Status: Completed
Always There
Something Happened On The Way To Heaven
Trying to get into New York City the day before New Years Eve was not the most ideal of times.
Billie Joe felt like more of a bodyguard to his son than his own self when people at JFK ran up to him and clinged to him and asked for autographs. Joey was getting pushed out of the way and damn near trampled on in the process. So much so that Billie Joe had to tell them to step the hell back or he'd have to shout for security. A couple of the people, be they fans or not, seemed a little surprised or mad, or embarrassed at his announcement.
But the chaos didn't last very long.
Soon enough the driver Billie Joe hired, who just so happened to be Bob, showed up with a sign that said 'ARMSTRONG' and wearing the 'chauffer' get-up. Taking them to the familiar black Lexus, father and son headed into Manhattan, not minding the time it took with holiday traffic because looking at the sights outside was always good fun.
As soon as they reached the penthouse, Joey dropped everything and ran to find his room that Maria had helped Billie Joe decorate well over a month before. He threw open the bedroom door and stood in the archway with his mouth open and his dark eyes sparkling. It was done up in a rockstar theme. Billie Joe had been teaching both his sons how to play guitar since they were practically babies and Joey was the only one so far to show any interest in possibly pursuing his own music career when he grew up.
The walls were black with posters of The Clash, The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, Operation Ivy, and the like. His bed was a black sleigh bed with a black and white checkered bedspread and matching pillows. He had a red, Gibson electric guitar mounted on the wall above his bed, and, well...the room just all around 'rocked.'
But not that they were all settled in and chowing down on dinner while watching 'Shrek 2' in the living room, Billie Joe had to think about how to get ready for the New Years party he was gonna throw the following day. It was last minute and most of the people that lived in the city he was friends with had already made other plans. There was maybe about a good handful that said they'd show up or at least make an appearance.
Billie Joe and Joey went out later that night and bought some decorations, aiming for 'cheesy.' They got crepe paper streamers, gold and silver balloons that said 'New Years 2006,' party favors including those little bottles that explode with confetti when you pull a short string, and party hats.
The following day when the duo began to decorate, the punk rocker began to favor the pink tiara party hat made out of paper mache, carboard, wire and foil. In short, it was a very cheap hat. But it made his son laugh, so it made it even more fun to wear.
Finally, it was eight in the evening, and no one was there.
Joey looked at his dad as he helped set up some champagne flutes on the kitchen table. "Dad, can I have some champagne at midnight?" he asked.
Billie Joe glanced over his shoulder and thought about it. "Maybe a little. Like, a real little. And you can't tell your mom or she'll kill me."
Joey grinned from ear to ear, happy with the decision as the knock on the door alerted them both.
"I got it!" the ten-year-old announced, scampering out of the kitchen to the hallway where he stood behind the door as he opened it a crack. He looked up and frowned at the woman standing there, not knowing who she was but then smiled when he saw his half-sister Olivia standing beside the woman. "Hey Olivia."
"Hey Joey," she replied. "This is my mom."
Joey opened the door all the way and nodded at Maria. "Hello Olivia's mom."
"You can call me Maria," Maria insisted with a laugh.
"Okay," Joey nodded. "Dad! Olivia and her mom are here!"
Billie Joe stepped out of the kitchen and poked his head into the hallway, smiling wide as he came up behind his son and shut the door behind them. "Hey," he muttered. "Where's Mitch and the boys?" he asked with a smirk. "Don't tell me he didn't want to be seen at a punk rocker's shindig."
"Do people even say 'shindig' anymore?" Off Billie Joe's shrug, she sighed, taking her coat off and hanging it up on the coat rack. "Yeah, Mitch decided not to come."
"He staying at home with Ben and Nate then?"
"No, he's at his own party," Olivia chimed in.
Billie Joe quirked an eyebrow from his daughter to Maria. "Really? One man party, huh?"
"No," Maria shook her head. "When I told him about your get together and that you wanted Olivia to come and invited the rest of us, he got all huffy and then said he was gonna go to this party his firm was throwing. As for Ben and Nate, they're at my sister-in-law's. She's got this party for the kids in the family and she got huffy when I told her Olivia would be here. I swear, that side of the family is a bit..."
