Life on Banana Street
Tuesday, January 26, 1997. 2:14 p.m.
“Billie, I think Joey’s…slow.”
He didn’t pay attention to me. He was watching highlights from last night’s football game.
“Billie!” Still nothing. So I went to the TV and bent down in front of it.
“Yeah babe, you say something?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. What was that?”
“Joey. I think he’s slow.”
“Why would you think that?” he sat back on the couch and pulled his legs to the side to lay down.
“Because I had to go to the principal’s office today and she said that he was having trouble and when we got home, I practiced some adding with him and he threw out numbers that didn’t even make sense.”
“That doesn’t mean he’s slow. It just means that lard ass teacher should help him some more rather than jump to conclusions.”
“But Billie, what if this isn’t just some practice thing? What if his traumatic incidents when he was younger had something to do with his comprehension?”
“Babe, just don’t worry about it. Give it a while. Make him stay after school. Practice more.”
“God, you just don’t care anymore.” I walked into the kitchen and ate a banana. I was eating for two.
“What the hell do you mean I don’t care anymore?” He yelled from the couch.
“I mean you don’t care! He could really have some mental issue and you’re treating it like it’s a cold you get over in a few days.”
“Addie, I care. But I’m not worried that it’s anything serious right now.”
“What if it-”
“Don’t what if me.” He got off the couch and stood on the other side of the bar. “If it really is something serious, we can deal with that later. But right now, let’s just see if he really can understand what his teacher is saying.”
I came around the other side of the kitchen and started to go upstairs when I saw Joey at the top.
“Mommy, is there something wrong with me?”
I ran up there as fast as I could and sat down next to him and held him.
“No sweetie. You’re perfectly fine.”
Billie came upstairs and sat on the step below us.
“Nothing’s wrong with you, Joe,” Billie said and pat his leg.
He started crying. “Mommy…I’m…s-sorry that…I can’t…be…as s-smart…as…you’d l-like!”
“Baby! Never say that! You are perfect the way you are and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. You don’t need to change yourself to make us happy.”
Just then the phone started ringing. Billie ran down to answer it.
“Hello?…Of course…We’ll be right over.” Billie went to the bottom of the stairs. “Addie, we have to go now. Matt’s wife Gisele is dying.”
“They live in Oregon! What do they think we’re going to do?”
“Go to the hospital and support her! Let’s go!”
I didn’t really understand why my brother would call me and ask me to drive all the way to Oregon at 8:30 p.m. And Joey had school tomorrow. But, we got in the car and Billie drove while Joey and I were in the backseat where he fell asleep.
“What did he say? Matt?”
“He said that Gisele fell down the stairs and started to go into labor.”
“She’s pregnant? And Matt didn’t tell me anything? God…”
“Well, anyways. He said he wanted us there. Nothing else.”
“I just don’t understand. Can’t he call one of his friends or something? Why would he call us, since we’re a state over.”
He shrugged and we arrived at the local hospital in Oregon at around 10:45. When we got out of the car, I realized that I had motion sickness and dropped to my knees. Billie sat Joey back down in the car and helped me up.
“Come on, Addie. Work with me. I can’t carry you AND Joey in there at the same time.”
“I’ll try Billie. But I’m really dizzy.”
It turns out, I couldn’t stand up, so Billie carried Joey in first and sat him down and then ran back to get me and threw me over his shoulder.
“Whoo, babe. You’ve gained weight.”
“It’s your…baby…” and I drifted into a deep sleep.
****
I woke up to distant chatter and the beating of a vending machine. I sat up, but decided that was a bad idea because I had a headache. There had been a pillow underneath my head and I was laying on a couch. I looked around to see where the vending machine was. I was hungry.
Billie came around the corner and when he saw me awake, he ran to me. “Babe, are you okay?”
“My head hurts…” I said quietly. “And I’m starving.”
“You want me to go get you McDonald’s across the street?”
“Whatever…”
“Alright. Be right back.” He kissed my head and I heard the door slide open. Then I heard children laughing and my heart skipped a beat when I realized that I didn’t know where Joey was.
“Joey…” I tried to call, but my voice was weak.
“Yes momma?” I heard from next to me.
I almost jumped. “Joey, what are you doing under the table?”
“I was sleeping.”
“Why don’t you sleep in a chair?”
“There’s no one staring at me down here and there’s no light.”
“Oh. That’s a good idea…” My eyelids got heavy again and I remembered the reason that we were even in the hospital. “Joey…You know where uncle Matt is?”
“He’s in the room with Auntie Gisele.”
“Oh. Is she okay?”
“Yes. She had a baby.”
“Oh. I’ll ask your father about it when he gets back.”
As if on cue, he walked in and handed me some food that the smell didn’t make me feel any better. But, it was food, so I ate it.
“Billie, how’s Gisele?”
“She’s doin’ great. She gave birth to a girl about 6 hours ago,” he said and took a bite of his salad.
“How long was I out?”
“Uh…about…14 hours. Man, you like blacked out.”
Just then, Matt came to me. “Addie,” I heard all staggered. “Addie…G-Gisele. S-She’s dying right now. They k-kicked me out b-because they didn’t w-want me t-to s-see her like that. Oh my God, s-she could be d-dead right now.”
“Matt, she’s going to be okay.”
