Billie Joe's Third Son
Part five
1987
"C'mon Bill. We're talking about 50 dollars," Mike said, trying to cut me in on his, John's and Will's stupid bet about who slept with the new school nurse first.
"Yeah. And that's exactly what worries me. What if I lose?"
"Well...it's just a bit of fun. C'mon Bill, can't be that bad," Will said.
"What if you lose? What if ya win?" Mike said, biting his fingerneils. I rolled my eyes.
"Okay, fine, I'm in."
*
We spent the next two weeks hurting ourselves so we could have an excuse, going to the school nurse. Her name was Regina, or Ms. Pedersen, and rumor said she was Norwegian, and she was a beauty. She looked up as I entered the room the second Thursday of our bet.
"Not you again," she said and shook her head.
"My leg is uhm...I think I've broken it," I lied.
"What's your name again?" she replied, making herself ready to write it in the notebook.
"Armstrong. Billie Joe," I replied. "Look, can you look at my leg soon? I've got maths in half an hour, so you better hurry it up." I hated maths, not to mention every other class. But I couldn't help feeling a strange need to get out of there as soon as possible.
"Take your pants off," she said, still writing in her notebook. Wait, did she just tell me to 'take of my pants?' Oh right, she was gonna look at my leg, no wonder she told me to. So, I did what she told me.
"There," I said. She came over to me.
"Where exactly does it hurt?" she asked.
"My leg. I mean...my thigh." She looked at me as if I was an alien.
"Your thigh?" she asked.
"Yeah, I told ya, right?" She nodded, and felt my thigh.
"Does that hurt?"
"No."
"That?" she asked, moving her hand a little bit closer my you-know-what. I shook my head.
"Well Mr. Armstrong, you're lucky. Your thigh is not broken," she said and looked at me. I could tell by her look she didn't believe my little 'story' about a broken thigh. She was probably asking herself 'how could he break his thigh?' I couldn't help but feel a bit stupid. "It means we're done." she spoke again.
"No...we're not done yet," I replied. She gave be a confused look as I bent down to kiss her.
*
I left the spot, happy. I'd become a lot richer. Now I just had to find Mike, Will and John.
*
"You can't have!" John shouted when I told the three of them I'd won.
"But I have, and you know it. You're just jealous because I made it, and you didn't. Now, where's my money?" Mike handed me what he owed me, he always had money. He was probably like an old grandmum hiding thousands of dollars inside her mattress. I laughed, and shook away the thought.
"I don't have any money right now," John said, emptying his pockets. "I was so sure I was gonna win." John was the opposite of Mike, he never had money. Will started emptying his pockets.
"I owe you 25 dollars dude, remind me."
*
Three months later
I was sitting on my room, not doing anything but strumming Blue, when mum called me from downstairs.
"Billie! There's a girl on the phone for you!" I sighed, and put Blue back in his guitar case, as I ran downstairs.
"Who is it?"
"See yourself, I do not recognize her voice," mum said, handing me the phone.
"Hello?" I said, hoping it was Lynn, one of the many girls I dated at the moment.
"Hi." the girl, or woman said in the other end.
"Regina? School nurse?" I said, confused.
"Yes. Yes, it's me."
"What are you calling me for? Look, if you wanna talk, I don't really have the t..."
"Billie, I'm...I'm pregnant," she said cutting me off.
"So?" I replied as I started to play with my hair, which I always did when I was nervous. I had a feeling I wasn't going to like what I was about to hear.
"It's yours."
I stopped playing with my hair as my mouth probably dropped wide open. I couldn't believe what she'd just said.
"No. It's not. Bye," I said.
"Wait!" she replied. "It is. You're the only one I've slept with since I found out."
"Damn you," I whispered.
"What?" she replied.
"How the hell could you do this to me? Fuck, I'm just fifteen!" I screamed, and threw the phone in the wall. Mum came running in.
"What's going on in here? Billie what are you doing?"
"Fuck you!" I screamed and ran upstairs again. I hated her. I hated Regina. But most of all, I hated my unborn child.
*
2003
"Mum, I need to talk to you," I said. I called her from Don's place, while he was outside.
"Joey, what is it? And why aren't you on school?" she replied, just about to continue, but I cut her off.
"Mum, I know who my dad is," She didn't reply. "I...he...I'm at his place now. He doesn't know that I know though."
