Life on Banana Street
The Next One?
I don’t look at this day as a failure. I look at this day as a day we got better. This wasn’t the best time we’ve done this, but we’ve done our best, and you are proud of us either way. You’re a wonderful director, never forget that.
“Oh, Mrs. Armstrong. Back again?” the bitch-ass lady asked me when I walked into the office of the elementary school.
“Yes. I’d like to put Joey back in school.”
“It’s 10:10. Registration was over 10 minutes ago.”
immapunchherinhermouthisweariwill
“Oh. I’ll come back tomorrow.”
She ‘smiled’ and I walked out of the office.
“I won’t get to go to school today?”
“No. But do you wanna go visit uncle Tre?”
“Yeah!”
We drove to Tre’s house and he answered the door with his hair on one side of his head and just boxers.
“Hey Ads. Whatcha doin’ here?”
“Just wanted to stop by and say Hey. Do you mind?”
“Nah, I was just about to cook breakfast.” We walked in and I tried to think of Tre cooking and couldn’t. “Yeah, can I have 3 sausage McGriddles and 3 hash browns and 2 coffees and a chocolate milk?” Tre said into the speaker box.
“That’ll be 4.39.”
I was right. This is as close to cooking as he ever got.
****
The next day I put Joey in school and I had a couple hours to myself. Maybe I should do some Sudoku in the paper. I got 3 in and I realized I was going insane. I had to get out.
Ring. Ring.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Ads. I’m goin’ crazy over here. You wanna come over?”
“Sure. See you in a few.” (with the viper, seconds)
Hannah had found a house around the neighborhood that she currently sustained in.
I drove up Tre’s driveway and put the car in park and just now thought of why in the world I was over here alone. I sat there for a couple minutes when someone knocked on my window.
“Addie, you comin’ out anytime soon?”
I tried to restart my heart and looked up to him. “Yeah, I was just…coming out…”
He stood back so I could get out and we walked to the front door. My heart was going 180 beats per minute and I started thinking of the way he was. After that, he swam over to me and started kissing me. He picked me up and took me upstairs while still kissing me and set me down on the bed.
“Tre, I think I’m ready.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I-I am.”
Tre had taken a prep-trip to McDonald’s and already had some hamburgers on the counter. “Way to think ahead,” I said taking one.
He nodded and smiled and I caught him staring at me, but I didn’t want to let him know I noticed. I shrugged away into the garage to get a couple beers and he set them down next to the hamburgers.
“Thank you.”
When I finished eating, we went into the living room, but halfway there, he started running and jumped over the couch and looked back at me. “Beat you.”
I rolled my eyes and lazily rolled over the back of the couch.
“Don’t you think it’s awkward…that we used to go out?”
“Not really…I find it awkward that you are still thinking about it.”
“Well, damn Adeline. You were a big part of my life. You still are.” He paused for a good while, I was still laying down on my back. “You ever wonder what woulda happened if we’d still been together?”
All the time.
“No, you tell me.”
He waited a while before answering. “We’da gotten married right after high school, had a couple kids. Big ole house with an indoor and outdoor pool, passionate love in and out of the bedroom…”
“You’ve had a while to think about this.”
“I’m a guy in a house alone. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Touché.” He lifted my up to where I was sitting up, which I could tell wasn’t easy because I wasn’t being cooperative and I’d gained 15 pounds.
“Damn you’re not easy to lift up.”
“Nope.”
“…What if Billie never woke up?”
“You know what, I’ve had a lot of time to think about it, and as much as I don’t want it to happen, it’s a possibility, and that scares the living shit out of me, but I’d mourn for a little while, become emotionally unavailable, then after I let myself go and my kids are the size of my legs, I might think of dating.”
He laughed. “No, I’m serious. Would you ever remarry?”
I shrugged. “I dunno…it really depends…I don’t like the thought of it right now, but later on, things could change. Joey and Future Child couldn’t just be supported by me. Like I’d ever work…”
“I got this for today,” Tre said and gave me something wrapped in tissue paper. I felt around and couldn’t believe it, a ring. “If Billie were to pass, would you marry me?”
