A Ballad For Beulah

After having dinner that consisted of peanut butter sandwiches, vegetable soup and milk, the three of them played with Bailey in his bedroom, making castles out of soft building blocks and stuffed animals Beulah had clearly gotten from some sort of carnival or that were from her own childhood she'd happen to have kept.

When the bit of playing was done, Billie Joe offered to sit and watch some cartoons with Bailey in the living room while Beulah went to balance her checkbook in her bedroom where there was peace and quiet.

She didn't spend the entire time in her room, balancing her checkbook though. She pressed her ear up against the door and listened to the muffled noise coming from the television, but also listened closely to Billie Joe talking with Bailey, and Bailey babbling back.

She bit her lip; so happy they were having this bonding moment. But when she no longer heard the two of them, and only the television, she stepped out of her bedroom to find Billie Joe slumped on the couch, out cold, with Bailey sleeping on his daddy's chest.

Finding herself tearing up, Beulah went back to her room where she returned with a blanket and a Polaroid camera.

First, she draped the blanket over the two of them, stepping back when Billie Joe's face twitched from some dream he was having. She then lifted the camera to her face and snapped on shot, thankful the quick, albeit small, flash of light didn't wake up either.

Beulah then turned off the television, turned off the lights and walked back into her bedroom with the camera and Polaroid picture that had popped out and was slowly developing.

Changing into an over-sized T-shirt, she got into bed, set her alarm, and headed off to dream land, unaware that during the middle of the night, when she was asleep, Billie Joe had woken up to find his son drooling on his chest and snoring that cute little baby snore.

Smirking, the punk rocker sat up carefully and carried his son into his bedroom, laying him down gently into his crib. He leaned down and placed a kiss on his son's cheek and then left the room and headed toward Beulah's bedroom.

Opening the door quietly, Billie Joe crept up to the bed and crouched down to the side she was laying on, watching her sleep.

"Thanks for my son," he whispered. "I just wish I could be here to see him grow up like I'll be watching Joey and Jakob grow up. But I'll try and get away from time to time to see him. And I will send you child support. And I promise to help you out so that Bailey doesn't have to grow up in a shit hole."

Brushing her hair out of her face, he leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

"Bye," he added as he stood up and then walked out of her bedroom but not before noticing the Polaroid on her dresser.

* * *

The following morning, Beulah woke up before her alarm when she heard Bailey babbling chipperly from his bedroom. Sitting up with a chaotic mess of hair, she sauntered up to her feet and stepped out of her room and into Bailey's.

Then she realized, she hadn't put Bailey in his bedroom. She'd left him sleeping on Billie Joe's chest.

Lifting Bailey into her arms, she set him down on the floor since he was able to walk on his own now. Letting him follow her out into the living room, she noticed Billie Joe was no where to be found, but she did notice a piece of paper folded up and sitting on top of the table.

Picking it up, Beulah unfolded it, surprised as a check fell out. A check for five thousand dollars! After she was able to get over her shock, she turned her attention to the note.

Beulah,

Here's a little something to hold you over for now. Expect more soon. Sorry I left without saying goodbye, but you looked so peaceful. I put Bailey to sleep, which you probably already noticed by the time you're reading this. And I kinda took the Polaroid you took. But I promise I'll get it back to you. I just want to make a copy of it for myself.

Thanks and sorry for everything.

I'll keep in touch. This time I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die.

Love, Billie.

Folding up the note, and holding the check up, she turned her attention to Bailey who was trying to practically climb up her leg.

"See what your daddy gave us?" she showed him the check. "Now mommy can get us some nice things."

Bailey just smiled without understanding what was going on, but sensing his mom was happy, so he continued to smile as he jabbered nonsense.

"That's my beautiful boy."

* * *

That day, when Mike had finally woke up and met up with Billie Joe for sound check at the MGM Grand, he pulled him aside to see how the rest of the night at Beulah's went and what time he'd left.

"What's with the third degree, man?" Billie Joe asked with a slight laugh.

"I just wanna know you didn't fuck anything up again."

"Don't worry. Nothing happened, but, uh...check this out." Billie Joe pulled the Polaroid from the pocket in his shirt and showed it to Mike. "Beulah took this. I found it on her dresser when I left."

Mike looked the picture over and smiled but then the smile faded when Billie Joe spoke. "Wait. What do you mean you found it on her dresser when you left? You didn't---"

"No. I didn't sleep with her. I woke up during the night with Bailey asleep on my chest. So I put him to bed, and went to check on Beulah. I found her asleep in her room where I found the picture. And I sorta borrowed it so I can make a copy," Billie Joe explained. "Then I wrote her a note, and wrote her a check for 5K."

"You think that's enough?" Mike inquired, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well, I'm sure that anything more might make Adie take notice."

Mike just shrugged and sighed. "Well, as long as you're gonna try doing right by Beulah."

"I am. And you haven't told anyone about all this, have you? Not even Tre, right?"

"No, I haven't told anyone," Mike assured, slapping his friend on the back and handing the Polaroid back. "I just can't believe the shit you get yourself into sometimes, man."

"You're telling me."

* * *

This time, Billie Joe didn't break his promise.

After touring for Pop Disaster ended on July 20 in Nottingham, England, Green Day returned stateside to Oakland to spend time with their families, but by August, Billie Joe told Adie he needed to take a solo vacation to get rid of all the chaos he'd felt from touring nonstop and being surrounded by so many people.

She accepted this without question, because she loved and trusted him. He even told her where he'd be staying, refraining from lying.

He gave her the number of his hotel room at the MGM Grand in Vegas and said he'd only be there a week, and that she could call him anytime she wanted.

And instead of Billie Joe coming to Beulah's every day to take care of Bailey for her while she worked at the MGM Grand, where he was staying, she brought him to the hotel, where Billie Joe met up with her and then he took it from there, more or less.

He spent every day of his 'solo vacation' with Bailey in his hotel suite from 9 in the morning until five in the evening when Beulah got off her shift. A few times, the two of them went out shopping where he bought her things for her apartment and for Bailey. But, of course, he had to do this in slight incognito. Either he wore a baseball hat or he wore sunglasses. Or both.

And during all this, Beulah didn't expect anything more from Billie Joe, and he didn't think of taking advantage of her or putting the moves on her. It was almost as if they were walking around as friends who simply had a child together, and nothing more.

But for Beulah, there would always be that love she had for him.

She just couldn't help it. And pining for him was going only hurt her in the long run because there was no way he was going to leave Adie.

And she knew it.

Though it didn't stop her from dreaming.