Sweet Children......Remember When, chapter 2
He and Mike met out on the steps and walked all the way home, talking about Billie's dad.
"So he's dying?"
Billie nodded and swallowed a small lump in his throat. He finally had a friend. He didn't want him to see him cry.
"Sorry about that, man. My new dad has diabetes. He has to take a shot every day or he'll get sick."
"Yeah."
They both tried to change the subject and they began talking about the guitar.
"My last foster family had a kid who played the guitar. I learned some stuff just from sitting and watching him. He was pretty good. Do you have one?"
"No. Just my dad's. He said he would try and teach me. I know the piano, but I hate it."
Mike laughed. "I wish I had the patience to sit for five minutes to learn it, but I don't."
Billie laughed. They got home and Billie's mom was cooking.
"Mom, this is Mike. He's sorta new."
"Well, hello, Mike. I'm Ollie. Are you staying for dinner?"
"I don't think so, ma'am. My mom's supposed to be cooking. Thanks, though."
"You're a very polite young man," she smiled, patting Mike on the shoulder.
"Man, you're good at being nice," Billie laughed as they walked up to his room.
"Well, I can't say 'Sorry my mom is cooking shit for dinner and I have to go home to make it look like I really give a damn'."
Billie laughed and opened his door. His sister Holly was in his room playing Atari.
"Why are you in here?" he asked.
"Why do you think I'm in here?" she asked, waving the controller.
"Well, get out. We have homework."
"Look at the big man, now. Got a friend and now he's Superman."
"Shut up!" Billie shouted.
She turned off the TV and walked out, shoving Billie into the wall when she left.
"Yeah," Mike said, "Maya is like that, too."
"Try having 4 more just like her," Billie replied, rubbing the back of his head where he had hit the wall. They started working on their homework. Well, sitting with their books open, talking about random stuff.
"Have you ever shot a cat with a bottle rocket?" Mike asked.
"No, but I've closed a cat in the dryer before," Billie said, thinking about Zero. "The dryer and the laundry room caught on fire."
"Damn, Armstrong!"
"I didn't mean to," Billie shrugged.
Mike went home around dinner and Billie went down to eat.
"Where's dad?" he asked.
"He's lying down. He's not feeling well."
"Already?" Ana asked.
"Yeah. You guys are gonna have to help me out around here, even you, Billie."
Billie nodded and picked at his mashed potatoes.
After dinner they cleaned up the table and Ana and Billie washed and dried the dishes. Billie liked Ana more than Holly. She treated him like a human instead of a dog.
"I still don't understand what's wrong with dad."
"He's got a tumor. It's this big hard thing that is growing in his throat."
"So it's choking him?"
"Well, the chemo is supposed to shrink it, but chemo makes you very sick and you lose all your hair."
Billie tried to imagine his father hairless. He couldn't.
"What if he doesn't do the chemo?"
"He may die sooner."
Billie swallowed another lump in his throat. "I don't want him to die, Ana."
She put down the plate she was washing and gave him a hug. "We'll just make him comfortable while he's here. Besides, do you want him to suffer?"
Billie shook his head.
"Then he'll be in a better place," she smiled and ruffled Billie's mop of reddish-brown hair.
He hoped, as he dried the dishes Ana would hand him, that the chemo would make his father better again and he would live to be 100 like Billie always thought he would. But sadly, this was not the case.
School ended a couple of weeks later and Billie and Mike had planned to hang out during the summer. These plans had been slightly altered by Billie's ailing father needing tending to. Billie wanted to be there, though. He tried all he could to make life better for his father. And in return, his father taught him a few things on the guitar from his bed.
"Ok. Put your pinky on that string." He placed Billie's small finger on the string.
"Good. Now play what you know so far."
Billie began playing the opening to an old Elvis Presley song he didn't know. He was going by what his father was telling him.
"You're a natural, son," he smiled weakly. Billie smiled back. He loved making his dad smile. It was like for a split second, he was his old self again. He fell into a fit of coughing and Ollie came in.
"That's enough lessons for today, sweetie," she said to Billie. Billie placed the guitar on the stand next to his dad's bed.
"Oh Billie," Andy choked out. Billie turned around.
"Look in the closet. You're mom and I got you something."
Billie walked over to the closet. It was a small junior acoustic guitar.
"It's just to get you by until your mother can get you a real one."
Billie ran over to his dad and threw his arms around him. "Thank you so much, dad!"
"You're welcome son."
"Come on, Billie, let's let your dad rest."
Billie got his guitar and thanked his dad again and walked back down the hall to his room and called Mike.
"That's awesome man, I have to come see it!"
Mike was over not long after. He marveled at it like it was a pretty girl.
"You're lucky."
"Yeah. Dad said I was a natural."
"You know, I've been here so many times and I've never seen you're dad."
"I'll go ask mom if you can meet him if you want."
"Is he...you know...contagious?"
"Cancer's not contagious!" Billie laughed, finally knowing something about cancer and proud of it.
Ollie let the boys go in for a few minutes. Andy was sitting up with the guitar, plucking the strings absently.
"Dad, this is Mike. I've told you about him."
Andy smiled. "So this is the young man I've heard about."
Billie nodded. He shook Mike's hand.
Andy went into another coughing fit. "Sorry about that. I get short on breath."
"It's ok, sir, I understand."
"Ok, boys. Time to go. Mike are you staying for dinner?"
"No, ma'am. I just came to see the new guitar. It was nice to finally meet you sir." Mike smiled at Andy.
"Same here, son."
Mike and Billie walked downstairs and said their goodbyes. It was the first and last time Mike would talk to Andy.
