in frustration, he was getting nowhere with this kid. He had to give some information to this kid to let him see his mother.
"Joey, I think I used to have a relationship with your mom, look, it is very important that I meet her," Billie Joe reasoned with Joey, who was now getting a little annoyed.
"How long ago?" Joey asked getting interested all of the sudden. Billie Joe's heart raced, the kid couldn't be figuring all this out in his head, could he? Fuck Billie thought, Joey couldn't know, not yet.
"Doesn't matter," Billie said trying to cover up his last answer. Joey didn't break, he wasn't going to let some rockstar harass his mother.
"Yes it does. It matters to me," he said his eyes getting teary once again. His voice cracked when he said it, he was getting upset. He had to know, he had to of figured it out thought Billie Joe.
"I...I just need to see her," Billie Joe pleaded the boy.
Joey wiped his face to conceal his tears, he didn't want to break down in front of a bunch of guys. That would be awkward, but it was already awkward. "Is it you? Are you him?" Joey asked with a cracking voice. Billie Joe knew what he was asking and looked down at his shoes.
"Yeah, I think I am," Billie Joe said guiltily. He heard the boy sigh, Billie Joe felt horrible but amazed all at the same time. He had made a child, but he had missed the boy's entire childhood.
"I'll get her, she'll see you now that I know," he said turning away slowly and then vanishing into the kitchen once more.
