‹ Prequel: Backstage
Center Stage (Into the Future)
Homecoming
“Mrs. Armstrong, did you just call your son?” the lady said angrily.
‘Wow, she actually has emotion,’ Adrienne thought.
“Yes I did. This is a very big deal for our family, his father is barely ever home. He just came home early and his son will be very excited to see him. IF you don’t mind, I think that my son is coming. We will be leaving NOW,” Adrienne said angrily.
The lady looked as if she had just been punched in the face.
“Uh…A-Alright…” she said uncertainly. Adrienne gave her a fake smile and turned to her son, who was sprinting down the hall.
“H-He came h-home?” he panted while trying to act excited.
“Yes, he just got home. Joey already headed home. Let’s go,” she said tugging on his shoulder. They both walked as fast as they could to the car.
At Home
Joey opened up the door and saw his dad sitting on a stool next to the island in the middle of the kitchen. A little aged at 41 but still the same Billie Joe. His auburn brown hair that he shared with his two sons had been dyed to black again to hide the grays. His green eyes still had the same sparkle as before as he smiled at his oldest son.
Billie looked up and saw Joey.
“DAD!” he yelled. He sprinted over to his dad and almost knocked him off of the stool.
“Jeez, Joey. I missed you too,” he said with a laugh.
“I still don’t know how I could do this when I was little,” Joey said still hugging his dad. Billie laughed.
“You’ve always hated it. You just learned to deal with it, I guess,” Billie said and he was released from Joey’s grip. Billie looked at him for a second.
“You grew, Joey. How the hell are you still growing? I stopped growing when I was fifteen! I’m still wearing the same pants,” he half stated, half bragged. Joey smiled and sat down on the stool next to him. He shrugged.
“Dunno, guess I’m just a growing boy,” he said with a laugh. Billie laughed. “You’re taller than me now. You weren’t taller than me when I left.” Billie actually looked sad for a second. Joey shrugged awkwardly.
“Just…Gone a long time…I guess,” he said. Billie nodded.
Just then, the door burst open followed by another “DAD!” Billie actually fell off of the stool this time.
THUD
“OW!” Billie groaned while he was laughing. But being on the ground didn’t stop Jakob. He tackled his dad again.
“Hey buddy,” Billie said as Jakob practically strangled him. “Jake…air to live!” he struggled.
“Oh…sorry,” Jakob said as he got off of him. Billie stood up and wiped the dust off of his pants.
“Billie!”
He looked up and saw Adrienne standing there. “Adie,” he said grabbing her in a hug.
“Here we go…” Joey said. Jakob laughed. “Mom and Dad need ‘alone time’ now.” The boys walked up the stairs leaving their mom and dad alone.
“I missed you,” Adie said as she kissed him. “Missed you too. Always do,” he said as he kissed her back. She laughed.
“Even when you’re not gone, you’re still rhyming, aren’t you?” Billie shook his head.
“I write songs, I don’t ‘rhyme.’” Adrienne placed her head on his shoulder. “Love you,” he said.
“Love you, too,” she replied with a smile.
It took about an hour until Billie had everything thrown back into all of his drawers and everything that he needed to wash into the laundry room. He sighed and went downstairs to see Adrienne reading a magazine and Joey and Jakob fighting over what to watch on TV. When they saw that their dad was there they turned off the TV and scooted over on the couch so he could sit down. He sat in between Joey and Adrienne. Billie looked over at Joey. He looked away from him. He leaned back against the couch, put his head in his hands and groaned. Joey looked over at his mom who was looking at Billie. She shrugged at her son and looked at him again.
“Baby, are you ok?” she asked him. Billie peaked through his fingers.
“Too fast,” he mumbled. Jakob was looking at his dad.
“Mom?” he asked. She looked up at him. “Dad’s going crazy,” he said with a laugh. Adrienne smiled and then looked at Billie again.
“Honey, what’s too fast?” she asked him.
“They did,” Billie said taking his hands away from his face and looking at Joey and Jakob.
“What?” Adrienne asked.
“They grew up too fast,” Billie said pronouncing every word solidly.
“Oh, I see,” she said.
The room was quiet for a few minutes. Then Billie burst.
“I mean look at them! Joey’s 19 and Jakob is 16 and…and I missed everything! I mean I was never home and now I can’t go back and…Joey’s taller than me!”
Everyone stared at him their mouths hanging open. Billie looked at them all for a second then he sighed.
“Sorry…I just…I don’t know. It just hadn’t sunk in until now I guess,” he said.
“Dad…I…” Joey tried but there was nothing that he could say.
His Dad hadn’t been there a lot of the time. He and Jakob both knew it they just never let him know how much it hurt. When ever he was home, they would spend as much time as possible with him until he had to leave again. No matter how much money they had, no amount could make them as happy as they were when their Dad was with them.
