Life on Banana Street
You Killed Him!
-The Next Day-
“Billie, will you be ok here for a while?”
“Why where are you going?”
“I’m going to the court to file these divorce papers.”
“Ok, just be back in time to go fight Pete.” I rolled my eyes and left. I arrived a little bit later and as relieving as it was, there was barely anyone there. So I went to the old lady.
“Oh, you’re back. I thought I told you to take it to your lawyer.”
“You did, but isn’t there an easier way to just give it to you now?” She nodded. “Well here you go.” I almost threw the papers at her. I left, but she said, “Wait miss!” Yeah right, just gonna give me some more dirty looks. I got home and Billie was up and about. “Look who’s feeling better.” He smiled.
“Yeah. I’ve been thinking. We should go out tonight.” Would Tre be ok with it?
“Sure, but I don’t know about Tre.”
“What about him?”
“Because I was sort of living with him and I don’t want to give him the wrong idea.”
“Well you can still live with him, I just want to take you out to dinner. To celebrate me being alive.” I smiled weakly and said, “Sure, what could it hurt?”
“Nothing more than a fly.” We were at the restaurant.
“Billie, you should have told me we were coming to a nice place like this! I would have dressed up more.”
“Yeah like I’m dressed up, Addie. I never am.”
“Exactly but I like to look nice every once in a while.”
“You look fine. You couldn’t look more beautiful.” I blushed and smiled. “See there’s the smile I know.” He brushed my cheek and the waiter came to take our orders.
“Oh, Mr. Armstrong, how is life?”
“Better than death I can tell you that right now.” He chuckled. He was staring at Billie for a good few seconds when he realized he was a waiter.
“Oh, what will you have ma’am?”
“Um…I’d like the chicken fried steak. Small.”
“Ok. Baked potato or mashed potatoes?”
“Mashed.”
“Ok. And for you sir?”
“The chopped salad please.”
“Alright. I’ll be right back with your orders. Enjoy your bread.” I felt like a homeless person. Eating bread… Billie scooted next to me in the booth and put his arm around me.
“I thought you said this wouldn’t get out of hand.”
“It’s not. I’m sure Tre will understand.”
“He might not. I mean he thinks I love him. I just let him in my life and let him go just like that?”
“Well tell him that he just misunderstood. In the meantime…” He reached his head around and kissed me.
“No Billie. Not now. I’m not in the mood. Remember, I’m pregnant.” He nodded while taking a drink of beer. After the food arrived and I took my first few bites, I said, “I’m sorry Billie. You know I love you. I just have mood swings all the time, so you gotta be prepared for that.” He put down his fork.
“I know, and I’m willing to work with you.”
“What are you talking about? I have to take care of this kid.”
“Not if I have anything to say about it.” I stopped eating and my cheeks were full like a squirrel’s.
“Marry me, Adeline Hersh. Be mine. Forever and ever.” I swallowed my food.
“Well this isn’t the most romantic way to propose. I just stuffed my face and everything.” He looked down to his salad.
“You won’t will you?” I placed my hands on his face to make him look at me.
“Of course I will. After all, I do need some help with your child.” His face looked like it brightened up right in front of my eyes. He kissed me. “I love you Billie. I would never say no to you.” We hugged for a while. “Uh Billie, I’m getting cranky because of my mood swings.” He let me go immediately and I dug into my food. He looked at me in disgust.
“Jesus Nicky.” I looked up at him still eating.
“That’s not very nice.” He gloated at his insult. After dinner, we went back home. We were in the door just kissing. Then he pushed me on the couch. He was getting aggressive. B-E Aggressive. “Billie, before this goes anywhere-”
“Let me guess. You’re not in the mood.”
“Exactly.” He got off of me looking pissed.
“Look, Bill. You said you’d work around it.”
“I know, I know. And I will. Hey Ads, what happened to your apartment?” Billie asked.
“Gabe’s living there.”
“And you’re ok with that?”
“Well no. I mean some of my stuff is still there.”
“Let’s go get it. And while we’re at it, let’s kick his ass.”
“Why would I do that Gabe didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I wasn’t talking about Gabe. I was talking about Pete.”
“Oh sure. I don’t care about him.”
“Ok let’s go.” I opened my door with my key and Gabe was in there with Pete.
“Hey Addie, what are you doing around here?”
“Uh I came to get my stuff. Because I do live here you know.”
“Yeah. Feel free to come and go when you please.” Just as I passed Pete, he shuddered.
“Pete what the hell are you doing here? You damn 15 year old.”
“As a matter of fact, Gabe happened to invite me over.”
“He doesn’t have pot, I’m sorry to destroy your dreams.”
“I don’t want pot. Today.” I rolled my eyes.
“Well if you’ll excuse me-” There was a loud gooshy noise. I looked behind me and Billie had punched Pete and he was knocked out on the ground.
“How do you like them apples!? Huh?! You think it’s nice to be dead?!”
“Billie, I think you did kill him.” I was bent over him feeling his heart beat. “Nothing.”
“Well he killed me! Payback!”
“Billie, I never knew you would stoop to this level. Maybe I shouldn’t marry you after all.”
