Sweet Children......Remember When, chapter 1
Little Billie Joe Armstrong sat on the couch that hot June day, all alone, eating his bowl of corn flakes and watching television, waiting anxiously for his parents to get home. His father was sick, and he went to the hospital to find out why. His brothers and sisters all had friends to hang out with, but not Billie. He was only ten.
He heard the car pull up in the driveway, and nearly knocked his bowl out of his lap when he got up. His mom, Ollie, came through the door, wiping her eyes.
"Why are you crying?" he asked. She leaned down, kissed him on the forehead, and walked back to her bedroom. Billie walked outside to find his father, Andy, sitting on the porch swing, his head in his hands.
"Dad?" Billie approached his father slowly, placing a hand on his shoulder. Andy looked up, tears in his eyes. Billie had never in his life seen his father, or a grown man, cry.
"Come here, son." He said hoarsely. He had begun loosing his voice a couple of weeks before. They all thought it was laryngitis but it never went away. Billie sat on his knee.
"I'm really sick, Billie. I have cancer."
"Is that bad?"
"Terrible. I may not be around for very long." He said, a fresh tear escaping his eye.
Billie's eyes grew big. "You're gonna die?"
Andy looked down at his feet and nodded.
"Dad, you can't! You were gonna teach me to play guitar. I'll miss you so much! You just can't die now!"
He hugged Billie close and shushed him.
"It's gonna be ok, son. I will do my best to teach you what I can while I'm here. I promise."
He and Billie sat there for a long time before Ollie told them to come inside. That night he got the rest of the family together and told them about it. There was a lot of crying and reminiscing and plans being made about chemo. Billie could hardly bear to hear any of it. He went to bed very early, but never fell asleep. He lay in bed thinking about his father until his mother came knocking on his door.
"Billie Joe, time for school, sweetie."
The exhausted boy crawled out of bed and got ready before he missed the bus. He ate his breakfast and ran out to the bus stop.
The day dragged on and on. Billie fell asleep in English and was sleeping fairly well until Mrs. Applebaum slammed a ruler against his desk.
"Billie Joe, this is the third time today. Go see the principal, he'll wake you up."
Billie walked down the stairs to the principal's office where another little boy, Billie's age by the look of him, was being interrogated.
"Mike, no one has more detentions than you do. Does that make you proud?" asked Principal Cochran.
The boy named Mike just shrugged. The principal sighed and rubbed his face. He made eye contact with Billie.
"Come on in, Armstrong." Mike looked up.
"Why are you here?" Principal Cochran asked.
"I fell asleep in class 3 times today."
"Hey me too!" Mike smiled at Billie. Billie laughed at him.
"Pritchard, please! You are too big for your jeans, son. Go back to class."
Mike shrugged again and got up and walked out the door.
"That Michael Pritchard. He has been here a month and he's already set a record." He sat down at his desk. "You know what, Armstrong, just go on back to class. You know what you did was wrong."
Billie turned around and walked out. Just as he did the bell rang for lunch. He went to the cafeteria, got his tray and sat alone, like he did every day.
He was eating his fish sticks when he heard someone come up and place their tray next to his.
"So you fell asleep in class?" the kid asked.
Billie looked up and saw Mike. He nodded.
"Better than what I did. You know Miss Grisham's class pet?"
"The cockatoo?" Billie asked.
"Yeah. I let it out the window."
Billie's eyes grew big. "Why?"
"I don't know. She said his wings were clipped and he couldn't fly. I wanted to make sure. He can't."
Billie laughed.
"So you're name's Armstrong? Or do you have a first name?"
"It's Billie Joe."
"Well, Billie Joe, I'm Michael Ryan. But please, just call me Mike. I hate that Michael shit."
Billie's jaw dropped. "Did you just say-?"
"Shit? Yeah. You must have been raised right."
Billie found this boy was becoming obnoxious. He liked him more by the second.
"So you've only been here a month?" Billie asked.
"Yeah. I was adopted. Me and my sister Maya. Came here from Oakland."
"What happened to your parents?"
"Not sure. My mom didn't want us so she put us up for adoption."
"That's horrible."
"Yeah, but I turned out ok." He and Billie laughed. They talked all through lunch. When the bell rang, they talked all the way down the hall.
"Do you walk home?" Billie asked.
"Not usually. Why?"
"Just wondering if you wanted to come over after school. I don't live far."
"Sure. My mom doesn't get home till late and I'll see Maya after while and tell her where I am going. See you later, Armstrong." He said, heading toward his next class.