I stared into his eyes that looked like wet glass and even if I didn’t want to, I couldn’t say no.
“Oh, Mrs. Armstrong. Back again?” the bitch-ass lady asked me when I walked into the office of the elementary school.
“Yes. I’d like to put Joey back in school.”
“It’s 10:10. Registration was over 10 minutes ago.”
immapunchherinhermouthisweariwill
“Oh. I’ll come back tomorrow.”
She ‘smiled’ and I walked out of the office.
“I won’t get to go to school today?”
“No. But do you wanna go visit uncle Tre?”
“Yeah!”
We drove to Tre’s house and he answered the door with his hair on one side of his head and just boxers.
“Hey Ads. Whatcha doin’ here?”
“Just wanted to stop by and say Hey. Do you mind?”
“Nah, I was just about to cook breakfast.” We walked in and I tried to think of Tre cooking and couldn’t. “Yeah, can I have 3 sausage McGriddles and 3 hash browns and 2 coffees and a chocolate milk?” Tre said into the speaker box.
“That’ll be 4.39.”
I was right. This is as close to cooking as he ever got.
****
The next day I put Joey in school and I had a couple hours to myself. Maybe I should do some Sudoku in the paper. I got 3 in and I realized I was going insane. I had to get out.
Ring. Ring.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Ads. I’m goin’ crazy over here. You wanna come over?”
“Sure. See you in a few.” (with the viper, seconds)
Hannah had found a house around the neighborhood that she currently sustained in.
I drove up Tre’s driveway and put the car in park and just now thought of why in the world I was over here alone. I sat there for a couple minutes when someone knocked on my window.
“Addie, you comin’ out anytime soon?”
I tried to restart my heart and looked up to him. “Yeah, I was just…coming out…”
He stood back so I could get out and we walked to the front door. My heart was going 180 beats per minute and I started thinking of the way he was. After that, he swam over to me and started kissing me. He picked me up and took me upstairs while still kissing me and set me down on the bed.
“Tre, I think I’m ready.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I-I am.”
Tre had taken a prep-trip to McDonald’s and already had some hamburgers on the counter. “Way to think ahead,” I said taking one.
He nodded and smiled and I caught him staring at me, but I didn’t want to let him know I noticed. I shrugged away into the garage to get a couple beers and he set them down next to the hamburgers.
“Thank you.”
When I finished eating, we went into the living room, but halfway there, he started running and jumped over the couch and looked back at me. “Beat you.”
I rolled my eyes and lazily rolled over the back of the couch.
“Don’t you think it’s awkward…that we used to go out?”
“Not really…I find it awkward that you are still thinking about it.”
“Well, damn Adeline. You were a big part of my life. You still are.” He paused for a good while, I was still laying down on my back. “You ever wonder what woulda happened if we’d still been together?”
All the time.
“No, you tell me.”
He waited a while before answering. “We’da gotten married right after high school, had a couple kids. Big ole house with an indoor and outdoor pool, passionate love in and out of the bedroom…”
“You’ve had a while to think about this.”
“I’m a guy in a house alone. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Touché.” He lifted my up to where I was sitting up, which I could tell wasn’t easy because I wasn’t being cooperative and I’d gained 15 pounds.
“Damn you’re not easy to lift up.”
“Nope.”
“…What if Billie never woke up?”
“You know what, I’ve had a lot of time to think about it, and as much as I don’t want it to happen, it’s a possibility, and that scares the living shit out of me, but I’d mourn for a little while, become emotionally unavailable, then after I let myself go and my kids are the size of my legs, I might think of dating.”
He laughed. “No, I’m serious. Would you ever remarry?”
I shrugged. “I dunno…it really depends…I don’t like the thought of it right now, but later on, things could change. Joey and Future Child couldn’t just be supported by me. Like I’d ever work…”
“I got this for today,” Tre said and gave me something wrapped in tissue paper. I felt around and couldn’t believe it, a ring. “If Billie were to pass, would you marry me?”
I stared into his eyes that looked like wet glass and even if I didn’t want to, I couldn’t say no.