"What?!"
"I'm at his place, and he doesn't 'k..." I replied, but she interrupted me.
"Joey, how the hell did you get to California?" California?
"C...California?" I said. She was sure as hell confusing me.
"Yes! That's where you are, isn't it? Tell your father to send you home immidiately! I do not know how the hell you could get there in such short time, but..." I cut her off.
"Mum, dad does not live in California."
"He does."
"Does not."
"He does! Let me speak to him!"
"No, you can't. He...well, he's named Don right?" I replied as I started to play with my long hair. I always did that while being nervous.
"Don? Who the hell is Don?"
"Dad. Okay, come on, he's that guy who use to sell me ecstasy."
"Sell you what?" she yelled.
"W...wha..." Oh no. God I was such a bonehead! What was I thinking?
"Mum. You've got it all wrong. What I meant..."
"I know exactly what you meant! And I expect you to walk in this door in twenty minutes, you hear me?" she said, cutting me off.
"O...okay." I replied. "But I don't know where the hospital is," I quickly said, hoping she'd believe me.
"You know exactly where the hospital is, Billie Joe Armstrong! Take the bus or walk, I don't care, just be here in twenty minutes or I'll totally rip your eyes out when we're both home later!"
"Okay, okay I'm coming!" I replied angrily and hung up.
"What was that all about?" Don said, entering the room. He laughed.
"Nothing," I replied, still angry and confused.
"Hey, don't take that tone with me," he said as he stopped laughing.
"Go to hell!" I screamed as I ran out. I ran and ran, while tears streamed down my cheeks. So, Don wasn't my father afterall. My father lived in California, in the United States. It was miles away. I was never gonna find him now.
*
"Are you on drugs?" mum said half an hour later. She'd taken me to her office where we could speak in private.
"I wanna know who my dad is," I replied.
"You didn't answer my question." I looked at her. She was strangly calm, and I couldn't see any anger in her eyes.
"Yes..." I said and nodded slowly. She closed her eyes.
"Joey.."
"Look, just don't say anything, okay?" I replied. She nodded. Tears appeared in her eyes.
"I only want the best for you, you know that right?" she said. She whiped away her tears.
"Yes," I replied.
"Then why are you doing this?" I couldn't tell. I couldn't tell her about Glen. He'd kill me, or worse. And she wouldn't believe me if I told her, she'd just hate me more than she already did.
"If I did tell you...you wouldn't believe me, and you'd hate me more than you already do."
"Joey, I don't hate you. I..."
"Love me?" I replied, cutting her off. She nodded. "Then tell me who my dad is."
"Why do you wanna know?"
"Why does anyone wanna know?" I replied. I couldn't look at her, so I looked at the floor instead. It was white, but also kind off yellow.
"But Glen..."
"Glen? Oh don't tell me Glen's supposed to be my father. He couldn't be my father even if I wanted him too," I spoke, still not looking at her.
"He is trying you know."
"Trying to tie me up in his bed more like."
"What?"
"Never mind."
"No, tell me," she said, trying to sound angry. She never could if she wasn't.
"You don't wanna tell me who my dad is," I said, finally looking at her.
"Because there's nothing to tell. He hated you. He hated you before you were even born. God, he was sixteen, Joey. He couldn't take care of you even if he wanted to."
"He hated me?" I asked. I felt a sting in my heart. It hurt hearing her say that. She nodded.
"Oh," I said, looking down again. She shook her head.
"See?"
"You remember his name?" I asked, instead of giving her an answer.
"Yes. Yes, I do. But his name doesn't matter. He's the past, Joey. But past has passed. It's time to set sails for the future." I nodded.
"But you have to quit drugs, Joey. Promise me that."
"I'll try."
*
Mum wasn't done before late at night, so she told me to go home. She said I didn't have to go to school today, so I did as she told me. When I came home, I turned on the TV. God, I was so bored. The phone rang after ten minutes or so.
"Hello?"
"Hi Joey. It's mum."
"Oh yeah, what do you want?"
"Well, now that you're home, can you please tidy the attic a little bit? Look, You'll get 50p for it, what do you say?" I rolled my eyes.
"Guess I have no choice. Money makes it even lesser of one," I said sarcastic, and laughed.
"Guess it's settled then," she said laughing.
"Yeah sure. Whatever. Bye."
