Billie Joe's Third Son
Part four
February 19. 2003
I had troubles sleeping. Mum's sentence replayed in my head, all the time. Why did she say that, about me dad? She'd excused herself, before she ran out. I remembered it as if it'd just happened. It had just happened. Her laughter, her exact words. "Joey, you're so alike your dad when he was at your age."
'Go to sleep,' I told myself time after time. Everything that had happened the last few days was so strange, and in the middle of all of this, I had trouble with Don. I owed him 400p, which had to be delivered in two weeks. Meanwhile I worked my ass off, even using my birthday money which wasn't as much as I'd hoped for, to pay him back. Counting on the money I earned by working on 7/11, I still had to get 150p somehow. Thinking all of this, made me fall asleep.
*
"There y'go Billie," the guy said, handing me some sort of keys. "Don't tell Brad, or he'll be very, very mad at daddy." I giggled. I looked at the guy who was speaking. His face were dazed by the sun. All I could see was his curly hair, hanging like a cloud 'round his head. It was pretty long, too. His face stayed unseeable.
"Just like you, B.."
"Joey!" What?
"Joey!" the voice shouted again. I slowly opened me eyes, realising I'd been dreaming.
"What do y'want?" I said, looking angrily at Michael.
"I can't sleep," the soon twelve year old said.
"Why?"
"There's ghost in me room!"
"What, you mean you're not waking me up 'cause I have to spend me day on school?" I said, tired and confused. I thought the clock showed morning.
"No, it's 2am. Can I jump in with you?" he said.
"No way. It'll totally ruin my sleep. Go jump in with Antonia or mum and Glen."
"She's in the same room as me."
"So?"
"That means there's ghosts there too." I rolled my eyes.
"There's no such thing as ghosts, now go back to bed."
"But J.."
"No buts. Do as I say and you'll.. You'll get to eat me breakfast." He grinned, then left. My head dumped down at the soft pillow, once again. That dream of mine. So weird, so.. Real. And who the hell was Brad? And Billie? Billie had to be me. And that guy..
"Aww," I said as I felt a heavy headache coming through. I tried to sleep again, but couldn't, so I got up. I decided I wouldn't do ecstasies, even though I had a headache. They'd probably make me feel worse.
*
Two weeks had almost passed, and I still needed 150p. I decided I had to go to Don's place instead of school, asking for abeyance. He was already awake when I came. He sat out side his house, reading some weird book. He noticed me long before I saw him. He'd always been like that. He noticed everything.
"What do you want, Armstrong?" he said when I came closer, not letting his eyes look at me. He kept reading.
"I must ask you for some more time. Money are pretty hard these days.." I begun, but he interrupted me.
"No. No way." I knew he wasn't finnished speaking, so I waited for a while, until he spoke again. "How much have ya got?"
"250p." He finally let go of the book, and changed position. He stared at me for a long time, none of us saying a single word until he spoke next.
"I've got an idea, Armstrong."
"What idea?"
"Give me the money and we'll say no more about it. On one condition."
"What's that?"
"C'mere," he said. I did as he said, and placed myself beside him.
"Y'know Armstrong, you're the only one I care 'bout, right?" I didn't answer.
"You're like.. Like a son to me," he continued. "The son I never had." What was this?
"Is there a point to all of this?" I asked, curious of what the conditions was. I wanted to get on with it and leave.
"Your future is important to me. Not only 'cause you're my boy, but you're a customer. An important one, too." I was about to open me mouth to speak, but he continued.
"What I want you to do, not only for yourself, but also for me, is that you go to school without skipping next week. Try doing some of your homeworks too. It'll be good for ya, keeping your mind of things."
"Yeah.." I nodded, not really listening.
"Great. That means a lot to me," he replied and smiled so I could see all of his yellow teeth. A shiver ran down my spine.
Was Don my biological father?
I had troubles sleeping. Mum's sentence replayed in my head, all the time. Why did she say that, about me dad? She'd excused herself, before she ran out. I remembered it as if it'd just happened. It had just happened. Her laughter, her exact words. "Joey, you're so alike your dad when he was at your age."
'Go to sleep,' I told myself time after time. Everything that had happened the last few days was so strange, and in the middle of all of this, I had trouble with Don. I owed him 400p, which had to be delivered in two weeks. Meanwhile I worked my ass off, even using my birthday money which wasn't as much as I'd hoped for, to pay him back. Counting on the money I earned by working on 7/11, I still had to get 150p somehow. Thinking all of this, made me fall asleep.
*
"There y'go Billie," the guy said, handing me some sort of keys. "Don't tell Brad, or he'll be very, very mad at daddy." I giggled. I looked at the guy who was speaking. His face were dazed by the sun. All I could see was his curly hair, hanging like a cloud 'round his head. It was pretty long, too. His face stayed unseeable.
"Just like you, B.."
"Joey!" What?
"Joey!" the voice shouted again. I slowly opened me eyes, realising I'd been dreaming.
"What do y'want?" I said, looking angrily at Michael.
"I can't sleep," the soon twelve year old said.
"Why?"
"There's ghost in me room!"
"What, you mean you're not waking me up 'cause I have to spend me day on school?" I said, tired and confused. I thought the clock showed morning.
"No, it's 2am. Can I jump in with you?" he said.
"No way. It'll totally ruin my sleep. Go jump in with Antonia or mum and Glen."
"She's in the same room as me."
"So?"
"That means there's ghosts there too." I rolled my eyes.
"There's no such thing as ghosts, now go back to bed."
"But J.."
"No buts. Do as I say and you'll.. You'll get to eat me breakfast." He grinned, then left. My head dumped down at the soft pillow, once again. That dream of mine. So weird, so.. Real. And who the hell was Brad? And Billie? Billie had to be me. And that guy..
"Aww," I said as I felt a heavy headache coming through. I tried to sleep again, but couldn't, so I got up. I decided I wouldn't do ecstasies, even though I had a headache. They'd probably make me feel worse.
*
Two weeks had almost passed, and I still needed 150p. I decided I had to go to Don's place instead of school, asking for abeyance. He was already awake when I came. He sat out side his house, reading some weird book. He noticed me long before I saw him. He'd always been like that. He noticed everything.
"What do you want, Armstrong?" he said when I came closer, not letting his eyes look at me. He kept reading.
"I must ask you for some more time. Money are pretty hard these days.." I begun, but he interrupted me.
"No. No way." I knew he wasn't finnished speaking, so I waited for a while, until he spoke again. "How much have ya got?"
"250p." He finally let go of the book, and changed position. He stared at me for a long time, none of us saying a single word until he spoke next.
"I've got an idea, Armstrong."
"What idea?"
"Give me the money and we'll say no more about it. On one condition."
"What's that?"
"C'mere," he said. I did as he said, and placed myself beside him.
"Y'know Armstrong, you're the only one I care 'bout, right?" I didn't answer.
"You're like.. Like a son to me," he continued. "The son I never had." What was this?
"Is there a point to all of this?" I asked, curious of what the conditions was. I wanted to get on with it and leave.
"Your future is important to me. Not only 'cause you're my boy, but you're a customer. An important one, too." I was about to open me mouth to speak, but he continued.
"What I want you to do, not only for yourself, but also for me, is that you go to school without skipping next week. Try doing some of your homeworks too. It'll be good for ya, keeping your mind of things."
"Yeah.." I nodded, not really listening.
"Great. That means a lot to me," he replied and smiled so I could see all of his yellow teeth. A shiver ran down my spine.
Was Don my biological father?