‘Wow, she actually has emotion,’ Adrienne thought.
“Yes I did. This is a very big deal for our family, his father is barely ever home. He just came home early and his son will be very excited to see him. IF you don’t mind, I think that my son is coming. We will be leaving NOW,” Adrienne said angrily.
The lady looked as if she had just been punched in the face.
“Uh…A-Alright…” she said uncertainly. Adrienne gave her a fake smile and turned to her son, who was sprinting down the hall.
“H-He came h-home?” he panted while trying to act excited.
“Yes, he just got home. Joey already headed home. Let’s go,” she said tugging on his shoulder. They both walked as fast as they could to the car.
At Home
Joey opened up the door and saw his dad sitting on a stool next to the island in the middle of the kitchen. A little aged at 41 but still the same Billie Joe. His auburn brown hair that he shared with his two sons had been dyed to black again to hide the grays. His green eyes still had the same sparkle as before as he smiled at his oldest son.
Billie looked up and saw Joey.
“DAD!” he yelled. He sprinted over to his dad and almost knocked him off of the stool.
“Jeez, Joey. I missed you too,” he said with a laugh.
“I still don’t know how I could do this when I was little,” Joey said still hugging his dad. Billie laughed.
“You’ve always hated it. You just learned to deal with it, I guess,” Billie said and he was released from Joey’s grip. Billie looked at him for a second.
“You grew, Joey. How the hell are you still growing? I stopped growing when I was fifteen! I’m still wearing the same pants,” he half stated, half bragged. Joey smiled and sat down on the stool next to him. He shrugged.
“Dunno, guess I’m just a growing boy,” he said with a laugh. Billie laughed. “You’re taller than me now. You weren’t taller than me when I left.” Billie actually looked sad for a second. Joey shrugged awkwardly.
“Just…Gone a long time…I guess,” he said. Billie nodded.
Just then, the door burst open followed by another “DAD!” Billie actually fell off of the stool this time.
THUD
“OW!” Billie groaned while he was laughing. But being on the ground didn’t stop Jakob. He tackled his dad again.
“Hey buddy,” Billie said as Jakob practically strangled him. “Jake…air to live!” he struggled.
“Oh…sorry,” Jakob said as he got off of him. Billie stood up and wiped the dust off of his pants.
“Billie!”
He looked up and saw Adrienne standing there. “Adie,” he said grabbing her in a hug.
“Here we go…” Joey said. Jakob laughed. “Mom and Dad need ‘alone time’ now.” The boys walked up the stairs leaving their mom and dad alone.
“I missed you,” Adie said as she kissed him. “Missed you too. Always do,” he said as he kissed her back. She laughed.
“Even when you’re not gone, you’re still rhyming, aren’t you?” Billie shook his head.
“I write songs, I don’t ‘rhyme.’” Adrienne placed her head on his shoulder. “Love you,” he said.
“Love you, too,” she replied with a smile.
It took about an hour until Billie had everything thrown back into all of his drawers and everything that he needed to wash into the laundry room. He sighed and went downstairs to see Adrienne reading a magazine and Joey and Jakob fighting over what to watch on TV. When they saw that their dad was there they turned off the TV and scooted over on the couch so he could sit down. He sat in between Joey and Adrienne. Billie looked over at Joey. He looked away from him. He leaned back against the couch, put his head in his hands and groaned. Joey looked over at his mom who was looking at Billie. She shrugged at her son and looked at him again.
“Baby, are you ok?” she asked him. Billie peaked through his fingers.
“Too fast,” he mumbled. Jakob was looking at his dad.
“Mom?” he asked. She looked up at him. “Dad’s going crazy,” he said with a laugh. Adrienne smiled and then looked at Billie again.
“Honey, what’s too fast?” she asked him.
“They did,” Billie said taking his hands away from his face and looking at Joey and Jakob.
“What?” Adrienne asked.
“They grew up too fast,” Billie said pronouncing every word solidly.
“Oh, I see,” she said.
The room was quiet for a few minutes. Then Billie burst.
“I mean look at them! Joey’s 19 and Jakob is 16 and…and I missed everything! I mean I was never home and now I can’t go back and…Joey’s taller than me!”
Everyone stared at him their mouths hanging open. Billie looked at them all for a second then he sighed.
“Sorry…I just…I don’t know. It just hadn’t sunk in until now I guess,” he said.
“Dad…I…” Joey tried but there was nothing that he could say.
His Dad hadn’t been there a lot of the time. He and Jakob both knew it they just never let him know how much it hurt. When ever he was home, they would spend as much time as possible with him until he had to leave again. No matter how much money they had, no amount could make them as happy as they were when their Dad was with them.