Billie smiled. He had never talked to anyone for so long before. And it turned out they both liked music. He went to his next class feeling 100% awake and ready for the final bell to ring.
He heard the car pull up in the driveway, and nearly knocked his bowl out of his lap when he got up. His mom, Ollie, came through the door, wiping her eyes.
"Why are you crying?" he asked. She leaned down, kissed him on the forehead, and walked back to her bedroom. Billie walked outside to find his father, Andy, sitting on the porch swing, his head in his hands.
"Dad?" Billie approached his father slowly, placing a hand on his shoulder. Andy looked up, tears in his eyes. Billie had never in his life seen his father, or a grown man, cry.
"Come here, son." He said hoarsely. He had begun loosing his voice a couple of weeks before. They all thought it was laryngitis but it never went away. Billie sat on his knee.
"I'm really sick, Billie. I have cancer."
"Is that bad?"
"Terrible. I may not be around for very long." He said, a fresh tear escaping his eye.
Billie's eyes grew big. "You're gonna die?"
Andy looked down at his feet and nodded.
"Dad, you can't! You were gonna teach me to play guitar. I'll miss you so much! You just can't die now!"
He hugged Billie close and shushed him.
"It's gonna be ok, son. I will do my best to teach you what I can while I'm here. I promise."
He and Billie sat there for a long time before Ollie told them to come inside. That night he got the rest of the family together and told them about it. There was a lot of crying and reminiscing and plans being made about chemo. Billie could hardly bear to hear any of it. He went to bed very early, but never fell asleep. He lay in bed thinking about his father until his mother came knocking on his door.
"Billie Joe, time for school, sweetie."
The exhausted boy crawled out of bed and got ready before he missed the bus. He ate his breakfast and ran out to the bus stop.
The day dragged on and on. Billie fell asleep in English and was sleeping fairly well until Mrs. Applebaum slammed a ruler against his desk.
"Billie Joe, this is the third time today. Go see the principal, he'll wake you up."
Billie walked down the stairs to the principal's office where another little boy, Billie's age by the look of him, was being interrogated.
"Mike, no one has more detentions than you do. Does that make you proud?" asked Principal Cochran.
The boy named Mike just shrugged. The principal sighed and rubbed his face. He made eye contact with Billie.
"Come on in, Armstrong." Mike looked up.
"Why are you here?" Principal Cochran asked.
"I fell asleep in class 3 times today."
"Hey me too!" Mike smiled at Billie. Billie laughed at him.
"Pritchard, please! You are too big for your jeans, son. Go back to class."
Mike shrugged again and got up and walked out the door.
"That Michael Pritchard. He has been here a month and he's already set a record." He sat down at his desk. "You know what, Armstrong, just go on back to class. You know what you did was wrong."
Billie turned around and walked out. Just as he did the bell rang for lunch. He went to the cafeteria, got his tray and sat alone, like he did every day.
He was eating his fish sticks when he heard someone come up and place their tray next to his.
"So you fell asleep in class?" the kid asked.
Billie looked up and saw Mike. He nodded.
"Better than what I did. You know Miss Grisham's class pet?"
"The cockatoo?" Billie asked.
"Yeah. I let it out the window."
Billie's eyes grew big. "Why?"
"I don't know. She said his wings were clipped and he couldn't fly. I wanted to make sure. He can't."
Billie laughed.
"So you're name's Armstrong? Or do you have a first name?"
"It's Billie Joe."
"Well, Billie Joe, I'm Michael Ryan. But please, just call me Mike. I hate that Michael shit."
Billie's jaw dropped. "Did you just say-?"
"Shit? Yeah. You must have been raised right."
Billie found this boy was becoming obnoxious. He liked him more by the second.
"So you've only been here a month?" Billie asked.
"Yeah. I was adopted. Me and my sister Maya. Came here from Oakland."
"What happened to your parents?"
"Not sure. My mom didn't want us so she put us up for adoption."
"That's horrible."
"Yeah, but I turned out ok." He and Billie laughed. They talked all through lunch. When the bell rang, they talked all the way down the hall.
"Do you walk home?" Billie asked.
"Not usually. Why?"
"Just wondering if you wanted to come over after school. I don't live far."
"Sure. My mom doesn't get home till late and I'll see Maya after while and tell her where I am going. See you later, Armstrong." He said, heading toward his next class.
Billie smiled. He had never talked to anyone for so long before. And it turned out they both liked music. He went to his next class feeling 100% awake and ready for the final bell to ring.
Page 1/2 | Next
