Life on Banana Street
Addie's Mom
-A Few Weeks Later-
"Mom! Stop! I'll call 911!"
"You do that and you won't live to see the cops! You slut! How could you go out with someone? You're just
a child!"
"Mom! I'm in 8th grade! I'm not a child!"
"You're not a child? Ok! Let's see you raise a child! With such a slut you are you're probably already pregnant!"
"Mom, leave me alone! You don't know what's going on in my life!"
"Yeah? Well, listen to this!"
She let up on the beating and walked over to the phone and pushed a button.
"Hey Hershey! It's Billie. I was wondering if you wanted to go to the movies on Friday. Call me back."
"You slut! You're going to a dark movie theater and get pregnant."
"Mom! Shut the hell up!"
I ran to my room as she chased me with a rock from the fish tank. I locked the door and quickly packed my bags. I could hear my mom beating on the door. As quietly as I could, I opened the window and climbed out. And you can guess where I went. Billie's.
I knocked and his mom and his mom answered.
"Adeline, what are you doing here?"
"Can I stay here for a while? My mom-"
"What did your mom do?" she asked, ushering me in.
"She was beating me because she found out I was going out with Billie."
"Oh yes, Billie's told me and I couldn't be happier. But that is just terrible that your mom has done that.
You're welcome to stay here. You'll always be able to stay here."
"Thank you, Mrs. Armstrong."
She smiled and told me Billie was upstairs.
I knocked on his door and he opened, looking glad to see me.
"Hershey, what are you doing here?'
"My mom beat me again. I can't take it, so I'm staying here."
"Yeah of course, come on in."
I went in and set down my bag.
"Thank you, Billie. You don't know what this means to me."
He came over and hugged me.
-The Next Day, 8th Period-
The bell was about to ring when Nicky came back from the bathroom. I feel sorry for the toilet.
The bell rang and Nicky got in the door, but didn't come back in. He was stuck in the doorway. There was complete chaos in the room. We were going to be trapped inside the room for the rest of our lives. Or at least until Nicky can't eat and he goes anorexic. Then he'll be able to get out.
"Oh God! We'll be stuck in this room FOREVER!!" a student screamed.
"Mr. Fedie! Help! Call the fire department! USE THE 409!!"
"Everyone stay calm, assistance with arrive momentarily."
"We'll never get out! Nicky is in the doorway!"
"It's funny, he left and went to the bathroom. You'd think he'd be lighter when he came back," I said.
Once again, everyone started laughing.
-A Few Hours Later-
"3, 2, 1! Pull!" yelled a fire department guy. "We got him!"
All hell broke loose. Everyone ran out of the door so fast it wasn't funny.
I walked out slowly, taking my time not wanting to go home. Or anywhere close.
Suddenly, my friend Jeff came behind me.
"Hey Hershey! What's up? I was about to stab my pencil into Nicky. He would have popped and flew everywhere. We would have gotten out a lot sooner."
I laughed. "Jeff, you're so weird."
"Yeah!"
He stopped and bent down. "You dropped your pencil you dumbass."
"Thank you."
"I can't believe you're going out with Billie. I mean, you could go out with someone a lot more popular."
"Yeah, but it wouldn't be the same. I don't care if he's not popular. I like his attitude. Pissed."
"You say I'm weird."
"Yeah, actually I do. Jeff, can I come over?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"My mom. Or as I like to call her The Creature from the Lagoon."
"Wow. But yeah you can come over."
"Thanks."
-Jeff's House-
"Wow. I come over and you start jumping on the bed. You're so weird."
"Thank you. Yeah, so, want anything to eat? Drink?"
"No, I don't want to end up like Nicky. I could use some Coke though."
"What kind? Drink or Snorts?"
"Drink."
"Riiiiiiight."
We got back downstairs and he was fixing I don't know what.
"So, I need some chocolate sauce, root beer, ice cream, and a banana."
"What the hell? Trying to get me fat, huh?"
"No... it's Jeff's Special Root Beer Float. Made special just for you."
"Aww. Thanks Jeff."
"No problem. Yeah, so what's shakin' with your mom?"
"She thinks I'm gonna get pregnant... from Billie."
He started laughing. "Get pregnant from Billie? Come on! Billie's the shyest thing ever!"
"Yeah, well he's not so shy around me. I don't mean it like that. He's just a lot more... open."
"No, you'll be the open one."
"Jeff, you're so sick."
"Yeah. Well, what did your mom do exactly."
"Ok, she heard the message Billie left me on my answering machine. He asked me to the movie theater. She thought I was going there and gonna get pregnant."
"That's really sad. How did you and Billie meet anyway?"
"I've known him since... I was about 2."
"Wow. And you've known me forever. We were born at the same period of time 13 years ago."
"Yeah."
Which reminds me. Jeff and I had always had our birthdays together. Back when my mom actually had a job and was proud of me. I don't know what happened to her. My dad doesn't care about me either. The only people I could turn to were Billie and Jeff. I never liked going to any girl's house. I was more comfortable with a guy. I wanted to forget about my mom. And just appreciate the moment that I'm not around her, but at a place I've always enjoyed going to.
