Charlotte's Web

Chapter 5

"What are you thinking about?" Adrienne asked Billie Joe as they cleaned up the kitchen. Neither one of them felt like cooking so they just ordered pizza. The boys were in the game room and Charlotte was in her room. Adrienne noticed that Billie Joe had become rather silent after dinner and had a thoughtful air about him.

"Stuff." He replied placidly as he threw soda cans in the recycling bin.

"Like what?"

Billie Joe leaned on the granite counter and sighed. His mind was such a blur of everything and nothing that it was hard for him to focus in his mind, much less able to explain it to someone else. "I was thinking about you, Charlotte, and... .." Without looking at her, he pointed to her midsection.

"Oh." Adrienne finished wiping the table off. "Billie Joe, you don't need to think about that, I'm going to get it done."

Billie Joe finally faced her and tried to carefully choose his words. "But, that's the thing. I don't want you to."

Adrienne froze mid-stoop to pick up a napkin from the floor. She rose slowly without getting it. "What?"

"I don't want you to have an abortion. I want you to have the baby." Billie Joe said in a more confidant voice.

Adrienne was dumbfounded. "Why? Billie Joe, why are you saying this? You know it's best if I just get it aborted. It's best for you, me, everyone."

"Is it really?" Billie Joe challenged. "Adie, I know you all ready love it, I can tell by the way you're acting. You're always touching your stomach like you did with the boys and I caught you talking to it before dinner."

Adrienne's eyes rose sharply to meet her husband's. He wasn't supposed to see that.

"Plus baby," Billie Joe continued desperately, "This could be our last chance, this is our last chance," He corrected, "To have another kid. You know you want girl."

Adrienne didn't say a word but she knew it was true. Last year when she and Billie Joe decided to try for another child, hopefully a girl, they had gone to the doctor for a check up and found out that Billie Joe could no longer father a child. The doctor explained that it wasn't uncommon but it still shocked the couple. They were only in their thirties, they should still be able to have another child if they wanted to.

Adrienne sat down in one of the chairs and put her arms on the table. "So you're saying that we should keep the baby and you will raise it like it's yours?" Her head was beginning to hurt from this conversation.

Billie Joe crossed over and sat down next to her. "Yeah. I will raise this baby, boy or girl, like it's mine. I want to." He added quickly. Adrienne turned her face to meet his and he was shocked to find her crying. "What?"

"I love you Billie Joe and if you want me to keep it, you have to promise me that you will not ever regret this child. You will not take out my mistake on this baby. I want you to remember this moment and forget how they were conceived. Promise me." Adrienne's teary eyes were focused hard on Billie Joe.

"I promise." The phone rang and Billie Joe reluctantly got up to answer it. "Hello."

"Uh, is Charlotte there?" A guy's voice asked.

"Who's this?" Billie Joe was a little aggravated. She hadn't been under his roof for more than four hours and yet she all ready had guys calling.

"Brice." The voice sounded a bit nervous.

"Brice who?"

"Brice McNeal."

"How do you know Charlotte, Brice?" Billie Joe forced his voice to sound pleasant.

"We met on the plane today and she gave me her number."

Billie Joe remembered him. He was that guy who touched Charlotte on the plane and was talking to her before they left. "Oh, well that's nice. Charlotte doesn't live here so don't bother to call back." Billie Joe snapped as he hung up the phone.

He went back to talk to Adrienne more but she was gone. Seeing that the kitchen was totally cleaned up, Billie Joe walked out and started up the stairs. He went down the hall and came to Charlotte's room and saw Adrienne in there with her, the other phone discarded on the bed. Charlotte, who had apparently been crying after dinner, glared at Billie Joe.

"How could you do that?" She shrieked as she sat up on her bed.

"Do what?" Billie Joe was oblivious as to the reason for her anger at him.

"Tell Brice that I don't live here. Is that what you think? Do you not want me here Billie Joe? You were all gong-ho about it back in Minneapolis but now that we're here is it different? Huh? What's up?" Charlotte was ranting madly at him and wanted to hit him.

"That is fucked up Charlotte and you know it. I told that guy you didn't live here because right now, I don't think you need to be worrying about guys or any bullshit like that." Now, Billie Joe was really aggravated. He was holding on to the threshold, trying to control himself.

"That's not for you to decide!" Charlotte yelled as she stood up in a rage. Adrienne was sitting on the bed, not sure of what to do yet. She had come upstairs to talk to Charlotte but Charlotte had apparently heard what Billie Joe had said to Brice through the phone. "You're not my damn father!"

"Well since he hasn't got the balls to step up and be one, I guess I have to be so fuck that! Don't throw that damn card down Charlotte. You and I both know how he feels about you." Instantly, Billie Joe regretted what he said. He knew that the topic of her father was a sore spot with Charlotte, but he couldn't help himself.

Charlotte's lower lip quivered as she pushed her shoulders back. She was fighting tears. She knew Billie Joe was right, but she didn't like to be reminded of what he said. Her father was a CEO of a very successful company. He was older and married with children, but denied Charlotte and told everyone Julia was a liar. Charlotte didn't miss him in her life, but she would have liked a bit of recognition from him.

"Charlotte, I'm sorry." Billie Joe started but was cut off when Charlotte bolted to the bathroom door that connected to her room. He heard the lock click and a soft sob of tears behind the door.

"Smooth Billie Joe, real smooth." Adrienne said as she got up and brushed past him.

"Look, I didn't mean to say that about her dad, but what I said about the guy, I meant that."

"Billie Joe!" Adrienne exploded, "Charlotte is sixteen years old. She is growing up and you are going to have to break her out of that little girl mold you have her in. You are going to have to let her go and grow up. I know you don't like it, but you are going to have to accept it."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next morning, Billie Joe sat over at Mike's house with Mike and Tre' and brooded to himself. Charlotte hadn't talked to him since the previous night and it was irking him.

"Dude, just chill out. She'll come around," Tre' said as he pulled a beer from the refrigerator.

"When Ramona gets to be sixteen and she starts pulling this shit, come talk to me then. Don't try to tell me to chill out or lighten up or fuck myself." Billie Joe snapped. "She's probably out with him right now."

"I thought she was out with Adrienne shopping for school stuff." Said Mike.

"She is." Billie Joe said ruefully. "But Adrienne seems to think that I am completely out of my mind and she supports Charlotte meeting up with this Brice guy so I wouldn't be surprised to come home and Adrienne telling me that Charlotte is out with Brice and won't be back until late. What the hell kind of name is 'Brice' anyway?"

The phone rang in another room and Mike went to answer it. Once Mike was out of earshot, Tre' leaned forward and in hushed tones asked, "So, are you and Adrienne,... okay?"

"Yeah," Billie Joe said softly. "We're fine."

"And the whole baby thing?"

"We're keeping it."

Tre's eyebrows shot up. "Oh. That's cool, I guess."

"Yeah, but don't tell anyone just yet." Billie Joe warned as he heard Mike's footsteps. "We want to keep this really, really quiet for now."

Tre' simply nodded as Mike sat back down, "What were you talking about?"