Sweet Child of Mine
Questions
I wake up early the next morning, not by choice, just because I just had too much going through my mind. I walk into my basement where me office/sound studio is. I turn on my computer and log on to the internet to find Erin. A few minutes of surfing the web I find Erin Calico's phone number and address. I fumble around my desk to find a paper and pen and take down both. I manage to withhold my urge to call her until 8:30. I pick up the phone and dial the number I spent the last two hours memorizing.
RING! RING! RING!
"Hello," I woman's voice asks a few moments later. "Hello?"
"Hi, is this Erin Calico?"
"Yeah, who's this?" I can't make a sound. "Hello?"
"This is Billie Joe."
"Billie?"
"Yeah, I met our daughter yesterday."
"I think you should come over and we can talk face to face," she suggests nervously.
"Umm okay, when?" I say nervously.
"Come by in a couple of hours," she says cautiously. "Do you need my address?"
"No, I found it when I looked up your phone number."
"Okay, I'll see you in two hours then."
"Alright," I say as I hang up the phone.
"I called Erin," I say to Adrienne as we sip our morning coffee.
"What did she say?" she asks putting down her coffee cup.
"She wants to talk face to face," I say nervously.
"Do you want me to come with you?"
"No, I think it's best that I handle this on my own first, I don't want to overwhelm Amanda," I say as tap my spoon against the edge of my cup.
"Yeah, I guess," she says taking a sip form her coffee. "When are you going?"
"I have to leave in about an hour," I say looking up at the clock.
"Alright," she says calmly. "How are we going to tell the boys?"
"I'll tell them tonight," I say uneasily.
"Okay."
I drive to Erin's house after an unnerving breakfast. I park my car across the street and make my way up to the house. I ring the door bell and wait nervously. "Hi Billie," Erin says letting me into the house.
"Hi, how have you been?" I ask pulling off my jacket.
"Fine, I guess. And yourself?" she asks as she puts my jacket in closet.
"Well considering the circumstances..." I trail off. "So is Amanda here?"
"Amy's at her friend's house for band practice," she says leading me to the kitchen table where she pours a couple of cups of coffee.
"She's in a band?" I ask interested. "What instrument?"
"Guitar and vocals," she says calmly.
"Did you have anything to do with that decision?" I ask.
"No, she came up to me one day and told me she wanted to play guitar," she says shrugging. "So how did you find her?"
"Well my son is starting middle school and she was giving us a tour of the school," I say casually. "You said you were getting an abortion."
"I was, but when I got to the clinic I couldn't do it, then my parents sent me to live with my grandparents and..."
"How come you never bothered to tell me?"
"You had your band and everything; I didn't want to stop you."
"That's ridiculous," I mutter.
"I know, I was stupid," she says looking down. "Afterwards I wanted to tell you but that's when you came out with that Dookie album and I didn't want you to think I was after your money."
"I guess I can understand that," I say taking a sip of coffee. At that moment the front door is heard slamming shut.
"Hey Mom, I just came to get a couple of guitar picks," Amanda yells as she walks across the living room. "What's he doing here?"
"Amy, this is Billie Joe," Erin says calmly.
"As in my father, but aren't you in Green Day?" she asks disrespectfully.
"Yeah," I say awkwardly.
"So you think you can just walk into my life!" she says angrily.
"Amy, I haven't been entirely honest," Erin says quietly. "He didn't know about you."
"You never told him!" Amy says angrily.
"No, but if you sit down I'll tell you everything," Erin says calmly. Amy reaches into her pocket and pulls out her cell phone.
"Hey Gabby, I'm not coming to band practice right away," she says hanging up the phone. "Tell me."
Erin and I tell our daughter the entire story; the abortion, the Dookie excuse, and everything. "So is that why you didn't like me listening to Green Day?" she asks after a few moments of silence.
"I thought you'd want to hang yourself if you found out you had the hots for your dad," Erin say awkwardly as Amy shakes her head.
"I like Tre Cool."
"I can take you to meet him if you want," I offer, in a sad attempt to make conversation.
"Uh okay," she says awkwardly. "So you're my Dad."
"I guess so," I say drumming my fingers against the table.
"Your wife and kids, do they know about me?"
"My wife Adrienne knows, but I haven't told my kids yet," I say awkwardly.
"What about Tre and Mike?"
"They know about your mother being pregnant and all, but I haven't told them I found you."
"Can I meet them?" she asks.
"Mike and Tre? Sure I guess," I say shrugging my shoulders.
"No, I mean everyone, your wife, kids."
"Yeah, how about tomorrow, so I can tell my kids about you ahead of time."