"So he's dying?"
Billie nodded and swallowed a small lump in his throat. He finally had a friend. He didn't want him to see him cry.
"Sorry about that, man. My new dad has diabetes. He has to take a shot every day or he'll get sick."
"Yeah."
They both tried to change the subject and they began talking about the guitar.
"My last foster family had a kid who played the guitar. I learned some stuff just from sitting and watching him. He was pretty good. Do you have one?"
"No. Just my dad's. He said he would try and teach me. I know the piano, but I hate it."
Mike laughed. "I wish I had the patience to sit for five minutes to learn it, but I don't."
Billie laughed. They got home and Billie's mom was cooking.
"Mom, this is Mike. He's sorta new."
"Well, hello, Mike. I'm Ollie. Are you staying for dinner?"
"I don't think so, ma'am. My mom's supposed to be cooking. Thanks, though."
"You're a very polite young man," she smiled, patting Mike on the shoulder.
"Man, you're good at being nice," Billie laughed as they walked up to his room.
"Well, I can't say 'Sorry my mom is cooking shit for dinner and I have to go home to make it look like I really give a damn'."
Billie laughed and opened his door. His sister Holly was in his room playing Atari.
"Why are you in here?" he asked.
"Why do you think I'm in here?" she asked, waving the controller.
"Well, get out. We have homework."
"Look at the big man, now. Got a friend and now he's Superman."
"Shut up!" Billie shouted.
She turned off the TV and walked out, shoving Billie into the wall when she left.
"Yeah," Mike said, "Maya is like that, too."
"Try having 4 more just like her," Billie replied, rubbing the back of his head where he had hit the wall. They started working on their homework. Well, sitting with their books open, talking about random stuff.
"Have you ever shot a cat with a bottle rocket?" Mike asked.
"No, but I've closed a cat in the dryer before," Billie said, thinking about Zero. "The dryer and the laundry room caught on fire."
"Damn, Armstrong!"
"I didn't mean to," Billie shrugged.
Mike went home around dinner and Billie went down to eat.
"Where's dad?" he asked.
"He's lying down. He's not feeling well."
"Already?" Ana asked.
"Yeah. You guys are gonna have to help me out around here, even you, Billie."
Billie nodded and picked at his mashed potatoes.
After dinner they cleaned up the table and Ana and Billie washed and dried the dishes. Billie liked Ana more than Holly. She treated him like a human instead of a dog.
"I still don't understand what's wrong with dad."
"He's got a tumor. It's this big hard thing that is growing in his throat."
"So it's choking him?"
"Well, the chemo is supposed to shrink it, but chemo makes you very sick and you lose all your hair."
Billie tried to imagine his father hairless. He couldn't.
"What if he doesn't do the chemo?"
"He may die sooner."
Billie swallowed another lump in his throat. "I don't want him to die, Ana."
She put down the plate she was washing and gave him a hug. "We'll just make him comfortable while he's here. Besides, do you want him to suffer?"
Billie shook his head.
"Then he'll be in a better place," she smiled and ruffled Billie's mop of reddish-brown hair.
He hoped, as he dried the dishes Ana would hand him, that the chemo would make his father better again and he would live to be 100 like Billie always thought he would. But sadly, this was not the case.
School ended a couple of weeks later and Billie and Mike had planned to hang out during the summer. These plans had been slightly altered by Billie's ailing father needing tending to. Billie wanted to be there, though. He tried all he could to make life better for his father. And in return, his father taught him a few things on the guitar from his bed.
"Ok. Put your pinky on that string." He placed Billie's small finger on the string.
"Good. Now play what you know so far."
Billie began playing the opening to an old Elvis Presley song he didn't know. He was going by what his father was telling him.
"You're a natural, son," he smiled weakly. Billie smiled back. He loved making his dad smile. It was like for a split second, he was his old self again. He fell into a fit of coughing and Ollie came in.
"That's enough lessons for today, sweetie," she said to Billie. Billie placed the guitar on the stand next to his dad's bed.
"Oh Billie," Andy choked out. Billie turned around.
"Look in the closet. You're mom and I got you something."
Billie walked over to the closet. It was a small junior acoustic guitar.
"It's just to get you by until your mother can get you a real one."
Billie ran over to his dad and threw his arms around him. "Thank you so much, dad!"
"You're welcome son."
"Come on, Billie, let's let your dad rest."
Billie got his guitar and thanked his dad again and walked back down the hall to his room and called Mike.
"That's awesome man, I have to come see it!"
Mike was over not long after. He marveled at it like it was a pretty girl.
"You're lucky."
"Yeah. Dad said I was a natural."
"You know, I've been here so many times and I've never seen you're dad."
"I'll go ask mom if you can meet him if you want."
"Is he...you know...contagious?"
"Cancer's not contagious!" Billie laughed, finally knowing something about cancer and proud of it.
Ollie let the boys go in for a few minutes. Andy was sitting up with the guitar, plucking the strings absently.
"Dad, this is Mike. I've told you about him."
Andy smiled. "So this is the young man I've heard about."
Billie nodded. He shook Mike's hand.
Andy went into another coughing fit. "Sorry about that. I get short on breath."
"It's ok, sir, I understand."
"Ok, boys. Time to go. Mike are you staying for dinner?"
"No, ma'am. I just came to see the new guitar. It was nice to finally meet you sir." Mike smiled at Andy.
"Same here, son."
Mike and Billie walked downstairs and said their goodbyes. It was the first and last time Mike would talk to Andy.
Previous | Page 2/2
