Life on Banana Street
Man Becomes Father
“What? Why didn’t you tell me you were having a baby?” we heard Mike scream at Ana from the other room.
“Well I would have but someone was being a faggot and not answering their phone!” Ana screamed back.
He was at a loss for words and he came out of her bedroom and sat on the couch with us. “Hey Bill, why didn’t you tell me she was in labor?”
“Well, we were but you were acting like a jerk. So me and Tre decided to just let you find out on your own.”
He buried his face in his hands and then suddenly jerked back up. “I was so stupid. Why didn’t I just answer?”
Me and Addie left Mike and Ana to settle their disputes on their own and we sat our gift on the table next to the door.
“Wow, they have got some issues to work out,” Addie said.
I nodded. “Yeah, I’m glad we don’t bicker like that.”
She laughed. “Geez, fart. No one says bicker anymore.”
I looked at her and smiled. “You just did, didn’t you?”
She stuck her tongue out at me. “So…”
I stopped at a stop sign and pulled her close to me and kissed her. I pulled away.
“Aw, why’d ya stop?” she asked.
“It’s time to go.” I paused and turned on our street. “Tre has a daughter, did you know that?”
She shook her head. “Nope. Who’s the lucky girl?”
I tried to rack my brain for her name but I couldn’t find it. “Uh, Linda, Laura, Lauren, Lindsay, Lisa. I believe it started with an L.”
“Oh. I should call him. I’d like to meet his daughter.”
-Tre’s POV-
“Lisa, come on, please let me see her. Just one day. I have to see her.”
“Tre, I don’t trust you. You could lose her or she could get hurt.”
“Like you’ve never lost her and she’s never gotten hurt before.”
She paused. “Fine Tre. I’ll arrange one day. If everything goes ship-shape and she really wants to see you again, I’ll reconsider adding a day. When do you want her?”
“Friday. 9:00 sharp.”
She sighed. “Alright Tre, see you then.”
I hung up and felt a satisfying urge bolt inside of me like lightning. I lied on the couch with my arms behind my head and the phone rang.
“Yello?” I said into the receiver.
“Hey Tre.”
“Hiya Ads. What’s up?”
“Obviously, your sperm count.”
I laughed. “Yeah, so you heard I’m a D-A-D?”
“Yeah…I’m really happy for you though. I love how something happens to each one of our kids on the same day. Joey has a birthday…Mike has a kid…you find out you have one…”
“Yeah. Weird. So um…why did you call?”
She made the ‘I don’t know’ noise. “Happy Fatherhood.”
-My POV-
“Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!”
“Yes Joey?” I said as he came running into the room.
“Mommy, can we have a doggy?” he asked with wide eyes, suddenly calm.
“Uh, I have to talk about that with Daddy, kay?”
“Mmk, Momma. When’s Daddy gonna be home?”
I shrugged. “Around dinner time. I promise I’ll talk to him about it.”
Really, I was all for the dog idea. I think it’ll teach him responsibility, but I’m not sure about Billie’s reaction. There’s like a 70% chance he’d say yes, but 30% is too much for Joey’s heart to handle when he would find out he couldn’t have a dog. I want a dog too.
Billie came home an hour later and while I was making dinner and Joey was upstairs, I talked to him.
“Bill, hun,” I said.
“Hmm?” he said and took a sip of beer.
“So, um, Joey came and talk to me and he’s like ‘Oh can we have a dog?’ and I said ‘I have to talk to Daddy about that, oh don’t worry Joey I’ll try to convince him’ and then he spotted you walking in the door.” [sorry if this didn’t make sense in any way to anybody]
“Hmm,” he said again. “No, not now. There’s too much going on.”
“What are you talking about? Are you worried that the dog is too much to handle over a newborn?” I almost whined.
“Yes,” he said flatly.
“Ugh. You don’t expect much from me, do you?” I asked.
“What are you talking about?” he asked. “I’m just saying, we have the baby to worry about.”
“Worry? Who’s worrying? I think I won’t do any worrying. Come on, Billie. It would mean so much to us-him.”
“I said, not now,” he said slowly. “After the baby’s born, yes.”
He was so unfair. How could he think that I had too much on my plate? Quite the opposite.
-Tre’s POV-
8:30. 8:36. 8:43. 8:48. 8:55. 8:59. Finally, 9:00. I stared constantly out the window, not taking my eyes off of it for even a millisecond, when I saw Lisa’s blue Corolla pull up on the side of the street. 5 seconds passed and I was already out the door, going to the car. Lisa got out and she looked at me.
“Tre, are you ready to meet your daughter?” she asked and her eyes were very cautious, as if she were thinking she should just get back in the car and drive away, leaving me there, with a deer-caught-in-the-headlights look.
The anxiety was building up inside of me and I had to think of how to speak when she looked at me like I was crazy, or deaf, and didn’t hear her question. I still couldn’t speak, so I told my mind to nod slightly, but it was kind of a Forrest Gump nod/smile when he found out he had a kid, too.
She sighed once more and opened the backdoor, bent down and unlatched what appeared to be a car seat.
Lisa helped her out of the car and held her hand as she came around the back of the car and finally, in my sight for the first time.
I couldn’t think of words to describe her, she was so perfect. Taking mostly Lisa’s genes with a little hint of mine, she was the most beautiful child I’ve ever seen. Hell, any father would say that the first time he’s seen his kid. Because it’s true. And I couldn’t be more happier than I am now.
