Billie Joe's Third Son

The town was bigger than I expected. The dialects, voices, smells, everything was so different from Glasgow. Mum and Amanda’d gone wild in the shopping malls, trying just about every clothing they could find. Antonia was also pretty exited, so my only choice was to sit outside and wait for them. With Michael.

"Women and clothes," Michael mumbled. I rolled my eyes. He was always complaining. Don't think I could remember a day Michael hadn't been angry, or complaining about everything he was dis pleased with.

"Michael and complaining," I mumbled back. I saw a joint on the ground, and picked it up.

"Do you have a lighter Mike?" I asked Michael. He looked at me.

"No, but I have some information for you. What would I do with a lighter?" he replied. I avoided his question.

"Yeah, information about how you spend your day with your asshole father, complaining and biting nails," I replied. "Go fetch me a lighter."

I knew it'd piss him off, me telling him that, but right there and then I didn't give a damn. I was pretty pissed off myself. So much had happened lately, and all I wanted was to forget about everything.

Michael gave me an angry look. I knew he was about to say something, but instead of sticking up for himself, he got up, asking every passing person if they had a lighter. After ten minutes of asking people, a guy finally let Michael borrow his lighter.

"How old are you kid?" he asked Michael. I looked at him. He had blonde hair, and a weird smile on his face. He had black sunglasses, white t-shirt and brown pants. He also wore a tie.

"I'm twelve," Michael replied. The dude suddenly looked at me.

"It's not him who wants to borrow the lighter, it's you isn't it?" I looked up to him, and he jumped about to metres back. I gave him a weird look and nodded slowly. He smiled, and cleared his throat. He slowly walked over to me, and handed me the lighter. He looked to Michael, then to me. Michael was busy catching butterflies. The guy leant closer to me.

"How old are you, kid?" he whispered in my ear.

"Fifteen," I replied. He leant back, and nodded.

"You have a good day, now. Keep the lighter," he said, then left the spot in a hurry. I watched him go. He was now on the phone. Michael came over to me, with a big grin on his face. I kindled the cigarette, and took a drag.

"Look. I catched a butterfly," he proudly said. I laughed.

"Yeah, would you look at that." I replied. "You've got to let it go, he needs his freedom." Mike looked disappointed, but for once obeyed my orders.

"If you see Mum coming, pinch me." He nodded. He knew just as well as me that Mum wouldn't be happy seeing me smoking.

"Joey, what you said about Dad.." he suddenly spoke.

"Look, Mike, I'm sorry. Just had a bad day, that's all. I s'pose you know how it's like having that." Infact, I wasn't sorry. Glen was an old pervert, and deserved everything he got. But Michael wouldn't understand why we wouldn't get a long, none of them would. Not Mum, not Antonia. Not even Glen.

"Antonia had a weird thing about your Dad," he spoke again.

"Like what? Oh well. She saw him on a picture we found on the attic, she's probably 'in love' with him too," I said and laughed. Antonia was "in love" in every guy she found hot, like Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Ashton Kutcher, and other celebrities. Even though my father wasn't famous, she probably had a crush on him too. I had to admit he wasn't that bad looking.

Michael shrugged. He looked as if he wanted to tell me something, but couldn't bring himself to it. I shook the thought away. I had enough problems as it was. He suddenly looked at me.

"Joey?"

"Yes," I replied, and threw what was left of the cigarette, on the ground.

"How do you know if a girl likes you or not?" he asked. I looked at him. He blushed.

"Why? You have a crush on someone?" I asked. I was laughing in my mind. I couldn't imagine Michael being in love, all cosy and all that. He wasn't that bad looking though. I was jealous of his hair colour, his actual colour was black.

"I don't know. I don't know what being in love with is like," he replied. I led my eyes away from him, and thought of Tom.

Did I love him? Was it just a crush? What is he doing now? Has he already replaced me with someone else?

"Joey?" Michael asked. I shook away the thoughts, and came back to reality. I looked at him again, his ice blue eyes looking right back at me.

"Well," I began. I didn't really know what to say. "Everytime you look at that person you are in love with, you have butterflies in your stomack and everytime that person looks at you, you blush. That's all I can say."

"But how do you know if a girl likes you or not?" he said.

"Well, I must admit it happens to me all the time," I joked.

"Yeah right," Michael said, crossing his arms. I laughed.

He was so alike Glen.

*

Scotland

My eyes shot wide open as my cell started to ring. I snarled, and searched the bed for my cell. I looked at the caller ID.

