Front Porch Story
Front porch
Joey has been crying non-stop all day today, it's like he knows Billie is leaving to go on tour tomorrow. I pick Joey out of his high chair and bounce him in my arms trying to make him stop crying, his face was flushed red. I wish I could know what's wrong, I kept changing his diapers, trying to feed him, I even changed his clothes in case it was the clothes he was wearing were uncomfortable, but nothing helped.
"Here let me try." Billie says as he takes him from me as the transaction is being made, my arm swipes across the child's forehead. It's really warm, I put my hand on his forehead and he was burning up.
"Billie, he has a fever." I say slowly. Billie looks at me worriedly and places his hand on his son's forehead.
"It's really bad."
"Maybe we should take him to the hospital." I say worried as hell. Billie nods slowly. We rush out the door and strap Joey into his car seat and make our way to the hospital.
We sit in the waiting room for a good half hour before the nurse calls us. In that half hour, I grew more paranoid about Joey, his crying only intensified and he even threw up. The doctor examines our son and confirms to us that it's only the flu and prescribes medication.
We get home and Billie and I take turns staying up with Joey, man does this kid have a set of lungs.
"I don't think I should leave." Billie says the next morning when we're both awake, relying on coffee to stay awake.
"Don't be ridiculous, you have to go." I say rolling my eyes as I look at my watch and realize it's time to give Joey his medication. I fill a baby bottle with milk and add the medication to it before holding it in the crying baby's mouth. "The doctor said Joey would be fine in a couple of days." Billie still looks uneasy.
"Will you be okay alone?"
"Yes, I'll be fine." I insist.
"Alright." He says as he kisses me goodbye and heads out the door.
I get up the next morning to the sound of the doorbell and Joey crying from his playpen which was moved to the corner of my room. I go over to the playpen and pick him up in my arms and head downstairs. I look through the peep hole to see the familiar older lady.
"Hi Ollie." I say opening the door.
"Hi Adrienne, Billie told me Joey is sick."
"Yeah." I say bouncing Joey in my arms in hopes of stopping his crying, "He got the flu and has been crying almost non-stop since."
"Awe. Poor guy." She says as she takes him from my arms, then looks at me, "You must be exhausted."
"Uhh yeah." I say awkwardly.
"Okay then you go take care of yourself, sleep, take a bath, go out for a bit and I'll take care of my grandson."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive, take care of yourself or you'll burn out." I rub my eyes then nod and head upstairs.
I lie on the bed and reach over to the phone and dial the number of the tour bus phone.
"Hello?" A quirky voice says.
"Tre, can you put Billie on the phone."
"Oh hi Adie, I don't know keeping the phone away from Billie is amusing me."
"Oh jeez." I murmur.
"Okay for you Adrienne, I'll put him on the phone." He says slyly, "Here you go Bill."
"Thank you." I say as I hear an out of breath Billie on the other end.
"So I take it my mother just arrived."
"Yeah." I say calmly, "Sing me to sleep."
"Hmm, any suggestions?"
"Nope."
"My mental stability reaches its bitter end, and all my senses are coming unglued. Is there any cure for this disease someone called love? Not as long as there are girls like you. Everything she does questions my mental health, it makes me lose control, I just can't trust myself. " He sings in a low voice. "If someone can hear me slap some sense into me, but you turn your head and I end up talking to myself. Anxiety has got me strung out and frustrated, so I loose my head or I bang it up against the wall."
"Damn I love you." I say as he hums between the versus.
"Sometimes I wonder if I should be left alone, and lock myself up in a padded room
I'd sit and spew my guts out to the open air, No one wants to hear a drunken fool."
"I've missed your phone singing."
"Everything she does questions my mental health, it makes me lose control, I just can't trust myself. If Adrienne can hear me slap some sense into me, but you turn your head and I end up talking to myself. Anxiety has got me strung out and frustrated, so I loose my head or I bang it up against the wall. I do not mind if this goes on, cause now it seems I'm too far gone, I must admit I enjoy myself, 80 please keep taking me away."