But I lied. Gisele died that day. Tuesday, January 26, 1997. 2:14 p.m.
He didn’t pay attention to me. He was watching highlights from last night’s football game.
“Billie!” Still nothing. So I went to the TV and bent down in front of it.
“Yeah babe, you say something?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. What was that?”
“Joey. I think he’s slow.”
“Why would you think that?” he sat back on the couch and pulled his legs to the side to lay down.
“Because I had to go to the principal’s office today and she said that he was having trouble and when we got home, I practiced some adding with him and he threw out numbers that didn’t even make sense.”
“That doesn’t mean he’s slow. It just means that lard ass teacher should help him some more rather than jump to conclusions.”
“But Billie, what if this isn’t just some practice thing? What if his traumatic incidents when he was younger had something to do with his comprehension?”
“Babe, just don’t worry about it. Give it a while. Make him stay after school. Practice more.”
“God, you just don’t care anymore.” I walked into the kitchen and ate a banana. I was eating for two.
“What the hell do you mean I don’t care anymore?” He yelled from the couch.
“I mean you don’t care! He could really have some mental issue and you’re treating it like it’s a cold you get over in a few days.”
“Addie, I care. But I’m not worried that it’s anything serious right now.”
“What if it-”
“Don’t what if me.” He got off the couch and stood on the other side of the bar. “If it really is something serious, we can deal with that later. But right now, let’s just see if he really can understand what his teacher is saying.”
I came around the other side of the kitchen and started to go upstairs when I saw Joey at the top.
“Mommy, is there something wrong with me?”
I ran up there as fast as I could and sat down next to him and held him.
“No sweetie. You’re perfectly fine.”
Billie came upstairs and sat on the step below us.
“Nothing’s wrong with you, Joe,” Billie said and pat his leg.
He started crying. “Mommy…I’m…s-sorry that…I can’t…be…as s-smart…as…you’d l-like!”
“Baby! Never say that! You are perfect the way you are and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. You don’t need to change yourself to make us happy.”
Just then the phone started ringing. Billie ran down to answer it.
“Hello?…Of course…We’ll be right over.” Billie went to the bottom of the stairs. “Addie, we have to go now. Matt’s wife Gisele is dying.”
“They live in Oregon! What do they think we’re going to do?”
“Go to the hospital and support her! Let’s go!”
I didn’t really understand why my brother would call me and ask me to drive all the way to Oregon at 8:30 p.m. And Joey had school tomorrow. But, we got in the car and Billie drove while Joey and I were in the backseat where he fell asleep.
“What did he say? Matt?”
“He said that Gisele fell down the stairs and started to go into labor.”
“She’s pregnant? And Matt didn’t tell me anything? God…”
“Well, anyways. He said he wanted us there. Nothing else.”
“I just don’t understand. Can’t he call one of his friends or something? Why would he call us, since we’re a state over.”
He shrugged and we arrived at the local hospital in Oregon at around 10:45. When we got out of the car, I realized that I had motion sickness and dropped to my knees. Billie sat Joey back down in the car and helped me up.
“Come on, Addie. Work with me. I can’t carry you AND Joey in there at the same time.”
“I’ll try Billie. But I’m really dizzy.”
It turns out, I couldn’t stand up, so Billie carried Joey in first and sat him down and then ran back to get me and threw me over his shoulder.
“Whoo, babe. You’ve gained weight.”
“It’s your…baby…” and I drifted into a deep sleep.
****
I woke up to distant chatter and the beating of a vending machine. I sat up, but decided that was a bad idea because I had a headache. There had been a pillow underneath my head and I was laying on a couch. I looked around to see where the vending machine was. I was hungry.
Billie came around the corner and when he saw me awake, he ran to me. “Babe, are you okay?”
“My head hurts…” I said quietly. “And I’m starving.”
“You want me to go get you McDonald’s across the street?”
“Whatever…”
“Alright. Be right back.” He kissed my head and I heard the door slide open. Then I heard children laughing and my heart skipped a beat when I realized that I didn’t know where Joey was.
“Joey…” I tried to call, but my voice was weak.
“Yes momma?” I heard from next to me.
I almost jumped. “Joey, what are you doing under the table?”
“I was sleeping.”
“Why don’t you sleep in a chair?”
“There’s no one staring at me down here and there’s no light.”
“Oh. That’s a good idea…” My eyelids got heavy again and I remembered the reason that we were even in the hospital. “Joey…You know where uncle Matt is?”
“He’s in the room with Auntie Gisele.”
“Oh. Is she okay?”
“Yes. She had a baby.”
“Oh. I’ll ask your father about it when he gets back.”
As if on cue, he walked in and handed me some food that the smell didn’t make me feel any better. But, it was food, so I ate it.
“Billie, how’s Gisele?”
“She’s doin’ great. She gave birth to a girl about 6 hours ago,” he said and took a bite of his salad.
“How long was I out?”
“Uh…about…14 hours. Man, you like blacked out.”
Just then, Matt came to me. “Addie,” I heard all staggered. “Addie…G-Gisele. S-She’s dying right now. They k-kicked me out b-because they didn’t w-want me t-to s-see her like that. Oh my God, s-she could be d-dead right now.”
“Matt, she’s going to be okay.”
But I lied. Gisele died that day. Tuesday, January 26, 1997. 2:14 p.m.