It Began With A Gunshot
The Great Idea
*Billie Joe's POV*
"Um, Adrienne," I called to her from my room. "I've got to go out, I'll be back in a couple of hours." I walked out of my room and into the kitchen, where Adrienne was making some kind of soup for Jessica. "D'you know where everything is?"
She stopped stirring the soup. "Coffee," she pointed to a cupboard. "Glasses and mugs, plates and bowls, refrigerator, washing-up liquid, cutlery, tea-towels and miscellaneous." She pointed to each cupboard as she said what was in it.
I raised my eyebrows. "Very impressive. So, I'll be back soon." I made as if to walk out, but she started talking.
"So, a suit, huh? What's the occasion?" I looked at her, she was stirring the soup and smiling at me.
"Um, the President is taking Dr Pritchard and I out to dinner," I said, smiling back.
"Jessica! Dinner!" she called, ladling the soup into a bowl. "Really, that's cool. Have fun."
I began to walk out.
"Wow. He is so hot in a suit."
I spun round. "Huh? What was that?"
She blushed. "Oh, nothing. I was talking to myself."
"About?" I pressed on, smiling.
"I was saying that, um, the soup was very hot." She blushed even more.
"Oh. OK."
Jessica ran in. "Hi Billie. You look smart." She took a bowl of soup and sat down at the table. "Mommy, where's Daddy? He took me to Grandma's but didn't come back."
Adrienne blanched, I'd never seen her look that pale. I thought she might pass out. I walked over and put my arm round her shoulders, guiding her to a couch.
"Thanks," she whispered. "Um, Jessie, a couple of days ago, Daddy... Daddy... "
"Daddy hit you." Jessica whispered. "I saw."
I hadn't thought it was possible, but Adrienne went even paler.
"Yeah, Daddy hit me."
I felt my fists clench tight. How could anyone do that? How could anyone do that to her?
"So you had to go to hospital," Jessie continued. "And Daddy took me to Grandma's."
"Yeah," Adie smiled weakly. "Well, when I was in hospital, I got a letter from your father. He, he decided to go... he didn't want to... . But he had to... and now he... we won't see him again... ever... "
"Dad's dead, isn't he?"
Adrienne nodded. Jessica walked over to her mom and hugged her.
"I hate Dad. I love you. As long as you're here, Mom, I'm happy."
I saw tears rolling down Adrienne's cheeks as she hugged Jessica back.
"I'm sorry for not telling you the truth, sweetie," she kissed Jessie's forehead. I turned and tiptoed out, locking the door behind me.
I could feel myself shaking, my fists were still clenched. It was a good thing he was dead, because if he hadn't been, I would have killed him.
*Frank's POV*
"Good evening, Mr President, Sir," simpered Vincenzo, the Maitre'D of the restaurant I'd booked. "I have prepared your usual table."
"Hi, Vinny," he winced at the abbreviation and I smiled inwardly. Ha-ha! "I'm going to wait for my associates to join me, then I'll take a seat."
"Of course, sir," he smiled and turned his attention to a couple behind me.
I saw Billie Joe outside, frowning. I ran out.
"Hi, Billie," I shook his hand.
"Sir," He said, smiling.
"Please, call me Frank," I said. "Would you like to come in whilst we wait for Dr Pritchard?"
"Yeah, sure."
We walked inside. Vincenzo looked at Billie Joe as if he was... well, a piece of dog shit, and then remembered himself.
"Sir," he bowed slightly.
Billie Joe pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows.
"Vinny, this is Billie Joe."
A flash of recognition crossed Vincenzo's face.
"Ah! You're the man who saved our beloved President Wright! My dear man, how can we ever begin to thank you?"
"You can... take that stick out your ass."
I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing, as did Billie.
Mike walked in and saw us, doubled up with laughter. He stood there watching us and we eventually calmed down.
"Hey, Mike," Billie smiled.
"Hi," he replied, shaking Billie's hand. "Mr President," he shook my hand.
"Please, call me Frank," I said, as we walked over to the table.
"I'm so sorry about your wife. We tried everything, it was just so much alcohol," Mike sighed, trailing off.
"It's alright, I know you tried. I believe you have a son. Louie, how is he?"
"He's OK. I dropped him off at a friend's house and he wouldn't stop talking about how his dad was going to dinner with the President." Mike smiled.
"How's your daughter, Frank?" Billie asked, taking a menu from Vincenzo.
"She's fantastic, I love looking after her, it's great," I beamed.
"Are you sure it's not causing you trouble? I can find help, if it's too demanding," Mike smiled at me.
"No, no, I love being around her. I want to be a father to her, I'm going to be there for her," I said, handing the wine list to Mike. "Thank you. Vinny, my man."
Vincenzo winced again, then walked off.
*Billie Joe's POV*
I started to feel uncomfortable as I looked down the menu. All of these dishes were so expensive, and half of them were written in French.
I knew Frank was the President, he could afford it, and Mike wasn't exactly short of cash either, but I worked at McDonalds.
"Hey guys," Frank smiled. "Dinner's on me, it's the least I can do."
Hmm, still... I wish there was some way I could pay for it.
We ordered and then made small talk.
"So, Billie Joe, I have come up with a reward for you," smiled Frank. "As a reward for saving my life, I am making you the Vice President of the USA!"
