John's Revenge
Changes
March 3rd 1997
*Mona’s POV*
I put my toy monkey over my ears. Alyss won’t stop crying. She must be very upset to cry so much. I got out of my big girl bed and went to see Alyss in her baby cot.
She saw me and stopped crying she stared at me.
“You is very loud,” I said, holding my monkey. Alyss has a matching monkey. I couldn’t see Alyss’s monkey. I looked under her bed. I saw her monkey.
“You drop him,” I said, passing her the monkey. “I ha’ one too.” I showed her my monkey, Daddy Junior.
She started to whimper again and a tear fell out of her eye. “Don’ cry, Ally!” I put my hand through the cot bars and patted her head gently. Mommy says to be very careful with Alyss’s head.
She stopped crying. She reached out and took my finger. I sat down the floor. Then I pulled my finger away. She started crying again, so I got my Tigger blanket and my pillow and set them up next to Alyss. I got comfy and snuggly, then put my hand back through the bars for her to hold. We cuddled our monkeys and went to sleep.
* * *
I heard Mommy and Daddy talking, so I opened my eyes. They were standing in the door, looking at me and Alyss.
“Hewo,” I said.
Daddy crouched down next to me and Mommy did too.
“What are you doing down there?” he grinned, making Daddy Junior hug me.
“Ally was cryin’ so I gave her dat,” I pointed at her monkey. “An’ I let her hold my hand.”
Mommy hugged me. “That’s lovely sweetheart, thank you.”
“S’ok,” I said, patting Mommy’s head.
*April 21st 1997*
*Adrienne’s POV*
I heard the door open and close.
“Hey, everybody, I’m home,” Billie called.
I heard the twins stampede downstairs.
“Walk indoors!” I yelled, finishing stirring the chicken soup and wiping my hands on my apron. I walked out to the hall and kissed Billie.
“Hey, chicken soup for dinner,” grinned Billie. He had recently taken to eating meat again, since I kept saying he needed nourishment and, let’s just say there is almost no chance he’ll go back.
“Yup,” I smiled, calling Addy and Joey into the kitchen.
Billie lifted them into the high bar stools before sitting down himself and they sat at the breakfast bar and waited as I ladled the soup into bowls.
“Tan I sing for you?” said Addy.
“That would be lovely,” said Billie Joe, smiling at me.
Addy cleared her throat.
“Tinka, tinka, liddle star!
How I wonder what you are,
Up above da world so high,
Like a diamon’ in da sky
Tinka, tinka, liddle star!
How I wonder what you are.”
Billie and I clapped obediently, whereas Joey covered his ears and grimaced. She sang a bit shrilly, but it was clear that she had inherited her father’s talent.
I passed the bowls of soup out, then sat down with my own. The twins were getting far better at eating by themselves, now only about a quarter of the food ended up on the floor.
After dinner, Addy and Joey did some colouring and Billie and I went into the living room.
“Um, Joey and Addy are two and a bit now, and I was thinking about their education,” Billie said, looking at me seriously.
“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it lately too,” I said, twirling my wine glass in my hand.
“Well, obviously, I never graduated, I quit school to be in the band,” he grinned at me. “This was one of my more brilliant choices.”
I snorted with laughter.
“OK, fine, it was pure fucking luck we got so successful,” chuckled Billie. “But, I want Addy and Joey to have a great education, so, I thought we might try a private school, seeing as we can afford it.”
I nodded, thinking. “Yeah, that’s a good idea, my parents always wanted me to go to a private school, but my Dad just kept delaying it.”
“I thought in September, they could maybe try out a nursery school, just doing mornings, to see whether they like it or not.”
“I like the idea of them only being away in the mornings, that way we can still spend time with them,” I said, taking a sip of my wine.
“So, shall I find out about some in the area?”
I nodded. “Then, we can look around and see what we think.”
Billie smiled. He opened his mouth to speak when the phone rang.
I motioned to him to stay sitting down and I went to grab the phone, but it had stopped.
“Hewo?”
I stared at Billie and gave a gasp of laughter as we heard Joey on the phone.
We walked through into the kitchen. Joey saw us and giggled. “Daddy’s here, Ungle Mi’e.”
He passed the phone to Billie.
“Hey buddy.” Billie crossed over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of beer.
“No fucking way!” shrieked Billie.
I slapped his arm as Addy and Joey gasped, clapping their hands over their mouths and giggling.
“Never say that word,” I hissed at them, glowering at Billie Joe.
“We’re on our way, congratulations man!” Billie shoved the beer back in the fridge and started jumping up and down as he dialled another number.
“Mom, I’m sorry for such short notice, but can you look after Joey and Addy for a couple of hours? Sure, bring David and Anna, I’d like to see them. See you soon, bye!”
He hung up.
“Annie’s having the baby!”
“Oh my God! This is fantastic! She was getting so uncomfortable, poor thing, three weeks late!”
“OK, I’ll go grab the baby presents from upstairs,” Billie sprinted upstairs.
“I take it that your Mom is coming with David and Anna,” I called as I cleared away some colouring things.
“Yeah!”