"Snobby?" Olivia offered.
Billie Joe laughed and gestured for them to make themselves at home, telling them both he was glad they came. About an hour later, the next guet arrived, followed by about five more people right before midnight. Just in time for everyone to get their hats on and circle around the TV in the living room as the count down began. Billie Joe made sure the everyone had full glasses of champagne before the countdown commenced.
Then, the time had arrived. Joey began to wiggle in his seat next to Olivia on the floor, throwing a grin to their father who was standing next to Maria and the other guests, counting down.
"10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!" everyone exclaimed.
Billie Joe pulled the string on a bottle popper and multi-colored streamers exploded from the bottom. There were two other women there, aside from Maria, and they pulled two of the four other guys in for a New Years kiss, Billie Joe excluded.
The green-eyed punk rocker turned to Maria and placed his hand on the small of her back, causing her to pull her lips away from the rim of her champagne flute, smiling, as she looked at him.
Leaning in without warning, Billie Joe pressed his lips to her rather briefly, but in that moment, it was enough to fluster Maria as she pulled back with an unsure smile.
"What was that for?" she inquired.
"Tradition," he replied. "Everyone gets a kiss on New Years, and it was either you or Dave there. And I don't think they'd've appreciated it."
Maria's eyes lingered on his for a few more seconds before both ended up turning away, shyly.
The night carried on for about another hour until the guests began to filter out because they agreed to stop by other parties in the city. They thanked Billie Joe for a great night and promised to call him later as they left the penthouse hootin' and hollerin' and shouting 'Happy New Year, Assholes!' while walking down the hallway. Billie Joe just laughed as he shut the door behind them and headed back into the living room. Joey and Olivia both looked tired as they sat on the couch together, watching the afterparty performers on MTV. Both kids' eyes were heavy ladden and before they knew it, they were being shooed off to bed. Joey to his room, Maria to Jakob's.
After cleaning up a bit, Billie Joe offered Maria his room for her to sleep but she kept insisting she'd crash with Olivia or on the couch. They went back and forth on that subject until Billie Joe gave her a gentle push and began to lead her to the bedroom. Once inside, he grabbed an extra pillow and blanket from his closet, then handing her a T-shirt and a pair of his pajama bottoms for her to wear.
But when turned around with his pillow, and stumbled a little - slightly tipsy from all the champagne -- he looked at Maria and smiled. She'd been watching him with her own smile. The two of them just stood there for a moment, not saying anything. And it wasn't awkward after a while, like it usually was when looking someone in the eye. There was no need to turn away, feeling weirded out.
They both couldn't help but think about how far they've come in their lives and how they'd come back into each others, and how. They'd made a daughter. A human life. How Billie Joe was still such a great guy, and how Maria was still the beautiful woman he'd known over a decade ago.
And then, Billie Joe licked his bottom lip and before he realized what he was doing, he had closed the gap between Maria and his bodies.
Snaking his arms around her body, he claimed her lips with his own. What was amazing was that she didn't push him away or protest. Her hands immediately went to his disheveled hair as the kiss deepened. It was even more fiery than the one in her kitchen a month before. But this time there was no Bob to interupt, nor was there any peeping Olivia.
Slowly, Billie Joe bent her back onto the bed and climbed up over her, holding her body close against his while they kissed.
As he began to strip her, a small voice in the back of Billie Joe's head told him to stop, but the louder voice blew the smaller one away with a shotgun. This had been something he'd thought about for thirteen years. Sure it was morally wrong, but he couldn't help himself.
He wanted Maria, and from the looks of it, she wanted him just as much.
Like in a movie, everything seemed to slow down in that passionate way as the clothes began to fall away.
It felt as if he'd died and gone to heaven. Here was a woman he'd had so many times before in the past, and being with her in this moment was so normal. It was as if they'd been together all along and never been separated.
They rolled around, making love as if they'd never been apart.
Afterward, Billie Joe collapsed on top of her and then rolled to her side, gathering her up in his arms. The both of them bit their lip and smiled a little, leaning in to kiss for what seemed like forever.
Billie Joe sat up and pulled the covers up over them and regathered her up in his arms. And for that night, they weren't married to anyone else. They were twenty-year-olds again, sharing a bed in her Berkeley House bedroom.