Oh. My. God.
"Um, Adrienne," I called to her from my room. "I've got to go out, I'll be back in a couple of hours." I walked out of my room and into the kitchen, where Adrienne was making some kind of soup for Jessica. "D'you know where everything is?"
She stopped stirring the soup. "Coffee," she pointed to a cupboard. "Glasses and mugs, plates and bowls, refrigerator, washing-up liquid, cutlery, tea-towels and miscellaneous." She pointed to each cupboard as she said what was in it.
I raised my eyebrows. "Very impressive. So, I'll be back soon." I made as if to walk out, but she started talking.
"So, a suit, huh? What's the occasion?" I looked at her, she was stirring the soup and smiling at me.
"Um, the President is taking Dr Pritchard and I out to dinner," I said, smiling back.
"Jessica! Dinner!" she called, ladling the soup into a bowl. "Really, that's cool. Have fun."
I began to walk out.
"Wow. He is so hot in a suit."
I spun round. "Huh? What was that?"
She blushed. "Oh, nothing. I was talking to myself."
"About?" I pressed on, smiling.
"I was saying that, um, the soup was very hot." She blushed even more.
"Oh. OK."
Jessica ran in. "Hi Billie. You look smart." She took a bowl of soup and sat down at the table. "Mommy, where's Daddy? He took me to Grandma's but didn't come back."
Adrienne blanched, I'd never seen her look that pale. I thought she might pass out. I walked over and put my arm round her shoulders, guiding her to a couch.
"Thanks," she whispered. "Um, Jessie, a couple of days ago, Daddy... Daddy... "
"Daddy hit you." Jessica whispered. "I saw."
I hadn't thought it was possible, but Adrienne went even paler.
"Yeah, Daddy hit me."
I felt my fists clench tight. How could anyone do that? How could anyone do that to her?
"So you had to go to hospital," Jessie continued. "And Daddy took me to Grandma's."
"Yeah," Adie smiled weakly. "Well, when I was in hospital, I got a letter from your father. He, he decided to go... he didn't want to... . But he had to... and now he... we won't see him again... ever... "
"Dad's dead, isn't he?"
Adrienne nodded. Jessica walked over to her mom and hugged her.
"I hate Dad. I love you. As long as you're here, Mom, I'm happy."
I saw tears rolling down Adrienne's cheeks as she hugged Jessica back.
"I'm sorry for not telling you the truth, sweetie," she kissed Jessie's forehead. I turned and tiptoed out, locking the door behind me.
I could feel myself shaking, my fists were still clenched. It was a good thing he was dead, because if he hadn't been, I would have killed him.
*Frank's POV*
"Good evening, Mr President, Sir," simpered Vincenzo, the Maitre'D of the restaurant I'd booked. "I have prepared your usual table."
"Hi, Vinny," he winced at the abbreviation and I smiled inwardly. Ha-ha! "I'm going to wait for my associates to join me, then I'll take a seat."
"Of course, sir," he smiled and turned his attention to a couple behind me.
I saw Billie Joe outside, frowning. I ran out.
"Hi, Billie," I shook his hand.
"Sir," He said, smiling.
"Please, call me Frank," I said. "Would you like to come in whilst we wait for Dr Pritchard?"
"Yeah, sure."
We walked inside. Vincenzo looked at Billie Joe as if he was... well, a piece of dog shit, and then remembered himself.
"Sir," he bowed slightly.
Billie Joe pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows.
"Vinny, this is Billie Joe."
A flash of recognition crossed Vincenzo's face.
"Ah! You're the man who saved our beloved President Wright! My dear man, how can we ever begin to thank you?"
"You can... take that stick out your ass."
I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing, as did Billie.
Mike walked in and saw us, doubled up with laughter. He stood there watching us and we eventually calmed down.
"Hey, Mike," Billie smiled.
"Hi," he replied, shaking Billie's hand. "Mr President," he shook my hand.
"Please, call me Frank," I said, as we walked over to the table.
"I'm so sorry about your wife. We tried everything, it was just so much alcohol," Mike sighed, trailing off.
"It's alright, I know you tried. I believe you have a son. Louie, how is he?"
"He's OK. I dropped him off at a friend's house and he wouldn't stop talking about how his dad was going to dinner with the President." Mike smiled.
"How's your daughter, Frank?" Billie asked, taking a menu from Vincenzo.
"She's fantastic, I love looking after her, it's great," I beamed.
"Are you sure it's not causing you trouble? I can find help, if it's too demanding," Mike smiled at me.
"No, no, I love being around her. I want to be a father to her, I'm going to be there for her," I said, handing the wine list to Mike. "Thank you. Vinny, my man."
Vincenzo winced again, then walked off.
*Billie Joe's POV*
I started to feel uncomfortable as I looked down the menu. All of these dishes were so expensive, and half of them were written in French.
I knew Frank was the President, he could afford it, and Mike wasn't exactly short of cash either, but I worked at McDonalds.
"Hey guys," Frank smiled. "Dinner's on me, it's the least I can do."
Hmm, still... I wish there was some way I could pay for it.
We ordered and then made small talk.
"So, Billie Joe, I have come up with a reward for you," smiled Frank. "As a reward for saving my life, I am making you the Vice President of the USA!"
Oh. My. God.