When I Woke Up This Morning..., chapter 4
I stepped out of the car and into the sun. It was a mildly warm day. Billie and Tre hopped out next to Mike and I. I could hear kids yelling and running around inside. 'I bet that's Joey and Jakob,' I thought silently and smiled. I was going to meet Billie Joe's family!
Mike walked up behind me and placed his arm around my shoulders. They were really shaking. I was embarrassed. This wasn't the first impression I wanted to give to my favorite band in the world.
All four of us walked up to the front door.
"Home, sweet home," Billie said smiling as he opened the door. He had a big house. Not super huge, but it was the biggest house I had ever been in. "Adie! Mike and Tre are here and we brought a friend!" he called to his wife. Her head appeared through the doorway to the kitchen.
"Hey, guys!" he called back happily. "And who's this?" she asked, spotting me.
"This is Valerie Summers. It's a long story," Billie Joe said.
"Well, let's hear it," she said. Adrienne Armstrong was standing in front of us now, wiping her hands on a towel. She must have been cooking. We all sat down on the couch in the living room. Billie was about to begin when his kids burst into the room.
"Mom, Jakob was playing with my toys again when I told him he-" he stopped suddenly, noticing me. He looked dumbstruck.
"Joey's lying, Joey's lying!" Jakob was saying to his mother, not paying attention to me.
"Sweety, don't be rude. Introduce yourself," Adrienne urged while smiling and holding back laughter. The air seemed to be quaking with everyone trying not to burst out in laugher at Joey's reaction. It was really funny. 'Boy, this is awkward,' I thought.
He took a step up to where I was sitting. "Hi, I'm gorgeo- I mean Joey," The room seemed to take another spin at that.
"Hey, buddy, why don't you and your brother go play outside?" Billie suggested to his son.
"Yeah, sure, okay, yeah," Joey said dreamily, still staring at me.
"But mom," Jakob urged.
"Not now, Jakob, go play."
Soon they both left the room. As soon as we heard the back door close, the house exploded with laughter. I even joined in, relieved that the awkward part was over. 'I've never had that happen to me before,' I thought.
"Man! Did you see the look on his face?" Tre was gasping between laughs.
"I don't think he's ever had a girl make him do that!" Billie exclaimed happily. The laughter eventually settled down.
"Well, it makes sense. They are pretty close in age," Adie added. "But anyway, tell about how you met Valerie. I want to know. I bet it's a good story." She seemed eager. Billie started telling the story, but he frequently let Mike fill in details until it was mostly Mike telling the story. Once again, I sat and waited.
When the story was over, Mrs. Armstrong looked over at me with eyes full of sympathy. "Oh, you poor thing. You just sucked up into the whirlwind of Green Day didn't you... .and you don't remember how... ." 'What the fuck? Whirlwind?' I thought to myself, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed to fit. In fact it was the perfect way to describe it.
Someone grabbing my wrist made me just back to what was happening. It was Mike. His eyes were full of concern. "You're still shaking," he observed.
"Why don't you go change in the bathroom and then go sit in the tub for a while? It's down the hall and the first door on the left," Adie was really nice.
"Thanks, I will. Do you have a plastic bag to up my clothes in?" I asked.
"Sure, I go get you one," she got up and left the room.
Mike hugged me to him. I was surprised, but didn't stop him. I rested my head on his side and realized that I was kinda tired. Soon Adrienne was back with a plastic bag. I got up, said thanks, and walked down the hall to the bathroom. Quickly, I changed and stuffed my clothes in the bag. I tied a loose knot and stepped into the hallway. There were no sounds coming from the living room so I peered into the kitchen and Adrienne was there chopping vegetables. She saw me and smiled.
"You can put the bag on the couch. The boys are out back playing with Joey and Jakob," she said to me.
Once again I said thanks. I walked into the living room, dropped the bag on the couch, and headed for the back door. When I got to it, I slid it open and stepped outside. Billie was playing soccer with his kids and Tre and Mike were sitting in chairs on the porch. As soon as Mike saw me, he got up and walked over.
"Hey, we got the hot tub ready for you," he led me over to it and Tre tagged along like a lost puppy. Mike bent down and put a hand in the water. "I think it's warm enough now," he thought outloud. "Go ahead,"
I slowly slid a foot in the water. It was hot but not too hot. My foot touched a step and I put my other foot onto it. Now I was standing in the water. I sat down and moved over to a deeper part of the water, letting the heat soak my body. Soon I in the water up to my neck. It was very soothing. I let out a sigh of relief and pleasure.
Tre moved over to a small panel. He pressed a few buttons and suddenly bubbles swept over the surface of the water. I giggled happily. I like bubbles. Tre smiled.
"Thanks," I said to both Mike and Tre. "I think I'll just sit here a while." So Mike and Tre went back and sat on the porch while I sat there. I don't know exactly how long I sat there. I closed my eyes, leaned back, and just listened to everything. I listened to Billie play with his kids, I listened to Mike talking with Tre. I listened to Tre making dumb jokes about sex. I listened to the birds and the sky. Soon I felt very peaceful. 'You know, this isn't a bad start to a life on my own,' I thought to myself sleepily.