And it felt so right...
Billie Joe felt like more of a bodyguard to his son than his own self when people at JFK ran up to him and clinged to him and asked for autographs. Joey was getting pushed out of the way and damn near trampled on in the process. So much so that Billie Joe had to tell them to step the hell back or he'd have to shout for security. A couple of the people, be they fans or not, seemed a little surprised or mad, or embarrassed at his announcement.
But the chaos didn't last very long.
Soon enough the driver Billie Joe hired, who just so happened to be Bob, showed up with a sign that said 'ARMSTRONG' and wearing the 'chauffer' get-up. Taking them to the familiar black Lexus, father and son headed into Manhattan, not minding the time it took with holiday traffic because looking at the sights outside was always good fun.
As soon as they reached the penthouse, Joey dropped everything and ran to find his room that Maria had helped Billie Joe decorate well over a month before. He threw open the bedroom door and stood in the archway with his mouth open and his dark eyes sparkling. It was done up in a rockstar theme. Billie Joe had been teaching both his sons how to play guitar since they were practically babies and Joey was the only one so far to show any interest in possibly pursuing his own music career when he grew up.
The walls were black with posters of The Clash, The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, Operation Ivy, and the like. His bed was a black sleigh bed with a black and white checkered bedspread and matching pillows. He had a red, Gibson electric guitar mounted on the wall above his bed, and, well...the room just all around 'rocked.'
But not that they were all settled in and chowing down on dinner while watching 'Shrek 2' in the living room, Billie Joe had to think about how to get ready for the New Years party he was gonna throw the following day. It was last minute and most of the people that lived in the city he was friends with had already made other plans. There was maybe about a good handful that said they'd show up or at least make an appearance.
Billie Joe and Joey went out later that night and bought some decorations, aiming for 'cheesy.' They got crepe paper streamers, gold and silver balloons that said 'New Years 2006,' party favors including those little bottles that explode with confetti when you pull a short string, and party hats.
The following day when the duo began to decorate, the punk rocker began to favor the pink tiara party hat made out of paper mache, carboard, wire and foil. In short, it was a very cheap hat. But it made his son laugh, so it made it even more fun to wear.
Finally, it was eight in the evening, and no one was there.
Joey looked at his dad as he helped set up some champagne flutes on the kitchen table. "Dad, can I have some champagne at midnight?" he asked.
Billie Joe glanced over his shoulder and thought about it. "Maybe a little. Like, a real little. And you can't tell your mom or she'll kill me."
Joey grinned from ear to ear, happy with the decision as the knock on the door alerted them both.
"I got it!" the ten-year-old announced, scampering out of the kitchen to the hallway where he stood behind the door as he opened it a crack. He looked up and frowned at the woman standing there, not knowing who she was but then smiled when he saw his half-sister Olivia standing beside the woman. "Hey Olivia."
"Hey Joey," she replied. "This is my mom."
Joey opened the door all the way and nodded at Maria. "Hello Olivia's mom."
"You can call me Maria," Maria insisted with a laugh.
"Okay," Joey nodded. "Dad! Olivia and her mom are here!"
Billie Joe stepped out of the kitchen and poked his head into the hallway, smiling wide as he came up behind his son and shut the door behind them. "Hey," he muttered. "Where's Mitch and the boys?" he asked with a smirk. "Don't tell me he didn't want to be seen at a punk rocker's shindig."
"Do people even say 'shindig' anymore?" Off Billie Joe's shrug, she sighed, taking her coat off and hanging it up on the coat rack. "Yeah, Mitch decided not to come."
"He staying at home with Ben and Nate then?"
"No, he's at his own party," Olivia chimed in.
Billie Joe quirked an eyebrow from his daughter to Maria. "Really? One man party, huh?"
"No," Maria shook her head. "When I told him about your get together and that you wanted Olivia to come and invited the rest of us, he got all huffy and then said he was gonna go to this party his firm was throwing. As for Ben and Nate, they're at my sister-in-law's. She's got this party for the kids in the family and she got huffy when I told her Olivia would be here. I swear, that side of the family is a bit..."
"Snobby?" Olivia offered.