"Bye, love you." I rolled my eyes and hung up.
"Who was that?" a voice behind me said. I must've jumped two meters of the ground, 'cause she laughed at me.
"God Toni, go ahead give me another heart attack won't ya? Whatcha' doin' home?"
"I'm ill." I rolled my eyes.
"Well, now that you're home, you wanna help me tidy the attic?" I said and smiled.
"No," she replied.
"Come on, why not?"
"The attic is scary." I rolled my eyes.
"God no. Come on! You'll have some of my share if ya do." She smiled, then nodded.
*
'God, why can't mother do this herself?' I asked myself as I trashed some old blankets.
"Why can't mum do this herself?" Antonia said, thinking the same as me. She was probably tired.
"Look, just take the lots over there, please? And I'll.. Make you something good."
"Like what?"
"I don't know, what do you want?"
"Pizza," she replied and grinned.
"Yeah. I'll roast a pizza for ya. Now, can ya finish that bit?"
"Yes." She went over to the lot I'd told her to tidy up, suddenly her eyes grew wide. "You hafta see this, bro!" she said. She sounded exited, so I walked over to her.
"What can be exiting in a boring old attic?" I said sarcastic, and smiled.
"It's mum's old diaries and stuff," she replied. I rolled my eyes.
"Toni, diaries are private, y'know?"
"Yes. But...it's her diary for 1987-88. The period around your birth. She might have written something about your dad..." I snatched it from her, and looked in between the sides.
"February 17. 1988. My first son born," I read. Toni laughed. I looked further into it. "God, there's nothing but shit in here," I said and threw the diary in some random corner. Something fell out of it. Antonia ran over to fetch it.
"It's probably nothing. Look, I thought you wanted to be done as soon as possible," I said starting to play with my hair again. I had a strange feeling over all of this, as I grew nervous. Her eyes grew wide.
"It's a photo," she said.
"So?"
"Joey, it's a photo of you and your dad."
"What?" I said, running over to her. I snatched the photo out of her hands, and looked at it. "Billie and his dad," I read. My dad had long hair. Long, and curly. He had a weird smile on his face, and in his arms.. In his arms he held a baby. He held me in his arms.
"C'mon Bill. We're talking about 50 dollars," Mike said, trying to cut me in on his, John's and Will's stupid bet about who slept with the new school nurse first.
"Yeah. And that's exactly what worries me. What if I lose?"
"Well...it's just a bit of fun. C'mon Bill, can't be that bad," Will said.
"What if you lose? What if ya win?" Mike said, biting his fingerneils. I rolled my eyes.
"Okay, fine, I'm in."
*
We spent the next two weeks hurting ourselves so we could have an excuse, going to the school nurse. Her name was Regina, or Ms. Pedersen, and rumor said she was Norwegian, and she was a beauty. She looked up as I entered the room the second Thursday of our bet.
"Not you again," she said and shook her head.
"My leg is uhm...I think I've broken it," I lied.
"What's your name again?" she replied, making herself ready to write it in the notebook.
"Armstrong. Billie Joe," I replied. "Look, can you look at my leg soon? I've got maths in half an hour, so you better hurry it up." I hated maths, not to mention every other class. But I couldn't help feeling a strange need to get out of there as soon as possible.
"Take your pants off," she said, still writing in her notebook. Wait, did she just tell me to 'take of my pants?' Oh right, she was gonna look at my leg, no wonder she told me to. So, I did what she told me.
"There," I said. She came over to me.
"Where exactly does it hurt?" she asked.
"My leg. I mean...my thigh." She looked at me as if I was an alien.
"Your thigh?" she asked.
"Yeah, I told ya, right?" She nodded, and felt my thigh.
"Does that hurt?"
"No."
"That?" she asked, moving her hand a little bit closer my you-know-what. I shook my head.
"Well Mr. Armstrong, you're lucky. Your thigh is not broken," she said and looked at me. I could tell by her look she didn't believe my little 'story' about a broken thigh. She was probably asking herself 'how could he break his thigh?' I couldn't help but feel a bit stupid. "It means we're done." she spoke again.
"No...we're not done yet," I replied. She gave be a confused look as I bent down to kiss her.
*
I left the spot, happy. I'd become a lot richer. Now I just had to find Mike, Will and John.
