A Ballad For Beulah

Beulah was feeling so much like a zombie through the holidays.

It seemed like everyone around her was happy, with blossoming families, thriving careers and even the ability to go out an enjoy the nightlife Las Vegas had to offer. And she was jealous. She would readily admit that. But, for the time being, she walked through her days and nights, going through a routine.

Wake up, shower, get dressed, take Bailey to the MGM Grand daycare center, head over to the restaurant for work, spend her lunch with Bailey, go back to work, punch out, pick Bailey up, go home, make dinner, watch some cartoons with him, clean up the apartment a bit while Bailey played in his room, give Bailey a bath, put him in his pajamas, put him to bed, shit around on the computer, watch Leno, go to bed.

That was her routine, Monday through Friday. Saturdays were pretty much freer, but still a little the same with the exception of going to the MGM.

Nick noticed as much every time he saw his sister; that not all was peachy in her world. And he felt a little guilty about not visiting with her lately, even though they lived close by to each other. He had just been so wrapped up with Laura's pregnancy.

When he asked what was the matter, she shook her head and said nothing. And even when he heard Bailey mention seeing his daddy, it perked Nick's attention.

Had Bailey's father been in contact with her all this time, and he didn't know about it? Was this the reason why Beulah was so down and out?

Shit, what kind of brother was he?

He wanted to press the matter when he tried bringing it up, but he hated hearing his sister upset any further.

Instead, he chose to keep his mouth quiet.

Probably not the greatest decision, but he also knew it was Beulah's life, and it was up to her how she lived it.

* * *

February 2005 rolled around and Green Day won the Grammy for Best Rock Album. Beulah didn't watch it, though, because she knew Adrienne would be at Billie Joe's side and she didn't want Bailey to see and ask questions. She did tell her son, however, that his daddy got a special award for doing his job really well.

She also thanked God that Billie Joe called a couple days later to talk to Bailey, bypassing any conversation with her.

And that was how most of the phone calls went in the earlier half of the year.

The guys were touring Australia and Japan, then came back Stateside, appearing on TRL and Saturday Night Live, two days after. Beulah taped both and let Bailey watch, so he could see his daddy. And, even though she was depressed about her own life, it was Mike's she was so happy for.

He had called her to tell her about how, after the holidays, he'd started dating a new girl named Brittney Cade who was a waitress just like Beulah, but in LA at some swanky Japanese place called Sushi Roku. He'd seen her there just after his split from Sarah in the middle of the previous year and found himself attracted to her how she was dressed. After a few more times of coming into the restaurant, he'd given her his number and they'd gone on a few dates in between his time away off from promoting American Idiot. When Beulah wondered if this Brittney was a rebound girl, he assured her that hey were taking it easy, not rushing things, even though he told her about the tattoo he'd gotten on the inside of his right elbow with Brittney's name.

Beulah didn't wanna rain on Mike's parade that it was too soon to get a girl's name tattooed on him, so she kept her mouth shut and instead let it bring a rare smile to her face; glad that he wasn't all depressed as he had been a year earlier when they were talking back and forth about how they were feeling about their lives.

And that wasn't the only thing to bring a smile to Beulah's face, when she desperately needed it.

Toward the end of July, Tre gave her a call.

That, in itself, was completely out of the blue.

He called to say he was taking a vacation to Vegas with his daughter Ramona who was visiting him along with his ex-wife, Claudia, who he still lived with, and their son Frankito, who was the same age as Bailey. And since he knew Beulah had a son, and so did he, Tre wanted to know if they wanted to all get together and set up a play date for the boys on one of the days they were in town.

Beulah was more than happy to set it up, and when the day arrived, Tre and Claudia both stood on the other side of the apartment door with their kids.

"Hey, Beulah! How's it hanging? Shriveled and to the left?" the drummer joked.

Beulah laughed. "Yeah, something like that." She looked over at his ex-wife and offered her hand. "Hi, you must be Claudia."

"Hello. And you're Beulah, Tom's sister. I've heard a lot about you."

"Really?"

Both women smirked as the Wright family entered the apartment, with Frankito clinging to his daddy's leg.

"C'mon, Frankie. You gotta meet Miss Beulah's son, Bailey."

