Billie Joe's Third Son

It was dark. Dark, and cold. The rain was poring down again, like I'd guessed earlier. I walked over to the window, to take a look outside. The raindrops his my nose when I opened the it. This was our last day in California. And what a vacation it had been.

I opened my ears to every possible sound around. The only thing I could hear, was the rain. Mum and Amanda was eating dinner with the neighbours. Michael and Antonia were both downstairs, and could not be heard up here. Couldn't be bothered at all. And that's how I liked it.

Now that Glen finally had gone, everything seemed perfect in my life. Almost. Mum'd told me he'd escaped prison. Who cared he had escaped prison? The police had freed me for Glen.

I'd always loved the silence. No screaming, no argueing, no talking. Just silence. I smiled. California, or Berkeley, looked so beautiful like this. Dark, with rain poring down.

So much to live for..

I sighed. The summer in Scotland would soon be over by now. Neither had I no idea what to do when I came home. Listening to Mum's scratching and complaining, Antonia's CD's, Michael's complaining. What a life!

I closed the window, and laid down on the bed. The room was dark, may be too dark. But I didn't bother walking two metres to switch on the light.

Didn't bother doing anything just now..

*

Regina's POV

Walking over to Billie and Adrienne's house made my stomack turn all the way around. I hoped I'd delayed us enough, me and Amanda, ebough to that Billie was already done eating. It wasn't easy delaying us, but it had to be done. I knew Billie would recognize me straight away if he saw me. He'd recognize me at once.

"What's on your mind, Reg?" Amanda asked. I shook my head, didn't want to reply really. Amanda was an expert on coercing thins out of people, and me in particular.

Luckily, on my part especially, she didn't ask no more questions, just continued walking. Me thinking of it, made our trip a lot shorter, 'cause we were suddenly on the staircase of a yellow house. The Armstrong's house.

I admired it. Living in a house like this was something I wouldn't say no to. A sharp sound suddenly flashed through my head, when Amanda rang their doorbell. The door opened, and out stepped a very small woman, with dark dreads, chocolate brown eyes, and a beautiful smile. She wore a dark blue dress.

The two other women smiled, and hugged eachother.

"And this must be.." the little woman, definitely Adrienne started.

"Regina," I finished for her. She shook my hand, and I forced myself to smile.

"What's that sound?" Amanda asked.

"Oh, it's just Billie and the band. They're practising today. Wanna go down and greet them after dinner?"

"Yeah, that'd be nic.." Amanda said, me cutting her off.

"No. It's okey. The guys will need their peace anyway," I said, adding a false smile. Amanda gave me a look, and Adrienne nodded.

"Aren't your husband gonna eat with us?" Amanda asked when we were in the hall, taking of our shoes and coats.

"Oh, no. Billie was done ten minutes ago. I'm not surprised, you guys spent a lot of time getting ready," she replied, and giggled.

We walked over to the table, me slowly.

Oh boy. What a dinner. What a night.

*

Joey's POV

I woke up after half an hour sleeping, having a terrible headache, which I usually woke up with.

"Fuck," I mumbled to myself. I got up, but failed to see anything, and fell over on the floor. Fucking bed. Fucking clothes. Fucking feet. Fucking headache. Fucking ecstasy pills.

I got up again, and searched for my pants. Actually, not mine. Any pants. As long as it was.. Pants.

I found some after five minutes of walking around, trying to find both pants plus any sign of light. I failed with the light, but succeed with the pants. I dragged them with me to the bathroom, but as the light found me eyes, the headache got worse.

I closed my eyes.

"Aaah, Mum!" I screamed. "I need the migraine tablets! Now!"

I then heard footsteps in the hall, then someone tried to give me something. I took it. But it wasn't migraine tablets, it was... I opened my eyes.

A glas of water?

I looked at the person who had given it to me. It wasn't Mum. It was Antonia.

"Well, what the hell?" I mumbled.

"Mum's over at the neighbours house eating dinner with Aunt Amanda," said Antonia.

"Well, go get the migraine tablets then. As if water's gonna help," I said, still mumbling.

"I don't know where they are. Ask Michael," she replied, then left me alone with the glas. Kids. I left the glas on the bathroom floor, and went to pick up Michael. He was downstairs, sobbing about Glen. I felt sad for him, as the same time as I didn't. I decided to go easy on him. Whatever Glen had done to me, he was still Michael's father. And Antonia's.

"Michael," I said in the softest voice I could, trying not to pretend it. If I did, he'd notice. Michael looked at me.

"Oh. It's you," he said. I sat down beside him.

"Michael, look. I have a terrible headache. Have you seen Mum's migrain..."

"For fucks sake, Joey," Michael suddenly yelled. "It is always, you, you and you! What about others? Hah? You have a headache, do you? Ohh, poor Joey, the world goes under!"

"Well, for fucks sake, Michael," I said quoting him, still with a calm voice. "All I was gonna ask was if you'd seen the god damn tablets!"

He shook his head.

"You've gotta ask Mum."

His voice was calm again. I nodded.

"Alright."

He looked at me. I put my arm around him.

"Michael, I'm sorry you're sad," I said. "But I'm not sorry about Glen."

He gave me a look, and was about to reply, but I stopped him.

"Michael, please. How would you react if anyone abused you for four fucking years?"

He didn't reply.

"Didn't think so," I said and got up.

"Which one of the houses is it?"

"It's the one to the left."

*

Adrienne and Amanda were talking none stop about nothing and everything all at once. I didn't listen. I had far more important matters on my mind than listening to girlies chats. I looked at them. Amanda seemed so happy. Like Glen had never gone to prison. Thinking again he wasn't in prison anymore. He had escaped.

He had escaped..

"So, why did Glen go to prison? He was such a wonderful guy, never thought he'd go there," Adrienne, or Adie as Amanda called her, said.

What do you know?

Amanda nodded to me.

"He abused Regina's son. For sex," she replied.

He abused Regina's son. For sex.

As if it was that easy, just saying it like she did. Sharing it with this Adrienne woman. This wife of my abused son's father. Wonder what she'd do if I told her. She obviously didn't know. Obviously didn't know about Joey.

Adrienne's first expression was shock, then concern. I, for some strange reason, didn't like her. She seemed sweet and all, but there was something about her that made me.. Didn't know how to put it to myself. She was just about to say something, when the door down to the basement suddenly opened. I saw Billie and that guy who'd given his lighter to Michael right in front of me. I looked down on my hands, trying to hide my face behind my hair. On Billie's case, I luckily succeed. But that other one..

"Baby, do we have beer?" Billie asked, the question was obviously asked to Adie.

"Yes, in the fridge," Adrienne replied. I could almost feel her sweet smile.

"Hey," the other guy said. He was talking to me.

"Didn't I meet you on Rudy's?"

"Hi Tré. You sure did," Amanda said and laughed. She probably thought he was speaking to her. May be he was. May be I was being paranoid.

"You want a beer, Tré?" Billie's voice spoke, a little further away now.

"Mhm," replied this, Tré guy. I glanced at him. Billie was gone, probably in the kitchen. He sat down beside Amanda. They started to chat, until Billie came back again.

"Hey Tré, you comi..."

Billie was cut off by the outside door opening.

"Mum, I need the migraine table..." Joey stopped talking, seeing as though he had five eyes eyeing him.