Life on Banana Street
Billie's Alive
“Billie’s alive? Where is he?”
“He’s at the hospital. For research or whatever.”
“Tre, this is the greatest day of my life. I have to go see him. There’s so much to tell.”
“Ok, well I’ll drive you over there.” We got in the car and he drove me to the hospital.
“Oh, Adeline. We’ve been expecting you around here.”
“Ok…Is Billie ok?”
“Yes, he’s just being tested. Did you want to see him?” No fucking dur.
“Yes, please.” She smiled and led me to one of the back hallways.
“Here you are, ma’am.” She opened the door and held it open for me to go in. Billie was in there with wires hooked up to him.
“Billie?” I leaned over him. His eyes slowly opened.
“Addie, what are you doing here?”
“I came to see you of course.” I smiled, but I still cried.
“Don’t cry, Addie.” He reached up and wiped my eyes.
“I thought you were dead.”
“I was. Then I got your note.”
“How could you read it?”
“God read it to me, Addie. He gave me life back because of you.” A single tear left my eye and landed on his hand.
“Are you serious?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? How else could you explain coming back to life?” He laughed, but I could tell there was sadness underneath it.
“I love you Billie. I always have.” I kissed him and his eyes closed.
“Don’t ever leave me like that again.” He reached in the desk beside him and pulled out a note.
“Here’s the note.” He handed it to me, in perfect condition as I had left it, but a hint of holiness was there. “Read it to me, Addie.” I wiped my tears and began.
Dear Billie,
I know you probably can’t read this, but I’ll feel better once I get this off my chest. There are many things that I had to tell you before you left, so I’m going to tell you now. Well to start things, if you were still here, you’d be a father. I’m carrying your child but I won’t feel any better if I marry off somebody else. There’s only one someone for me. And that’s you. No matter how many guys I’ve been with, they’ve never treated me like you have. Next, if you are reading this, I’ve probably already married Gabe and divorced him. Because he’s not right for me. I’m probably with Tre. When you left, I never got to tell you anything I meant. When I told you I loved you, it wasn’t from the heart, but this is. I really and truly love you and I will never be happy again without you. You left everyone who cares about you, even though you didn’t know they did. Everyone cares about you in some way. I probably don’t love you more than your mom, but it’s awfully close. Something I did might have caused this all to happen. Because I have hurt others in the past, because I wasn’t there for you when you really needed me. But I really need you right now.
Love always,
Addie
He and I both were sobbing quite a bit. I kissed him again. “Please don’t let that be the last time I get to do that.”
“Never.” I leaned over him and hugged him. I headed towards the door.
“Don’t leave.”
“I have to, visiting hours are over.”
“If you really loved me you’d stay no matter what.” I went back to his bedside and stayed there. Tre came in the door.
“Hey, you coming? Visiting hours are over.”
“Go home. I’ll call you if I need a ride.” He nodded and shut the door silently. Billie reached out his hand for me to grab. I held his hand through the whole night. I woke up in the chair and looked at Billie. He wasn’t there. I walked swiftly down the hall to the front desk lady. “Excuse me, Billie’s gone.”
“Yes, he’s in the test room, he’ll be back in there in a while. You can stay out here until he gets back.” I sat in the chair and waited. “Ma’am, he’s back.” I got up and left the waiting room and went back to his room.
“I thought you were never coming back,” he said as I came into the room.
“I would never leave you.”
“Good news, Ads. I get to go home today.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Will you be the one to take me out of here?”
“Of course I will. Who else would?” He pushed the button on the side of the bed for the nurse. Immediately, one came in.
“Yes Billie? Can I help you?”
“Yes can you tell me when I’ll be able to go home?”
“Oh, anytime you like.”
“Great. So I can leave right now?”
“Do you want to leave right now?”
“Yes.”
“Ok, I’ll get the doctor and he’ll unhook you.”
“Addie, come here.” I went over to him.
“Yeah?” He grabbed my hand.
“Don’t get out of my sight again. We’re going to get some payback.”
“Payback to who?”
“The damned person who killed me.”
