Billie's Inspiration

There was no answer from Amelie’s apartment. Billie had knocked twice but it was very early, so he wondered where she was. As he was turning to go back to Tre’s apartment with all the stuff he’d written last night he saw a figure coming down the stairs looking at him in a strange way, it was a guy, a young guy, tall and slim but his face was pale. He looked expressionless and looked at Billie in a questioning way. For some reason Billie felt he owed this guy an explanation as to what he was doing.

“I’m….uh….just knocking here but she doesn’t appear to be in,” said Billie wondering what on earth he was telling this guy for, he didn’t usually speak to strangers but something about the guy had made him want to tell him, explain.

“Who are you looking for?” asked the guy. He had a quiet voice and Billie just about made out what he’d said.

“I’m looking for Amelie, I wanted to show something to her, obviously she’s got up early and gone out,” Billie responded.

But the guy just looked at him in a weird way and kept staring at Billie as he continued on his way, along the corridor and turning down the stairs Billie could still see the guy staring at him, staring at him as if he was nuts.

You’re the one whose nuts thought Billie to himself, shaking his head and unlocking the door to Tre’s apartment.

**

Adrienne had pissed him off, she’d been on the phone for ages ranting about something or other and Billie’s head couldn’t take it anymore. He’d come here to get some peace and quiet and not to get phone calls from his wife wondering why he hadn’t called when he’d said he would.

“Look Adrienne, I got wrapped up in some writing, it was just flowing out and I couldn’t stop.”

“You mean you couldn’t stop for five minutes just to phone your family and let them know you’re OK?” She had squawked at him.

“It wasn’t like that…I was engrossed and when I’d finished it was too late, I’d have woken you all and the boys have school that’s why I’m calling this early,” said Billie walking around Tre’s living room running his hand through his hair in frustration. If he’d have called late last night that would also have been wrong, he couldn’t do anything right where Adrienne was concerned at the moment and then she’d started crying.

“Why are you crying Adrienne?” asked Billie, softer and rolling his eyes at the same time because it was always the same, when she knew she was slightly wrong she’d start crying.

“I just…miss you that’s all,” said Adrienne, sniffing.

“I know and I…miss you all too but I need to do this and its working. Why don’t you take the kids away for the weekend to your mom’s, you’ve not been there in ages, they’d love seeing your brother’s kids too. It’d do you good.”

“I was thinking about doing that too, you don’t mind?” she asked.

“Of course I don’t mind, why the fuck would I mind Adrienne? Look, call me back later and let me know what you’ve decided but hey…. lets not set a time because if you don’t call me then….I might get upset.” He said then laughed.

She laughed too but she’d still pissed him off, he wanted to be left alone here in New York to just get his head down and get on with it. He didn’t need her blubbering down the phone at him; he didn’t need that at all. She just didn’t understand him.

He placed the phone back in its cradle and he went over to the window anxiously biting his thumbnail because he couldn’t concentrate again just as he was getting nearer to finishing another song.

And there she was.

Amelie.

Sitting on their park bench.

Their park bench? Why would he think all of a sudden of it being their park bench when they’d hardly sat at it.

He smiled as he watched her, his heart lifting as he watched her trying to read a newspaper that was flapping about everywhere in the wind then she’d decided to give up on the idea and folded the newspaper up and laid it on the bench beside her.

He wanted to go to her then, to go to her and explain what he’d been doing last night and tell her about his new song how he’d sat up at Tre’s table and written into the early hours of this morning.

He was sure she’d like it.

**

It was cold here on the park bench but she didn’t care, she liked it, sitting here people watching, watching the people of New York go about their daily business.

Her and Joe used to play a game while they were people watching, they used to guess people’s ages, their professions and sometimes if there were two of them whether or not they could be father and daughter, girl with a sugar daddy or just friends.

She was playing it to herself now as she looked across at a young couple sitting across from her, a young couple in their twenties who were obviously lovers and who were totally oblivious to their surroundings.

She smiled. Joe and her must have looked like that once.

Then there was this other guy, walking towards her, probably about 30ish. She saw a wedding ring glinting in the light. Married and with a couple of kids in tow. He didn’t look married; he didn’t look as though he had kids. He was extremely good looking and she knew him.

It was Billie Joe, smiling as he came towards her, pleased to see her.

Yes, it was Billie Joe and she’d fallen for him. Fallen for this beautiful punk guy who probably didn’t even have a clue that she felt this way. He liked her, she knew that and enjoyed her company but she felt like crying because of her feelings for him.

She didn’t want to feel this way, not really. She didn’t want to have these feelings about someone that she couldn’t have.

She didn’t know what to do. She’d tried avoiding him, like now but he’d found her. Had he looked for her? She wasn’t sure that he felt at all about her like she did him, he couldn’t he was married to a beautiful woman and had a family on the opposite side of the country.

May be she should tell him; tell him how she felt because then that might frighten him off a little.

Then he’d leave her alone to move on.