*
"You can't have!" John shouted when I told the three of them I'd won.
"But I have, and you know it. You're just jealous because I made it, and you didn't. Now, where's my money?" Mike handed me what he owed me, he always had money. He was probably like an old grandmum hiding thousands of dollars inside her mattress. I laughed, and shook away the thought.
"I don't have any money right now," John said, emptying his pockets. "I was so sure I was gonna win." John was the opposite of Mike, he never had money. Will started emptying his pockets.
"I owe you 25 dollars dude, remind me."
*
Three months later
I was sitting on my room, not doing anything but strumming Blue, when mum called me from downstairs.
"Billie! There's a girl on the phone for you!" I sighed, and put Blue back in his guitar case, as I ran downstairs.
"Who is it?"
"See yourself, I do not recognize her voice," mum said, handing me the phone.
"Hello?" I said, hoping it was Lynn, one of the many girls I dated at the moment.
"Hi." the girl, or woman said in the other end.
"Regina? School nurse?" I said, confused.
"Yes. Yes, it's me."
"What are you calling me for? Look, if you wanna talk, I don't really have the t..."
"Billie, I'm...I'm pregnant," she said cutting me off.
"So?" I replied as I started to play with my hair, which I always did when I was nervous. I had a feeling I wasn't going to like what I was about to hear.
"It's yours."
I stopped playing with my hair as my mouth probably dropped wide open. I couldn't believe what she'd just said.
"No. It's not. Bye," I said.
"Wait!" she replied. "It is. You're the only one I've slept with since I found out."
"Damn you," I whispered.
"What?" she replied.
"How the hell could you do this to me? Fuck, I'm just fifteen!" I screamed, and threw the phone in the wall. Mum came running in.
"What's going on in here? Billie what are you doing?"
"Fuck you!" I screamed and ran upstairs again. I hated her. I hated Regina. But most of all, I hated my unborn child.
*
2003
"Mum, I need to talk to you," I said. I called her from Don's place, while he was outside.
"Joey, what is it? And why aren't you on school?" she replied, just about to continue, but I cut her off.
"Mum, I know who my dad is," She didn't reply. "I...he...I'm at his place now. He doesn't know that I know though."
"What?!"
"I'm at his place, and he doesn't 'k..." I replied, but she interrupted me.
"Joey, how the hell did you get to California?" California?
"C...California?" I said. She was sure as hell confusing me.
"Yes! That's where you are, isn't it? Tell your father to send you home immidiately! I do not know how the hell you could get there in such short time, but..." I cut her off.
"Mum, dad does not live in California."
"He does."
"Does not."
"He does! Let me speak to him!"
"No, you can't. He...well, he's named Don right?" I replied as I started to play with my long hair. I always did that while being nervous.
"Don? Who the hell is Don?"
"Dad. Okay, come on, he's that guy who use to sell me ecstasy."
"Sell you what?" she yelled.
"W...wha..." Oh no. God I was such a bonehead! What was I thinking?
"Mum. You've got it all wrong. What I meant..."
"I know exactly what you meant! And I expect you to walk in this door in twenty minutes, you hear me?" she said, cutting me off.
"O...okay." I replied. "But I don't know where the hospital is," I quickly said, hoping she'd believe me.
"You know exactly where the hospital is, Billie Joe Armstrong! Take the bus or walk, I don't care, just be here in twenty minutes or I'll totally rip your eyes out when we're both home later!"
"Okay, okay I'm coming!" I replied angrily and hung up.
"What was that all about?" Don said, entering the room. He laughed.
"Nothing," I replied, still angry and confused.
"Hey, don't take that tone with me," he said as he stopped laughing.
"Go to hell!" I screamed as I ran out. I ran and ran, while tears streamed down my cheeks. So, Don wasn't my father afterall. My father lived in California, in the United States. It was miles away. I was never gonna find him now.
*
"Are you on drugs?" mum said half an hour later. She'd taken me to her office where we could speak in private.
"I wanna know who my dad is," I replied.
"You didn't answer my question." I looked at her. She was strangly calm, and I couldn't see any anger in her eyes.
"Yes..." I said and nodded slowly. She closed her eyes.
"Joey.."
"Look, just don't say anything, okay?" I replied. She nodded. Tears appeared in her eyes.
"I only want the best for you, you know that right?" she said. She whiped away her tears.