Frankito's doleful brown eyes -- Claudia's in color, Tre's in shape -- peered shyly up at Beulah as she called for Bailey to come out into the living room.

Her four-year-old son began to saunter out into the living room as if he couldn't be bothered, and it was, in all actuality, the first time Tre had really ever seen the little boy. And it was evident in his face that something struck a chord in him about Bailey's appearance.

Shaking it off for the moment, he grinned down at Bailey and kinda sorta pushed his own son forward. "Frankie, this is Bailey. Hey, Bailey, this is my son, Frankito. And I'm Tre."

"Hi, Tre," Bailey spoke. "Hi Frankito."

"Hi," Frankito replied, still shyly.

"Sometimes I wonder if he's mine," Tre teased, gesturing to his son. "He's, like, really quiet, except when he's sad or upset. Then he's loud and obnoxious. But, for the most part, I think he's the milkman's," he muttered to Beulah.

"Well, were we gonna go somewhere with the kids?" Claudia wondered. "I was thinking if there's a waterpark nearby or something. I thought maybe they'd like that."

"Oh, wow. Yeah," Beulah nodded. "Bailey'd love that. He's never been to one."

"Well, dang nabbit, it's a good thing we were in the neighborhood, or something like that." Tre grinned and nodded at Bailey. "You own swimming trunks?"

"Yeah," he said almost defiantly.

"Well, best you go get 'em, squirt. We're all gonna go swimming."

Bailey's eyes widened as he looked up at his mom, who nodded.

"Go on, honey."

Biting his lip he touched his hand to Frankito, and it was funny, because the two of them seriously looked like mini versions of Billie Joe and Tre. Like, almost what the duo would've looked liked together had they known each other when they were four.

"Wanna see my room?" Bailey asked.

Frankito shrugged. "Okay."

Bailey lead Tre's son off in the direction of the bedroom in question and Tre stepped aside so he could introduce Beulah to Ramona.

"Beulah, this is my daughter, Ramona. Ramona, this is Beulah. I met her 15 years ago when she was the same age as you."

Ramona smiled politely. "Hi."

"Hi," Beulah replied with her own smile.

"I really adore your apartment," Claudia cooed. Then, "Omigod, is that the couch from Pottery Barn?" she asked, pointing to the couch.

Beulah nodded. "Yeah. I had the money to get it and was like...mine."

"I love Pottery Barn. I'm very sure I could live there, and be perfectly happy doing so."

While Claudia studied the apartment with Ramona at her side, Tre leaned over to Beulah and whispered in her ear, which surprised the blonde.

"Bailey's really cute," he complimented.

"Thanks."

"Looks a lot like Billie Joe, too," he added, eyeing her and raising an eyebrow impishly. "I wonder why that is?"

Beulah just looked at him, her face going a shade of white as she parted her lips to say something, but being cut off when the two little boys came scampering back into the living room, with Bailey flailing his swim trunks above his head, obnoxiously.

He then proceeded in doing a little dance as if he were a tightly wound ball of energy being let loose. He scrunched his face up and playfully nudged Frankito, who giggled and nudged back.

Tre simply looked at Beulah again, holding her gaze for a moment. "I rented a minivan," he announced. "And maybe you should ride up front with me since you know the area better than I do," Tre suggested to Beulah.

Nodding sheepishly, she bit her lip. "Yeah, okay."

Before all six of them left, Tre waited for Beulah to lock her apartment door after she grabbed everything she'd need for the waterpark in question. As Claudia headed on with the three kids, Tre trailed behind with Beulah and walked close with her, side by side.

"I'm still curious about Bailey's father, you know. But I won't push the subject," he whispered to her. Then added, "All day."

Beulah just took a shaky breath and tried to smile the subject away.

* * *

Unfortunately the only waterpark Beulah remembered was a Wet & Wild, but they soon realized that it had closed up a couple years earlier and instead settled upon heading back to the Luxor Hotel -- where Tre and his family were staying -- to utilize the pool there. Amongst the lounges around one of the four large swimming pools, Ramona had approached Claudia to walk with her to the bathroom because she didn't want to go alone, and for a brief moment, Beulah had a flashback of Adrienne leading her to the bathroom off the beach in the Bay Area when she'd gotten her first period.

And she felt a pang of guilt.