Adie.

"Hello?" I spoke.

"Billie, when are you coming home?" Adie sounded like a mix of anxious, and angry.

"Adie, are you alright?" I replied.

"Yes. Everything is just fine," she replied. "Just answer my question Billie Joe. We need to talk."

"Tomorrow, I guess.."

"Look, just get up and go home. I know it's probably late in Scotland now, but you owe me."

"Ok.." I said. I didn't get the chance to say anymore, 'cause she hung up. I looked around me.

Where was I?

Oh right. I was in a hotel in Scotland. I had been looking for Billie. I yawned. The room was pretty messy. I thought back to the present day. The guy'd told me all about my son. He had a weird nickname, Joey. I laughed to myself.

Joey. My son, Joey Armstrong.

It then hit me it's what we'd nicknamed Joseph. Joey. I then came to think of those two girls I'd met with Mike on the airport.

Joey..

"We met you on seven eleven some months ago, Billie Joe. You signed my bag, look." JOEY, said the script in big letters.

I swallowed a lump. I felt tears in my eyes, but choked them.

If only..

*

California

I closed my cell, after hanging up with Billie Joe. Ollie had told me everything, and I now knew why Billie had chosen Scotland over every place in the world. He wanted to find his son. That's what had been bugging him ever since I met the guy. Something had always seemed to miss in his life, and I now knew what, or who it was.

But I wasn't angry. I didn't blame him for not telling me, I just wish he had trusted me enough to do it. What did he think I'd do? Go to the tabloids with the whole story?

I decided to take a nap. The kids were at Ollie's, so it wouldn't be any problem. I sighed and laid down on the sofa. But sleep wouldn't come..

I didn't know what to do if Billie Joe suddenly came home with a stranger. His kid. His third son. I decided to give Amanda a call when she returned with them Scottish people from town. I closed my eyes, and tried to sleep once again..

*

"Joey, Michael. Come help me, your mother and sister with the bags." Amanda said. I looked at the three women. They probably had fourty bags. Antonia grinned. She was probably over joyed with her new stuff.

"How come Antonia get all of that when I don't even get a CD?" Michael asked. Amanda giggled.

"Yeah, how come you never buy anything to your two adorable sons?" she asked Mum, and clapped my cheek. Mum sighed.

"Because my two adorable boys never do anything to get anything," Mum replied and smiled.

"Oh yeah? As if Antonia does anything at home," Michael said and started poking her.

"Stop it Michael, I'm gonna drop my bags if you do that," Antonia screamed, and they both started argueing. I rolled my eyes. Amanda laughed.

"That's a good modulation to have, Joey. Rolling your eyes each time they have a fight, huh?" she said, still laughing.

"May be we should just drop the bags in the car, and go to a café or something? It's so long ago we had a real chat," Mum suggested. Amanda nodded.

"That's a pretty good idea, Reg. And you can tell me all about you and my brother's wedding, where to travel on your honeymoon.."

"Boys, help me, Amanda and Antonia with our bags, Michael stop annoying Antonia." Antonia smiled and handed three of her bags to Michael which, as usual, looked dis pleased with it. I helped Amanda and Mum with their bags. Michael was right. Women and clothes. Women and shopping. I giggled thinking as though Antonia was no woman. Yet.

We finally made it to Amanda's car, to leave the bags. She picked up her phone, to see if any message, or any phone call had been taking place.

"Anything?" Mum asked, and smiled. Michael sat down in the car, breathing heavily.

He was tired? After carrying three bags only?

"Funny. Adie has called me about ten times." Amanda said, and laughed. She always seemed to be laughing, or smiling. Kinda like James.

"Who is Adie?" asked Antonia, trying to sound like she was older than her age.

"Adie, or Adrienne, one of my neighbours. Billie Joe Armstrong's wife, if you guys know him," she replied.

I was about to shout "WHAT?!" but cleared my throat. Funny how this guy was named the same as I. I looked over to Mum. She looked nervous as hell. I then started using my brain..

"You're probably never gonna believe me, but my next door neighbour's a rockstar."
"The guy on the airport, my Dad. The guy on the airport, my Dad."
"A voice I'd heard so many times before, every time Antonia watched her favorite band on television, every time her CD's played on her CD player."
"I opened the door to Amanda's house, and outside stood a familiar woman. My father's wife.."
"Kiss my cock and do it twice. She was named Armstrong."

"Joey, are you ok?" Amanda's voice was so far away. I then blacked out.