"Yes," I replied.
"Then why are you doing this?" I couldn't tell. I couldn't tell her about Glen. He'd kill me, or worse. And she wouldn't believe me if I told her, she'd just hate me more than she already did.
"If I did tell you...you wouldn't believe me, and you'd hate me more than you already do."
"Joey, I don't hate you. I..."
"Love me?" I replied, cutting her off. She nodded. "Then tell me who my dad is."
"Why do you wanna know?"
"Why does anyone wanna know?" I replied. I couldn't look at her, so I looked at the floor instead. It was white, but also kind off yellow.
"But Glen..."
"Glen? Oh don't tell me Glen's supposed to be my father. He couldn't be my father even if I wanted him too," I spoke, still not looking at her.
"He is trying you know."
"Trying to tie me up in his bed more like."
"What?"
"Never mind."
"No, tell me," she said, trying to sound angry. She never could if she wasn't.
"You don't wanna tell me who my dad is," I said, finally looking at her.
"Because there's nothing to tell. He hated you. He hated you before you were even born. God, he was sixteen, Joey. He couldn't take care of you even if he wanted to."
"He hated me?" I asked. I felt a sting in my heart. It hurt hearing her say that. She nodded.
"Oh," I said, looking down again. She shook her head.
"See?"
"You remember his name?" I asked, instead of giving her an answer.
"Yes. Yes, I do. But his name doesn't matter. He's the past, Joey. But past has passed. It's time to set sails for the future." I nodded.
"But you have to quit drugs, Joey. Promise me that."
"I'll try."
*
Mum wasn't done before late at night, so she told me to go home. She said I didn't have to go to school today, so I did as she told me. When I came home, I turned on the TV. God, I was so bored. The phone rang after ten minutes or so.
"Hello?"
"Hi Joey. It's mum."
"Oh yeah, what do you want?"
"Well, now that you're home, can you please tidy the attic a little bit? Look, You'll get 50p for it, what do you say?" I rolled my eyes.
"Guess I have no choice. Money makes it even lesser of one," I said sarcastic, and laughed.
"Guess it's settled then," she said laughing.
"Yeah sure. Whatever. Bye."
"Bye, love you." I rolled my eyes and hung up.
"Who was that?" a voice behind me said. I must've jumped two meters of the ground, 'cause she laughed at me.
"God Toni, go ahead give me another heart attack won't ya? Whatcha' doin' home?"
"I'm ill." I rolled my eyes.
"Well, now that you're home, you wanna help me tidy the attic?" I said and smiled.
"No," she replied.
"Come on, why not?"
"The attic is scary." I rolled my eyes.
"God no. Come on! You'll have some of my share if ya do." She smiled, then nodded.
*
'God, why can't mother do this herself?' I asked myself as I trashed some old blankets.
"Why can't mum do this herself?" Antonia said, thinking the same as me. She was probably tired.
"Look, just take the lots over there, please? And I'll.. Make you something good."
"Like what?"
"I don't know, what do you want?"
"Pizza," she replied and grinned.
"Yeah. I'll roast a pizza for ya. Now, can ya finish that bit?"
"Yes." She went over to the lot I'd told her to tidy up, suddenly her eyes grew wide. "You hafta see this, bro!" she said. She sounded exited, so I walked over to her.
"What can be exiting in a boring old attic?" I said sarcastic, and smiled.
"It's mum's old diaries and stuff," she replied. I rolled my eyes.
"Toni, diaries are private, y'know?"
"Yes. But...it's her diary for 1987-88. The period around your birth. She might have written something about your dad..." I snatched it from her, and looked in between the sides.
"February 17. 1988. My first son born," I read. Toni laughed. I looked further into it. "God, there's nothing but shit in here," I said and threw the diary in some random corner. Something fell out of it. Antonia ran over to fetch it.
"It's probably nothing. Look, I thought you wanted to be done as soon as possible," I said starting to play with my hair again. I had a strange feeling over all of this, as I grew nervous. Her eyes grew wide.
"It's a photo," she said.
"So?"
"Joey, it's a photo of you and your dad."
"What?" I said, running over to her. I snatched the photo out of her hands, and looked at it. "Billie and his dad," I read. My dad had long hair. Long, and curly. He had a weird smile on his face, and in his arms.. In his arms he held a baby. He held me in his arms.