Life on Banana Street
Another Baby
Billie and I were asleep on the couch with empty whipped cream cans laying everywhere. I looked out the window to see everyone’s car white with condoms stuck to their windshields. I laughed to myself. I turned around and Billie was in my face but his eyes were still closed. “Good morning?”
“Morning.” He leaned in for a kiss.
“Not now. I don’t feel good.” He sighed.
“Ok. Whatever happened to your freaky little friend Jeff?”
“Hmm I don’t know. I should give him a call and I should catch up with him.”
“Wait,” he said.
“What?”
“I was thinking we could talk about something.”
“Talk about what?”
“Baby names.” I stared at him funny.
“Unless you’re pregnant I don’t want to talk about that right now,” I said.
“No, I’m serious. I want to have another baby,” he said holding my hand.
“Y-You? You do?” A smile appeared across my face.
“Yeah. I do. And I was thinking we could get started after the tour.” I put my head on his chest.
“This is the best idea you’ve ever had.” I paused, seeing his face. “Well one of them.” We sat on the couch, close together, looking in the backyard full of blossoms. “What about a boy,” I asked, him stroking my arm giving me goosebumps.
“Hmm I like Tre,” he said thoughtfully. I turned my head up to him.
“Sounds good, but too cheesy.” He laughed heartily.
“Yeah I agree.”
“Well…I’ve always wanted a kid named Lalalala.” I laughed.
“I don’t think so.”
“What’s wrong with Lalalala?”
“It reminds me of an old comic friend of mine,” I said thinking about him.
“Is this someone I should know about?”
“No. I met him in camp and he is the funniest man you’ll ever meet. Dane Cook.”
“Oh, well what do you like?” He asked me.
“I’ve always liked the name Jake. Can we have a boy named Jake?” He kissed my nose.
“Anything for you.”
“What about a girl?” I asked after a minute.
“Lydia,” Billie said.
“Sounds gothic. I don’t want anything named gothic.”
“Your names gothic,” he said.
“It is not!”
“Is too!” I put my head back on his shoulder.
“Well I like Lily.”
“Cute. But it seems close to Lydia.”
“Lydia is like something from Beetlejuice.” He laughed again.
“So you’re all for having another kid?” I nodded.
“Of course. Anything for you.”
-A Few More Minutes Later-
“We have to stop cussing around Joey, Bill. It’s gonna catch on to him.”
“Yeah you’re right. But I can’t help it you know? It’s like an addiction.”
“I know, but I didn’t say just you. I meant me too. I have a bad habit, too. You know what I feel like doing?” I said.
“Well there’s always-”
“Listening to 409 In Your Coffeemaker.”
“Or that, too.”
“Oh,” I said depressed.
“What’s wrong?” He asked.
“I was listening to this song when I came home to find Tre and Carly.”
“It’s ok, Honey,” he said coming over to me and rubbed my shoulders. “It’s long gone now.”
“I guess you’re right. I shouldn’t let ancient history ruin my favorite song.”
-October 10-
Billie, Tre, Mike, Kate, and I were at the local music store to sign autographs. Well not me and Kate but yeah… A whole shit load of teenies came in that store and Billie had to sign at least 6 ass cheeks. “Green Day! Can you play one song off of your new album?” I heard numerous times.
“You know what. I think we will,” Billie said. “Tre, go bring out the drums in the drum part. Mike go get a bass.” Cheering was heard everywhere. I swear the Chinamen on the other side of the Earth could have heard the cheering going on. I had to get some rope and back the people away so Tre could get the drums outside and Billie and Mike get the amps.
“Billie, this is a lot of trouble to go through to play one song,” I whispered to him.
“Heh. Anything for the fans.”
“What are you going to sing?” I asked.
“You’ll see. Alright everybody!” Billie said into the microphone. “This song was written for my lovely wife over there,” he pointed to me and a permanent smile approached my face. “This song’s called Westbound Sign!”
Boxed up
All of her favorite things
Sold the rest at a rainy yard sale
Big plans and leaving friends and a westbound sign
Weighed out, her choices on a scale
Prevailing nothing made sense
Just transportation and a blank decision...
She's taking off
She’s taking off
She’s taking off
She’s taking off
No time and no copping out
She burning daylight and petrol
Blacked out the rearview mirror
Heading westward on
Strung out
On confusion road
And ten minute nervous breakdowns
Xanex a beer for thought
And she’s determined...
She's taking off
She’s taking off
She’s taking off
She’s taking off
Oh is it salvation?
Or an escape from discontent?
Will she find her name
In the California cement?
Punched out of the grind
That punched her one too many times...
Is tragedy 2000 miles away?
She's taking off
I was crying tears of joy when he said that. He wrote that when I wasn’t there for him. I loved him more than ever. After a while, everyone left and Billie was helping to clean up the street for the store keeper. Tre was putting away the instruments back where they go and Mike was putting up the display cases into Tre’s truck. “Billie, I love you for singing that.”