“Billie, will you be ok here for a while?”
“Why where are you going?”
“I’m going to the court to file these divorce papers.”
“Ok, just be back in time to go fight Pete.” I rolled my eyes and left. I arrived a little bit later and as relieving as it was, there was barely anyone there. So I went to the old lady.
“Oh, you’re back. I thought I told you to take it to your lawyer.”
“You did, but isn’t there an easier way to just give it to you now?” She nodded. “Well here you go.” I almost threw the papers at her. I left, but she said, “Wait miss!” Yeah right, just gonna give me some more dirty looks. I got home and Billie was up and about. “Look who’s feeling better.” He smiled.
“Yeah. I’ve been thinking. We should go out tonight.” Would Tre be ok with it?
“Sure, but I don’t know about Tre.”
“What about him?”
“Because I was sort of living with him and I don’t want to give him the wrong idea.”
“Well you can still live with him, I just want to take you out to dinner. To celebrate me being alive.” I smiled weakly and said, “Sure, what could it hurt?”
“Nothing more than a fly.” We were at the restaurant.
“Billie, you should have told me we were coming to a nice place like this! I would have dressed up more.”
“Yeah like I’m dressed up, Addie. I never am.”
“Exactly but I like to look nice every once in a while.”
“You look fine. You couldn’t look more beautiful.” I blushed and smiled. “See there’s the smile I know.” He brushed my cheek and the waiter came to take our orders.
“Oh, Mr. Armstrong, how is life?”
“Better than death I can tell you that right now.” He chuckled. He was staring at Billie for a good few seconds when he realized he was a waiter.
“Oh, what will you have ma’am?”
“Um…I’d like the chicken fried steak. Small.”
“Ok. Baked potato or mashed potatoes?”
“Mashed.”
“Ok. And for you sir?”
“The chopped salad please.”
“Alright. I’ll be right back with your orders. Enjoy your bread.” I felt like a homeless person. Eating bread… Billie scooted next to me in the booth and put his arm around me.
“I thought you said this wouldn’t get out of hand.”
“It’s not. I’m sure Tre will understand.”
“He might not. I mean he thinks I love him. I just let him in my life and let him go just like that?”
“Well tell him that he just misunderstood. In the meantime…” He reached his head around and kissed me.
“No Billie. Not now. I’m not in the mood. Remember, I’m pregnant.” He nodded while taking a drink of beer. After the food arrived and I took my first few bites, I said, “I’m sorry Billie. You know I love you. I just have mood swings all the time, so you gotta be prepared for that.” He put down his fork.
“I know, and I’m willing to work with you.”
“What are you talking about? I have to take care of this kid.”
“Not if I have anything to say about it.” I stopped eating and my cheeks were full like a squirrel’s.
“Marry me, Adeline Hersh. Be mine. Forever and ever.” I swallowed my food.
“Well this isn’t the most romantic way to propose. I just stuffed my face and everything.” He looked down to his salad.
“You won’t will you?” I placed my hands on his face to make him look at me.
“Of course I will. After all, I do need some help with your child.” His face looked like it brightened up right in front of my eyes. He kissed me. “I love you Billie. I would never say no to you.” We hugged for a while. “Uh Billie, I’m getting cranky because of my mood swings.” He let me go immediately and I dug into my food. He looked at me in disgust.
“Jesus Nicky.” I looked up at him still eating.
“That’s not very nice.” He gloated at his insult. After dinner, we went back home. We were in the door just kissing. Then he pushed me on the couch. He was getting aggressive. B-E Aggressive. “Billie, before this goes anywhere-”
“Let me guess. You’re not in the mood.”
“Exactly.” He got off of me looking pissed.
“Look, Bill. You said you’d work around it.”
“I know, I know. And I will. Hey Ads, what happened to your apartment?” Billie asked.
“Gabe’s living there.”
“And you’re ok with that?”
“Well no. I mean some of my stuff is still there.”
“Let’s go get it. And while we’re at it, let’s kick his ass.”
“Why would I do that Gabe didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I wasn’t talking about Gabe. I was talking about Pete.”
“Oh sure. I don’t care about him.”
“Ok let’s go.” I opened my door with my key and Gabe was in there with Pete.
“Hey Addie, what are you doing around here?”
“Uh I came to get my stuff. Because I do live here you know.”
“Yeah. Feel free to come and go when you please.” Just as I passed Pete, he shuddered.
“Pete what the hell are you doing here? You damn 15 year old.”
“As a matter of fact, Gabe happened to invite me over.”
“He doesn’t have pot, I’m sorry to destroy your dreams.”
“I don’t want pot. Today.” I rolled my eyes.
“Well if you’ll excuse me-” There was a loud gooshy noise. I looked behind me and Billie had punched Pete and he was knocked out on the ground.
“How do you like them apples!? Huh?! You think it’s nice to be dead?!”
“Billie, I think you did kill him.” I was bent over him feeling his heart beat. “Nothing.”
“Well he killed me! Payback!”
“Billie, I never knew you would stoop to this level. Maybe I shouldn’t marry you after all.”