Mike walked up behind me and placed his arm around my shoulders. They were really shaking. I was embarrassed. This wasn't the first impression I wanted to give to my favorite band in the world.
All four of us walked up to the front door.
"Home, sweet home," Billie said smiling as he opened the door. He had a big house. Not super huge, but it was the biggest house I had ever been in. "Adie! Mike and Tre are here and we brought a friend!" he called to his wife. Her head appeared through the doorway to the kitchen.
"Hey, guys!" he called back happily. "And who's this?" she asked, spotting me.
"This is Valerie Summers. It's a long story," Billie Joe said.
"Well, let's hear it," she said. Adrienne Armstrong was standing in front of us now, wiping her hands on a towel. She must have been cooking. We all sat down on the couch in the living room. Billie was about to begin when his kids burst into the room.
"Mom, Jakob was playing with my toys again when I told him he-" he stopped suddenly, noticing me. He looked dumbstruck.
"Joey's lying, Joey's lying!" Jakob was saying to his mother, not paying attention to me.
"Sweety, don't be rude. Introduce yourself," Adrienne urged while smiling and holding back laughter. The air seemed to be quaking with everyone trying not to burst out in laugher at Joey's reaction. It was really funny. 'Boy, this is awkward,' I thought.
He took a step up to where I was sitting. "Hi, I'm gorgeo- I mean Joey," The room seemed to take another spin at that.
"Hey, buddy, why don't you and your brother go play outside?" Billie suggested to his son.
"Yeah, sure, okay, yeah," Joey said dreamily, still staring at me.
"But mom," Jakob urged.
"Not now, Jakob, go play."
Soon they both left the room. As soon as we heard the back door close, the house exploded with laughter. I even joined in, relieved that the awkward part was over. 'I've never had that happen to me before,' I thought.
"Man! Did you see the look on his face?" Tre was gasping between laughs.
"I don't think he's ever had a girl make him do that!" Billie exclaimed happily. The laughter eventually settled down.
"Well, it makes sense. They are pretty close in age," Adie added. "But anyway, tell about how you met Valerie. I want to know. I bet it's a good story." She seemed eager. Billie started telling the story, but he frequently let Mike fill in details until it was mostly Mike telling the story. Once again, I sat and waited.
When the story was over, Mrs. Armstrong looked over at me with eyes full of sympathy. "Oh, you poor thing. You just sucked up into the whirlwind of Green Day didn't you... .and you don't remember how... ." 'What the fuck? Whirlwind?' I thought to myself, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed to fit. In fact it was the perfect way to describe it.
Someone grabbing my wrist made me just back to what was happening. It was Mike. His eyes were full of concern. "You're still shaking," he observed.
"Why don't you go change in the bathroom and then go sit in the tub for a while? It's down the hall and the first door on the left," Adie was really nice.
"Thanks, I will. Do you have a plastic bag to up my clothes in?" I asked.
"Sure, I go get you one," she got up and left the room.
Mike hugged me to him. I was surprised, but didn't stop him. I rested my head on his side and realized that I was kinda tired. Soon Adrienne was back with a plastic bag. I got up, said thanks, and walked down the hall to the bathroom. Quickly, I changed and stuffed my clothes in the bag. I tied a loose knot and stepped into the hallway. There were no sounds coming from the living room so I peered into the kitchen and Adrienne was there chopping vegetables. She saw me and smiled.
"You can put the bag on the couch. The boys are out back playing with Joey and Jakob," she said to me.
Once again I said thanks. I walked into the living room, dropped the bag on the couch, and headed for the back door. When I got to it, I slid it open and stepped outside. Billie was playing soccer with his kids and Tre and Mike were sitting in chairs on the porch. As soon as Mike saw me, he got up and walked over.
"Hey, we got the hot tub ready for you," he led me over to it and Tre tagged along like a lost puppy. Mike bent down and put a hand in the water. "I think it's warm enough now," he thought outloud. "Go ahead,"
I slowly slid a foot in the water. It was hot but not too hot. My foot touched a step and I put my other foot onto it. Now I was standing in the water. I sat down and moved over to a deeper part of the water, letting the heat soak my body. Soon I in the water up to my neck. It was very soothing. I let out a sigh of relief and pleasure.
Tre moved over to a small panel. He pressed a few buttons and suddenly bubbles swept over the surface of the water. I giggled happily. I like bubbles. Tre smiled.
"Thanks," I said to both Mike and Tre. "I think I'll just sit here a while." So Mike and Tre went back and sat on the porch while I sat there. I don't know exactly how long I sat there. I closed my eyes, leaned back, and just listened to everything. I listened to Billie play with his kids, I listened to Mike talking with Tre. I listened to Tre making dumb jokes about sex. I listened to the birds and the sky. Soon I felt very peaceful. 'You know, this isn't a bad start to a life on my own,' I thought to myself sleepily.