“It was nothing really. It kind of makes me sad, because you weren’t there when I wrote that. And that was the night I died.” I was watering at the eyes and I went over and hugged him.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know anything like that would ever happen. I promise I’ll never leave you again.”
“Morning.” He leaned in for a kiss.
“Not now. I don’t feel good.” He sighed.
“Ok. Whatever happened to your freaky little friend Jeff?”
“Hmm I don’t know. I should give him a call and I should catch up with him.”
“Wait,” he said.
“What?”
“I was thinking we could talk about something.”
“Talk about what?”
“Baby names.” I stared at him funny.
“Unless you’re pregnant I don’t want to talk about that right now,” I said.
“No, I’m serious. I want to have another baby,” he said holding my hand.
“Y-You? You do?” A smile appeared across my face.
“Yeah. I do. And I was thinking we could get started after the tour.” I put my head on his chest.
“This is the best idea you’ve ever had.” I paused, seeing his face. “Well one of them.” We sat on the couch, close together, looking in the backyard full of blossoms. “What about a boy,” I asked, him stroking my arm giving me goosebumps.
“Hmm I like Tre,” he said thoughtfully. I turned my head up to him.
“Sounds good, but too cheesy.” He laughed heartily.
“Yeah I agree.”
“Well…I’ve always wanted a kid named Lalalala.” I laughed.
“I don’t think so.”
“What’s wrong with Lalalala?”
“It reminds me of an old comic friend of mine,” I said thinking about him.
“Is this someone I should know about?”
“No. I met him in camp and he is the funniest man you’ll ever meet. Dane Cook.”
“Oh, well what do you like?” He asked me.
“I’ve always liked the name Jake. Can we have a boy named Jake?” He kissed my nose.
“Anything for you.”
“What about a girl?” I asked after a minute.
“Lydia,” Billie said.
“Sounds gothic. I don’t want anything named gothic.”
“Your names gothic,” he said.
“It is not!”
“Is too!” I put my head back on his shoulder.
“Well I like Lily.”
“Cute. But it seems close to Lydia.”
“Lydia is like something from Beetlejuice.” He laughed again.
“So you’re all for having another kid?” I nodded.
“Of course. Anything for you.”
-A Few More Minutes Later-
“We have to stop cussing around Joey, Bill. It’s gonna catch on to him.”
“Yeah you’re right. But I can’t help it you know? It’s like an addiction.”
“I know, but I didn’t say just you. I meant me too. I have a bad habit, too. You know what I feel like doing?” I said.
“Well there’s always-”
“Listening to 409 In Your Coffeemaker.”
“Or that, too.”
“Oh,” I said depressed.
“What’s wrong?” He asked.
“I was listening to this song when I came home to find Tre and Carly.”
“It’s ok, Honey,” he said coming over to me and rubbed my shoulders. “It’s long gone now.”
“I guess you’re right. I shouldn’t let ancient history ruin my favorite song.”
-October 10-
Billie, Tre, Mike, Kate, and I were at the local music store to sign autographs. Well not me and Kate but yeah… A whole shit load of teenies came in that store and Billie had to sign at least 6 ass cheeks. “Green Day! Can you play one song off of your new album?” I heard numerous times.
“You know what. I think we will,” Billie said. “Tre, go bring out the drums in the drum part. Mike go get a bass.” Cheering was heard everywhere. I swear the Chinamen on the other side of the Earth could have heard the cheering going on. I had to get some rope and back the people away so Tre could get the drums outside and Billie and Mike get the amps.
“Billie, this is a lot of trouble to go through to play one song,” I whispered to him.
“Heh. Anything for the fans.”
“What are you going to sing?” I asked.
“You’ll see. Alright everybody!” Billie said into the microphone. “This song was written for my lovely wife over there,” he pointed to me and a permanent smile approached my face. “This song’s called Westbound Sign!”
Boxed up
All of her favorite things
Sold the rest at a rainy yard sale
Big plans and leaving friends and a westbound sign
Weighed out, her choices on a scale
Prevailing nothing made sense
Just transportation and a blank decision...
She's taking off
She’s taking off
She’s taking off
She’s taking off
No time and no copping out
She burning daylight and petrol
Blacked out the rearview mirror
Heading westward on
Strung out
On confusion road
And ten minute nervous breakdowns
Xanex a beer for thought
And she’s determined...
She's taking off
She’s taking off
She’s taking off
She’s taking off
Oh is it salvation?
Or an escape from discontent?
Will she find her name
In the California cement?
Punched out of the grind
That punched her one too many times...
Is tragedy 2000 miles away?
She's taking off
I was crying tears of joy when he said that. He wrote that when I wasn’t there for him. I loved him more than ever. After a while, everyone left and Billie was helping to clean up the street for the store keeper. Tre was putting away the instruments back where they go and Mike was putting up the display cases into Tre’s truck. “Billie, I love you for singing that.”
“It was nothing really. It kind of makes me sad, because you weren’t there when I wrote that. And that was the night I died.” I was watering at the eyes and I went over and hugged him.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know anything like that would ever happen. I promise I’ll never leave you again.”