"Sure, I have my guitar class at noon so I'm free after 1:30," she says, thinking to herself.
"Okay, so I'll pick you up at 1:30," I say as she walks out of the house to her band practice.
RING! RING! RING!
"Hello," I woman's voice asks a few moments later. "Hello?"
"Hi, is this Erin Calico?"
"Yeah, who's this?" I can't make a sound. "Hello?"
"This is Billie Joe."
"Billie?"
"Yeah, I met our daughter yesterday."
"I think you should come over and we can talk face to face," she suggests nervously.
"Umm okay, when?" I say nervously.
"Come by in a couple of hours," she says cautiously. "Do you need my address?"
"No, I found it when I looked up your phone number."
"Okay, I'll see you in two hours then."
"Alright," I say as I hang up the phone.
"I called Erin," I say to Adrienne as we sip our morning coffee.
"What did she say?" she asks putting down her coffee cup.
"She wants to talk face to face," I say nervously.
"Do you want me to come with you?"
"No, I think it's best that I handle this on my own first, I don't want to overwhelm Amanda," I say as tap my spoon against the edge of my cup.
"Yeah, I guess," she says taking a sip form her coffee. "When are you going?"
"I have to leave in about an hour," I say looking up at the clock.
"Alright," she says calmly. "How are we going to tell the boys?"
"I'll tell them tonight," I say uneasily.
"Okay."
I drive to Erin's house after an unnerving breakfast. I park my car across the street and make my way up to the house. I ring the door bell and wait nervously. "Hi Billie," Erin says letting me into the house.
"Hi, how have you been?" I ask pulling off my jacket.
"Fine, I guess. And yourself?" she asks as she puts my jacket in closet.
"Well considering the circumstances..." I trail off. "So is Amanda here?"
"Amy's at her friend's house for band practice," she says leading me to the kitchen table where she pours a couple of cups of coffee.
"She's in a band?" I ask interested. "What instrument?"
"Guitar and vocals," she says calmly.
"Did you have anything to do with that decision?" I ask.
"No, she came up to me one day and told me she wanted to play guitar," she says shrugging. "So how did you find her?"
"Well my son is starting middle school and she was giving us a tour of the school," I say casually. "You said you were getting an abortion."
"I was, but when I got to the clinic I couldn't do it, then my parents sent me to live with my grandparents and..."
"How come you never bothered to tell me?"
"You had your band and everything; I didn't want to stop you."
"That's ridiculous," I mutter.
"I know, I was stupid," she says looking down. "Afterwards I wanted to tell you but that's when you came out with that Dookie album and I didn't want you to think I was after your money."
"I guess I can understand that," I say taking a sip of coffee. At that moment the front door is heard slamming shut.
"Hey Mom, I just came to get a couple of guitar picks," Amanda yells as she walks across the living room. "What's he doing here?"
"Amy, this is Billie Joe," Erin says calmly.
"As in my father, but aren't you in Green Day?" she asks disrespectfully.
"Yeah," I say awkwardly.
"So you think you can just walk into my life!" she says angrily.
"Amy, I haven't been entirely honest," Erin says quietly. "He didn't know about you."
"You never told him!" Amy says angrily.
"No, but if you sit down I'll tell you everything," Erin says calmly. Amy reaches into her pocket and pulls out her cell phone.
"Hey Gabby, I'm not coming to band practice right away," she says hanging up the phone. "Tell me."
Erin and I tell our daughter the entire story; the abortion, the Dookie excuse, and everything. "So is that why you didn't like me listening to Green Day?" she asks after a few moments of silence.
"I thought you'd want to hang yourself if you found out you had the hots for your dad," Erin say awkwardly as Amy shakes her head.
"I like Tre Cool."
"I can take you to meet him if you want," I offer, in a sad attempt to make conversation.
"Uh okay," she says awkwardly. "So you're my Dad."
"I guess so," I say drumming my fingers against the table.
"Your wife and kids, do they know about me?"
"My wife Adrienne knows, but I haven't told my kids yet," I say awkwardly.
"What about Tre and Mike?"
"They know about your mother being pregnant and all, but I haven't told them I found you."
"Can I meet them?" she asks.
"Mike and Tre? Sure I guess," I say shrugging my shoulders.
"No, I mean everyone, your wife, kids."
"Yeah, how about tomorrow, so I can tell my kids about you ahead of time."
"Sure, I have my guitar class at noon so I'm free after 1:30," she says, thinking to herself.
"Okay, so I'll pick you up at 1:30," I say as she walks out of the house to her band practice.