"Mom! Stop! I'll call 911!"
"You do that and you won't live to see the cops! You slut! How could you go out with someone? You're just
a child!"
"Mom! I'm in 8th grade! I'm not a child!"
"You're not a child? Ok! Let's see you raise a child! With such a slut you are you're probably already pregnant!"
"Mom, leave me alone! You don't know what's going on in my life!"
"Yeah? Well, listen to this!"
She let up on the beating and walked over to the phone and pushed a button.
"Hey Hershey! It's Billie. I was wondering if you wanted to go to the movies on Friday. Call me back."
"You slut! You're going to a dark movie theater and get pregnant."
"Mom! Shut the hell up!"
I ran to my room as she chased me with a rock from the fish tank. I locked the door and quickly packed my bags. I could hear my mom beating on the door. As quietly as I could, I opened the window and climbed out. And you can guess where I went. Billie's.
I knocked and his mom and his mom answered.
"Adeline, what are you doing here?"
"Can I stay here for a while? My mom-"
"What did your mom do?" she asked, ushering me in.
"She was beating me because she found out I was going out with Billie."
"Oh yes, Billie's told me and I couldn't be happier. But that is just terrible that your mom has done that.
You're welcome to stay here. You'll always be able to stay here."
"Thank you, Mrs. Armstrong."
She smiled and told me Billie was upstairs.
I knocked on his door and he opened, looking glad to see me.
"Hershey, what are you doing here?'
"My mom beat me again. I can't take it, so I'm staying here."
"Yeah of course, come on in."
I went in and set down my bag.
"Thank you, Billie. You don't know what this means to me."
He came over and hugged me.
-The Next Day, 8th Period-
The bell was about to ring when Nicky came back from the bathroom. I feel sorry for the toilet.
The bell rang and Nicky got in the door, but didn't come back in. He was stuck in the doorway. There was complete chaos in the room. We were going to be trapped inside the room for the rest of our lives. Or at least until Nicky can't eat and he goes anorexic. Then he'll be able to get out.
"Oh God! We'll be stuck in this room FOREVER!!" a student screamed.
"Mr. Fedie! Help! Call the fire department! USE THE 409!!"
"Everyone stay calm, assistance with arrive momentarily."
"We'll never get out! Nicky is in the doorway!"
"It's funny, he left and went to the bathroom. You'd think he'd be lighter when he came back," I said.
Once again, everyone started laughing.
-A Few Hours Later-
"3, 2, 1! Pull!" yelled a fire department guy. "We got him!"
All hell broke loose. Everyone ran out of the door so fast it wasn't funny.
I walked out slowly, taking my time not wanting to go home. Or anywhere close.
Suddenly, my friend Jeff came behind me.
"Hey Hershey! What's up? I was about to stab my pencil into Nicky. He would have popped and flew everywhere. We would have gotten out a lot sooner."
I laughed. "Jeff, you're so weird."
"Yeah!"
He stopped and bent down. "You dropped your pencil you dumbass."
"Thank you."
"I can't believe you're going out with Billie. I mean, you could go out with someone a lot more popular."
"Yeah, but it wouldn't be the same. I don't care if he's not popular. I like his attitude. Pissed."
"You say I'm weird."
"Yeah, actually I do. Jeff, can I come over?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"My mom. Or as I like to call her The Creature from the Lagoon."
"Wow. But yeah you can come over."
"Thanks."
-Jeff's House-
"Wow. I come over and you start jumping on the bed. You're so weird."
"Thank you. Yeah, so, want anything to eat? Drink?"
"No, I don't want to end up like Nicky. I could use some Coke though."
"What kind? Drink or Snorts?"
"Drink."
"Riiiiiiight."
We got back downstairs and he was fixing I don't know what.
"So, I need some chocolate sauce, root beer, ice cream, and a banana."
"What the hell? Trying to get me fat, huh?"
"No... it's Jeff's Special Root Beer Float. Made special just for you."
"Aww. Thanks Jeff."
"No problem. Yeah, so what's shakin' with your mom?"
"She thinks I'm gonna get pregnant... from Billie."
He started laughing. "Get pregnant from Billie? Come on! Billie's the shyest thing ever!"
"Yeah, well he's not so shy around me. I don't mean it like that. He's just a lot more... open."
"No, you'll be the open one."
"Jeff, you're so sick."
"Yeah. Well, what did your mom do exactly."
"Ok, she heard the message Billie left me on my answering machine. He asked me to the movie theater. She thought I was going there and gonna get pregnant."
"That's really sad. How did you and Billie meet anyway?"
"I've known him since... I was about 2."
"Wow. And you've known me forever. We were born at the same period of time 13 years ago."
"Yeah."
Which reminds me. Jeff and I had always had our birthdays together. Back when my mom actually had a job and was proud of me. I don't know what happened to her. My dad doesn't care about me either. The only people I could turn to were Billie and Jeff. I never liked going to any girl's house. I was more comfortable with a guy. I wanted to forget about my mom. And just appreciate the moment that I'm not around her, but at a place I've always enjoyed going to.