Adrienne had been the older woman who helped her out when she needed it most. The one who kept in contact with her for about two years after. And Beulah was the one who slept with Adrienne's husband, Billie Joe, and gotten pregnant by him, and now had his four-year-old son.

And here Beulah was, sitting on a lounge chair, next to Tre, as their respective sons squirted water guns at each other.

She knew she had to initiate conversation or else the blue eyed drummer would go right toward talking about Bailey's paternity.

"So, uh...how's touring been?" she asked.

"Long, tiring...fun, exciting...boring...crazy." Then he asked, "How's Bailey's father?"

"Tre!" she scolded.

"What, Beulah? I just wanna know," he admitted. "You gotta tell me why, if I was looking at a picture of your son, that I would immediately jump to the conclusion that it was actually a picture of Billie."

"Coincidence?"

"Bullshit."

"What do you want me to say, Tre?"

"The truth," he answered simply, looking briefly over at how their sons played around and giggled. And how Bailey was clearly the more dominant personality. Just like Billie Joe. "I know Mike and Billie have this little secret going on between them. The first inkling I got about it was three years ago, when we were at dinner at the MGM when you were working," he explained. "Mike looked so angry at Billie, who looked like he'd seen a ghost. And when I tried asking them what was up, they told me it was basically none of my business. And I knew then that something was really up because we've never kept secrets from one and not the other."

Beulah didn't know what to say. She just kept her eyes glued on Bailey.

"And then there's how Billie Joe says he's gonna be in Vegas for a few days, randomly, at different times during the year..." Tre continued. "I mean, don't get me wrong. Vegas can be really eventful and exciting. A little addicting, too, but I just never understood why he kept coming back." Turning his head away from their sons to look at her profile, he let out a small sigh that was, in a sense, nonjudgmental. "Now I think I know why."

Glancing at Tre, out the corner of her eye, Beulah gradually turned to face him, trying to determine his mindset and what he was thinking about her and everything he might be assuming about the situation.

"And what do you think you know?" she questioned, curiously. Her voice, soft.

"Billie's the dad; Bailey's father," he answered without any real expression, though it was kinda obvious Tre was very, very disappointed in his best friend. "And I'm not gonna place the blame on you. I know how you used to have a crush on him when you were little, and I think it's safe to say you still have feelings for him. Right?"

"Something like that," Beulah replied, sheepishly.

She truly didn't know what to say at this point. She hadn't expected Tre to put two and two together. Hell, she didn't even expect to get a phone call from him to set up a play date for their boys.

"I blame Billie Joe for being a dickwad. For getting you into this position. Granted, I'm sure you wouldn't give up Bailey for anything, and don't regret having him, but what you must be trying to deal with..." he trailed off. "I wish he'd thought through his actions a little better."

"Yeah..." she muttered lamely.

"Can I ask when it was? That Billie, uh...you know...and you..."

"Five years ago, last month. The three of you were in town for a concert, I think. He showed up at the restaurant I was clearing tables at. We got talking, went out for ice cream...he was a little drunk, and...well...I s'pose one thing led to another..." She looked down at her lap then apologetically over at Tre. "I think that night was one of the happiest nights of my life," she admitted. "Billie was going through a rough patch in his marriage and a part of me wished that it was the end of it, and I'd be able to have him to myself."

"And? How'd it work out for you?"

"I wound up a single parent, struggling to support myself and my son, waiting and wishing for the infrequent visits and phone calls," Beulah answered sadly. "Mike said I was waiting for my Knight In Shining Armor to come whisk me off my feet."

"Are you?"

"I'm not sure."

It was at that moment that Claudia and Ramona returned.

"Ugh, there was, like, this huge line at the bathroom," Ramona complained. "I shoulda just peed in the pool."

Beulah smirked.

Yep, she was totally Tre's daughter. Looks, personality. Everything about her screams Tre.

Turning back to her son, she smiled at how he pranced around with his squirt gun, which was now out of water, like he was a sugarplum fairy in The Nutcracker. Laughing a little to herself, she couldn't help but think one thing.

You are your father's son.

* * *

Beulah was more than thankful that Tre promised to not speak of the truth about Bailey to anyone.

The last thing she wanted was for this to blow up in the faces of everyone involved or, at least, those who knew.