Billie Joe laughed and gestured for them to make themselves at home, telling them both he was glad they came. About an hour later, the next guet arrived, followed by about five more people right before midnight. Just in time for everyone to get their hats on and circle around the TV in the living room as the count down began. Billie Joe made sure the everyone had full glasses of champagne before the countdown commenced.
Then, the time had arrived. Joey began to wiggle in his seat next to Olivia on the floor, throwing a grin to their father who was standing next to Maria and the other guests, counting down.
"10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!" everyone exclaimed.
Billie Joe pulled the string on a bottle popper and multi-colored streamers exploded from the bottom. There were two other women there, aside from Maria, and they pulled two of the four other guys in for a New Years kiss, Billie Joe excluded.
The green-eyed punk rocker turned to Maria and placed his hand on the small of her back, causing her to pull her lips away from the rim of her champagne flute, smiling, as she looked at him.
Leaning in without warning, Billie Joe pressed his lips to her rather briefly, but in that moment, it was enough to fluster Maria as she pulled back with an unsure smile.
"What was that for?" she inquired.
"Tradition," he replied. "Everyone gets a kiss on New Years, and it was either you or Dave there. And I don't think they'd've appreciated it."
Maria's eyes lingered on his for a few more seconds before both ended up turning away, shyly.
The night carried on for about another hour until the guests began to filter out because they agreed to stop by other parties in the city. They thanked Billie Joe for a great night and promised to call him later as they left the penthouse hootin' and hollerin' and shouting 'Happy New Year, Assholes!' while walking down the hallway. Billie Joe just laughed as he shut the door behind them and headed back into the living room. Joey and Olivia both looked tired as they sat on the couch together, watching the afterparty performers on MTV. Both kids' eyes were heavy ladden and before they knew it, they were being shooed off to bed. Joey to his room, Maria to Jakob's.
After cleaning up a bit, Billie Joe offered Maria his room for her to sleep but she kept insisting she'd crash with Olivia or on the couch. They went back and forth on that subject until Billie Joe gave her a gentle push and began to lead her to the bedroom. Once inside, he grabbed an extra pillow and blanket from his closet, then handing her a T-shirt and a pair of his pajama bottoms for her to wear.
But when turned around with his pillow, and stumbled a little - slightly tipsy from all the champagne -- he looked at Maria and smiled. She'd been watching him with her own smile. The two of them just stood there for a moment, not saying anything. And it wasn't awkward after a while, like it usually was when looking someone in the eye. There was no need to turn away, feeling weirded out.
They both couldn't help but think about how far they've come in their lives and how they'd come back into each others, and how. They'd made a daughter. A human life. How Billie Joe was still such a great guy, and how Maria was still the beautiful woman he'd known over a decade ago.
And then, Billie Joe licked his bottom lip and before he realized what he was doing, he had closed the gap between Maria and his bodies.
Snaking his arms around her body, he claimed her lips with his own. What was amazing was that she didn't push him away or protest. Her hands immediately went to his disheveled hair as the kiss deepened. It was even more fiery than the one in her kitchen a month before. But this time there was no Bob to interupt, nor was there any peeping Olivia.
Slowly, Billie Joe bent her back onto the bed and climbed up over her, holding her body close against his while they kissed.
As he began to strip her, a small voice in the back of Billie Joe's head told him to stop, but the louder voice blew the smaller one away with a shotgun. This had been something he'd thought about for thirteen years. Sure it was morally wrong, but he couldn't help himself.
He wanted Maria, and from the looks of it, she wanted him just as much.
Like in a movie, everything seemed to slow down in that passionate way as the clothes began to fall away.
It felt as if he'd died and gone to heaven. Here was a woman he'd had so many times before in the past, and being with her in this moment was so normal. It was as if they'd been together all along and never been separated.
They rolled around, making love as if they'd never been apart.
Afterward, Billie Joe collapsed on top of her and then rolled to her side, gathering her up in his arms. The both of them bit their lip and smiled a little, leaning in to kiss for what seemed like forever.
Billie Joe sat up and pulled the covers up over them and regathered her up in his arms. And for that night, they weren't married to anyone else. They were twenty-year-olds again, sharing a bed in her Berkeley House bedroom.
And it felt so right...