“Well I would have but someone was being a faggot and not answering their phone!” Ana screamed back.
He was at a loss for words and he came out of her bedroom and sat on the couch with us. “Hey Bill, why didn’t you tell me she was in labor?”
“Well, we were but you were acting like a jerk. So me and Tre decided to just let you find out on your own.”
He buried his face in his hands and then suddenly jerked back up. “I was so stupid. Why didn’t I just answer?”
Me and Addie left Mike and Ana to settle their disputes on their own and we sat our gift on the table next to the door.
“Wow, they have got some issues to work out,” Addie said.
I nodded. “Yeah, I’m glad we don’t bicker like that.”
She laughed. “Geez, fart. No one says bicker anymore.”
I looked at her and smiled. “You just did, didn’t you?”
She stuck her tongue out at me. “So…”
I stopped at a stop sign and pulled her close to me and kissed her. I pulled away.
“Aw, why’d ya stop?” she asked.
“It’s time to go.” I paused and turned on our street. “Tre has a daughter, did you know that?”
She shook her head. “Nope. Who’s the lucky girl?”
I tried to rack my brain for her name but I couldn’t find it. “Uh, Linda, Laura, Lauren, Lindsay, Lisa. I believe it started with an L.”
“Oh. I should call him. I’d like to meet his daughter.”
-Tre’s POV-
“Lisa, come on, please let me see her. Just one day. I have to see her.”
“Tre, I don’t trust you. You could lose her or she could get hurt.”
“Like you’ve never lost her and she’s never gotten hurt before.”
She paused. “Fine Tre. I’ll arrange one day. If everything goes ship-shape and she really wants to see you again, I’ll reconsider adding a day. When do you want her?”
“Friday. 9:00 sharp.”
She sighed. “Alright Tre, see you then.”
I hung up and felt a satisfying urge bolt inside of me like lightning. I lied on the couch with my arms behind my head and the phone rang.
“Yello?” I said into the receiver.
“Hey Tre.”
“Hiya Ads. What’s up?”
“Obviously, your sperm count.”
I laughed. “Yeah, so you heard I’m a D-A-D?”
“Yeah…I’m really happy for you though. I love how something happens to each one of our kids on the same day. Joey has a birthday…Mike has a kid…you find out you have one…”
“Yeah. Weird. So um…why did you call?”
She made the ‘I don’t know’ noise. “Happy Fatherhood.”
-My POV-
“Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!”
“Yes Joey?” I said as he came running into the room.
“Mommy, can we have a doggy?” he asked with wide eyes, suddenly calm.
“Uh, I have to talk about that with Daddy, kay?”
“Mmk, Momma. When’s Daddy gonna be home?”
I shrugged. “Around dinner time. I promise I’ll talk to him about it.”
Really, I was all for the dog idea. I think it’ll teach him responsibility, but I’m not sure about Billie’s reaction. There’s like a 70% chance he’d say yes, but 30% is too much for Joey’s heart to handle when he would find out he couldn’t have a dog. I want a dog too.
Billie came home an hour later and while I was making dinner and Joey was upstairs, I talked to him.
“Bill, hun,” I said.
“Hmm?” he said and took a sip of beer.
“So, um, Joey came and talk to me and he’s like ‘Oh can we have a dog?’ and I said ‘I have to talk to Daddy about that, oh don’t worry Joey I’ll try to convince him’ and then he spotted you walking in the door.” [sorry if this didn’t make sense in any way to anybody]
“Hmm,” he said again. “No, not now. There’s too much going on.”
“What are you talking about? Are you worried that the dog is too much to handle over a newborn?” I almost whined.
“Yes,” he said flatly.
“Ugh. You don’t expect much from me, do you?” I asked.
“What are you talking about?” he asked. “I’m just saying, we have the baby to worry about.”
“Worry? Who’s worrying? I think I won’t do any worrying. Come on, Billie. It would mean so much to us-him.”
“I said, not now,” he said slowly. “After the baby’s born, yes.”
He was so unfair. How could he think that I had too much on my plate? Quite the opposite.
-Tre’s POV-
8:30. 8:36. 8:43. 8:48. 8:55. 8:59. Finally, 9:00. I stared constantly out the window, not taking my eyes off of it for even a millisecond, when I saw Lisa’s blue Corolla pull up on the side of the street. 5 seconds passed and I was already out the door, going to the car. Lisa got out and she looked at me.
“Tre, are you ready to meet your daughter?” she asked and her eyes were very cautious, as if she were thinking she should just get back in the car and drive away, leaving me there, with a deer-caught-in-the-headlights look.
The anxiety was building up inside of me and I had to think of how to speak when she looked at me like I was crazy, or deaf, and didn’t hear her question. I still couldn’t speak, so I told my mind to nod slightly, but it was kind of a Forrest Gump nod/smile when he found out he had a kid, too.
She sighed once more and opened the backdoor, bent down and unlatched what appeared to be a car seat.
Lisa helped her out of the car and held her hand as she came around the back of the car and finally, in my sight for the first time.
I couldn’t think of words to describe her, she was so perfect. Taking mostly Lisa’s genes with a little hint of mine, she was the most beautiful child I’ve ever seen. Hell, any father would say that the first time he’s seen his kid. Because it’s true. And I couldn’t be more happier than I am now.