And if wondering whether or not Tre would break that promise wasn't enough for Beulah to deal with, she had the new responsibility of being an aunt.

Again.

Nick and Laura had given birth to a son, named Jeremy Mason and every weekend Beulah was over at their apartment with Bailey, coddling the baby boy. It made her reminisce about when her son was that small. And, to think, it'd had only been a couple years before.

Billie Joe had called once more that summer, but the thing she noticed was the child support checks.

They were barely getting to her.

Sometimes she'd go three weeks without seeing one, and he never made mention of it in his phone calls. But then again, they only talked briefly on the phone before she passed it off to their son.

And as the summer began to wane, Beulah was feeling a bit stir crazy.

She wanted more out of her life. She always had. But now it had more to do with her job at the MGM Grand restaurant. She felt like she'd be stuck working their until she was old and gray, or until the MGM's owner demolished the place and sold the land to some real estate mogul looking to build a mega strip club or another, newer hotel and casino.

And, waitressing wasn't exactly lucrative.

Sure, she was one of the head waitresses there, but, still. She was going nowhere, and going there fast. Not to mention she was slowly getting low on funds.

Her landlord had hiked the rent about 100 bucks, and her car insurance rate also went up a percentage because of some asshole backing up into the rear bumper of her parked car in a parking lot.

She began scraping together her funds, pinching pennies here and there, tapping into the savings account she'd opened for Bailey.

But she was a little too stubborn and proud to go call Billie Joe and say, "Hey where's the check?" Despite knowing she'd need that check for her and her son's sakes. Financially.

And then it started to grate on her nerves. So, on the spur of the moment, she packed up her car on August 20th and drove to San Antonio, Texas.

Arriving at her brother, Larry's, apartment, he welcomed her in with surprise on his face.

He was single and lived alone, so it's not like he couldn't put her up for a couple days. She didn't give him much of a reason why she was there, except that she was gonna see an old friend from when she lived in San Antonio.

The following day, she took Bailey for a ride and parked near the SBC Center and pulled out her cell phone; something of which would have to go if she couldn't make the payments.

She dialed the number in question and waited as it rang.

"Hello?" came Billie Joe's voice on the other end.

"Billie...it's Beulah."

"Bee? Uh, hi. What's up? Is Bailey okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine. But I need to talk to you."

"Well, I can't really talk right now. I'm kinda in the middle of being...uh, busy," he replied vaguely.

"But, Billie...we really need to talk. I've been feeling a little...on edge lately and...and I even drove here to San Antonio yesterday. I'm here now and I'm parked outside the SBC Center. With Bailey."

"What?!" he exclaimed, although quietly. "You cannot be here right now." He lowered his voice even more and bit out, "Adrienne's here."

"So, sneak out and meet me at my brother, Larry's. He's gone to church or something and said he'd be gone all day."

"No, Bee," he spat. "I said no."

The bitterness in his voice ran through her body like a cold wind, causing her breath to be caught in her throat for a moment.

"But, I---"

"No."

"I drove here. And Bailey---"

"Don't make this about Bailey. You came without telling me. You didn't not tell me this ahead of time. I coulda prepared."

"Oh, and like I was prepared the time you took a cab from LA to Vegas, showed up unannounced and fucked me in the ass!" she then grimaced, remembering Bailey sitting in the backseat.

"I did not---did I?"

Beulah dipped her head, wiped a stray tear and looked to her right where she had a view of the SBC Center, where he was now.

"Yes," she whispered.

"Well, I don't remember that. And if I did, then I'm sorry if I hurt you. But I can't talk right now, Bee. I--I gotta go, bye," he spoke rather quickly, hanging up before she had a chance to say anything else.

"Mommy?"

"What, baby?"

"Who fucked your ass?"

Beulah whipped her head around in horror. "Bailey Mason Armstrong, don't you ever say that again. Mommy said some bad words. That doesn't mean you repeat them."

His chin quivered and tears began to well in his eyes from being scolded. And he didn't even understand why what he said was so bad.

"Sorry, mommy."

She turned around and leaned her forehead against her steering wheel. "It's okay. Just don't repeat anything mommy says anymore, okay?"

"Okay."

"Good," she muttered, sitting back up. "Let's go home..."