"I love you." I say again.
"Love you too Adie." He says as I hear Tre cackle in the background.
"Here let me try." Billie says as he takes him from me as the transaction is being made, my arm swipes across the child's forehead. It's really warm, I put my hand on his forehead and he was burning up.
"Billie, he has a fever." I say slowly. Billie looks at me worriedly and places his hand on his son's forehead.
"It's really bad."
"Maybe we should take him to the hospital." I say worried as hell. Billie nods slowly. We rush out the door and strap Joey into his car seat and make our way to the hospital.
We sit in the waiting room for a good half hour before the nurse calls us. In that half hour, I grew more paranoid about Joey, his crying only intensified and he even threw up. The doctor examines our son and confirms to us that it's only the flu and prescribes medication.
We get home and Billie and I take turns staying up with Joey, man does this kid have a set of lungs.
"I don't think I should leave." Billie says the next morning when we're both awake, relying on coffee to stay awake.
"Don't be ridiculous, you have to go." I say rolling my eyes as I look at my watch and realize it's time to give Joey his medication. I fill a baby bottle with milk and add the medication to it before holding it in the crying baby's mouth. "The doctor said Joey would be fine in a couple of days." Billie still looks uneasy.
"Will you be okay alone?"
"Yes, I'll be fine." I insist.
"Alright." He says as he kisses me goodbye and heads out the door.
I get up the next morning to the sound of the doorbell and Joey crying from his playpen which was moved to the corner of my room. I go over to the playpen and pick him up in my arms and head downstairs. I look through the peep hole to see the familiar older lady.
"Hi Ollie." I say opening the door.
"Hi Adrienne, Billie told me Joey is sick."
"Yeah." I say bouncing Joey in my arms in hopes of stopping his crying, "He got the flu and has been crying almost non-stop since."
"Awe. Poor guy." She says as she takes him from my arms, then looks at me, "You must be exhausted."
"Uhh yeah." I say awkwardly.
"Okay then you go take care of yourself, sleep, take a bath, go out for a bit and I'll take care of my grandson."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive, take care of yourself or you'll burn out." I rub my eyes then nod and head upstairs.
I lie on the bed and reach over to the phone and dial the number of the tour bus phone.
"Hello?" A quirky voice says.
"Tre, can you put Billie on the phone."
"Oh hi Adie, I don't know keeping the phone away from Billie is amusing me."
"Oh jeez." I murmur.
"Okay for you Adrienne, I'll put him on the phone." He says slyly, "Here you go Bill."
"Thank you." I say as I hear an out of breath Billie on the other end.
"So I take it my mother just arrived."
"Yeah." I say calmly, "Sing me to sleep."
"Hmm, any suggestions?"
"Nope."
"My mental stability reaches its bitter end, and all my senses are coming unglued. Is there any cure for this disease someone called love? Not as long as there are girls like you. Everything she does questions my mental health, it makes me lose control, I just can't trust myself. " He sings in a low voice. "If someone can hear me slap some sense into me, but you turn your head and I end up talking to myself. Anxiety has got me strung out and frustrated, so I loose my head or I bang it up against the wall."
"Damn I love you." I say as he hums between the versus.
"Sometimes I wonder if I should be left alone, and lock myself up in a padded room
I'd sit and spew my guts out to the open air, No one wants to hear a drunken fool."
"I've missed your phone singing."
"Everything she does questions my mental health, it makes me lose control, I just can't trust myself. If Adrienne can hear me slap some sense into me, but you turn your head and I end up talking to myself. Anxiety has got me strung out and frustrated, so I loose my head or I bang it up against the wall. I do not mind if this goes on, cause now it seems I'm too far gone, I must admit I enjoy myself, 80 please keep taking me away."
"I love you." I say again.
"Love you too Adie." He says as I hear Tre cackle in the background.