“Who killed you?”
“Pete.”
“He’s at the hospital. For research or whatever.”
“Tre, this is the greatest day of my life. I have to go see him. There’s so much to tell.”
“Ok, well I’ll drive you over there.” We got in the car and he drove me to the hospital.
“Oh, Adeline. We’ve been expecting you around here.”
“Ok…Is Billie ok?”
“Yes, he’s just being tested. Did you want to see him?” No fucking dur.
“Yes, please.” She smiled and led me to one of the back hallways.
“Here you are, ma’am.” She opened the door and held it open for me to go in. Billie was in there with wires hooked up to him.
“Billie?” I leaned over him. His eyes slowly opened.
“Addie, what are you doing here?”
“I came to see you of course.” I smiled, but I still cried.
“Don’t cry, Addie.” He reached up and wiped my eyes.
“I thought you were dead.”
“I was. Then I got your note.”
“How could you read it?”
“God read it to me, Addie. He gave me life back because of you.” A single tear left my eye and landed on his hand.
“Are you serious?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? How else could you explain coming back to life?” He laughed, but I could tell there was sadness underneath it.
“I love you Billie. I always have.” I kissed him and his eyes closed.
“Don’t ever leave me like that again.” He reached in the desk beside him and pulled out a note.
“Here’s the note.” He handed it to me, in perfect condition as I had left it, but a hint of holiness was there. “Read it to me, Addie.” I wiped my tears and began.
Dear Billie,
I know you probably can’t read this, but I’ll feel better once I get this off my chest. There are many things that I had to tell you before you left, so I’m going to tell you now. Well to start things, if you were still here, you’d be a father. I’m carrying your child but I won’t feel any better if I marry off somebody else. There’s only one someone for me. And that’s you. No matter how many guys I’ve been with, they’ve never treated me like you have. Next, if you are reading this, I’ve probably already married Gabe and divorced him. Because he’s not right for me. I’m probably with Tre. When you left, I never got to tell you anything I meant. When I told you I loved you, it wasn’t from the heart, but this is. I really and truly love you and I will never be happy again without you. You left everyone who cares about you, even though you didn’t know they did. Everyone cares about you in some way. I probably don’t love you more than your mom, but it’s awfully close. Something I did might have caused this all to happen. Because I have hurt others in the past, because I wasn’t there for you when you really needed me. But I really need you right now.
Love always,
Addie
He and I both were sobbing quite a bit. I kissed him again. “Please don’t let that be the last time I get to do that.”
“Never.” I leaned over him and hugged him. I headed towards the door.
“Don’t leave.”
“I have to, visiting hours are over.”
“If you really loved me you’d stay no matter what.” I went back to his bedside and stayed there. Tre came in the door.
“Hey, you coming? Visiting hours are over.”
“Go home. I’ll call you if I need a ride.” He nodded and shut the door silently. Billie reached out his hand for me to grab. I held his hand through the whole night. I woke up in the chair and looked at Billie. He wasn’t there. I walked swiftly down the hall to the front desk lady. “Excuse me, Billie’s gone.”
“Yes, he’s in the test room, he’ll be back in there in a while. You can stay out here until he gets back.” I sat in the chair and waited. “Ma’am, he’s back.” I got up and left the waiting room and went back to his room.
“I thought you were never coming back,” he said as I came into the room.
“I would never leave you.”
“Good news, Ads. I get to go home today.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Will you be the one to take me out of here?”
“Of course I will. Who else would?” He pushed the button on the side of the bed for the nurse. Immediately, one came in.
“Yes Billie? Can I help you?”
“Yes can you tell me when I’ll be able to go home?”
“Oh, anytime you like.”
“Great. So I can leave right now?”
“Do you want to leave right now?”
“Yes.”
“Ok, I’ll get the doctor and he’ll unhook you.”
“Addie, come here.” I went over to him.
“Yeah?” He grabbed my hand.
“Don’t get out of my sight again. We’re going to get some payback.”
“Payback to who?”
“The damned person who killed me.”
“Who killed you?”
“Pete.”