“Addy, Joey,” I looked them both in the eyes, I found it difficult at first, but I’m getting quite good at it. “Grandma, Uncle David and Aunt Anna are coming to look after you. Promise me you’ll be good.”
They put their hands on their hearts and looked at me wide-eyed. “We promise.” They chanted. I sighed. I had heard this so many times before.
Billie came running downstairs carrying a bag full of goodies for the baby. He pulled on his Converses and grabbed his jacket, putting the car keys in the pocket.
“Come on, Adie, get ready!”
“Billie, calm down. Your mother won’t be here for ten minutes at least. I don’t need to tie my shoes, they’re slip-ons and my jacket takes two seconds to put on. Also, don’t you think your mother will want to come too?”
“Uh….” Billie frowned.
I turned back to the twins. “Right, upstairs! Get your PJ’s on!”
Addy and Joey obediently ran upstairs. I followed them and helped them. Then we went into the bathroom and I helped them brush their teeth. As we were walking downstairs, my cell phone rang.
“Hi Tré, Billie and I are just about to leave, we’re waiting for Ollie to get here.” I said to Tré. “What? She’s at ten centimetres already! Oh my God!”
The doorbell rang and Billie answered it. Ollie, David and Anna came flying in.
Billie ran straight outside without a word to any of them. I said bye to Tré and hung up.
“Hi, Ollie, David, Anna,” I hugged each of them. “Addy and Joey are all ready for bed, I don’t really mind when you put them to bed. We’ve got to go now, Tré just called, Annie’s gone into the delivery room, we’ll call you when we know.”
I jumped into the car and we sped to the hospital. We ran into reception and sat next to Tré and Liv, just as Mike came out wearing a gown and mask. We jumped back up.
Mike tore off the mask and he was crying. He walked over to Billie and put his arms on Billie’s shoulders.
“It’s a little girl,” he sobbed into Billie’s shoulder. “I’m a father, I have a beautiful baby daughter.”
*Mona’s POV*
I put my toy monkey over my ears. Alyss won’t stop crying. She must be very upset to cry so much. I got out of my big girl bed and went to see Alyss in her baby cot.
She saw me and stopped crying she stared at me.
“You is very loud,” I said, holding my monkey. Alyss has a matching monkey. I couldn’t see Alyss’s monkey. I looked under her bed. I saw her monkey.
“You drop him,” I said, passing her the monkey. “I ha’ one too.” I showed her my monkey, Daddy Junior.
She started to whimper again and a tear fell out of her eye. “Don’ cry, Ally!” I put my hand through the cot bars and patted her head gently. Mommy says to be very careful with Alyss’s head.
She stopped crying. She reached out and took my finger. I sat down the floor. Then I pulled my finger away. She started crying again, so I got my Tigger blanket and my pillow and set them up next to Alyss. I got comfy and snuggly, then put my hand back through the bars for her to hold. We cuddled our monkeys and went to sleep.
* * *
I heard Mommy and Daddy talking, so I opened my eyes. They were standing in the door, looking at me and Alyss.
“Hewo,” I said.
Daddy crouched down next to me and Mommy did too.
“What are you doing down there?” he grinned, making Daddy Junior hug me.
“Ally was cryin’ so I gave her dat,” I pointed at her monkey. “An’ I let her hold my hand.”
Mommy hugged me. “That’s lovely sweetheart, thank you.”
“S’ok,” I said, patting Mommy’s head.
*April 21st 1997*
*Adrienne’s POV*
I heard the door open and close.
“Hey, everybody, I’m home,” Billie called.
I heard the twins stampede downstairs.
“Walk indoors!” I yelled, finishing stirring the chicken soup and wiping my hands on my apron. I walked out to the hall and kissed Billie.
“Hey, chicken soup for dinner,” grinned Billie. He had recently taken to eating meat again, since I kept saying he needed nourishment and, let’s just say there is almost no chance he’ll go back.
“Yup,” I smiled, calling Addy and Joey into the kitchen.
Billie lifted them into the high bar stools before sitting down himself and they sat at the breakfast bar and waited as I ladled the soup into bowls.
“Tan I sing for you?” said Addy.
“That would be lovely,” said Billie Joe, smiling at me.
Addy cleared her throat.
“Tinka, tinka, liddle star!
How I wonder what you are,
Up above da world so high,
Like a diamon’ in da sky
Tinka, tinka, liddle star!
How I wonder what you are.”
Billie and I clapped obediently, whereas Joey covered his ears and grimaced. She sang a bit shrilly, but it was clear that she had inherited her father’s talent.
I passed the bowls of soup out, then sat down with my own. The twins were getting far better at eating by themselves, now only about a quarter of the food ended up on the floor.
After dinner, Addy and Joey did some colouring and Billie and I went into the living room.
“Um, Joey and Addy are two and a bit now, and I was thinking about their education,” Billie said, looking at me seriously.
“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it lately too,” I said, twirling my wine glass in my hand.
“Well, obviously, I never graduated, I quit school to be in the band,” he grinned at me. “This was one of my more brilliant choices.”
I snorted with laughter.
“OK, fine, it was pure fucking luck we got so successful,” chuckled Billie. “But, I want Addy and Joey to have a great education, so, I thought we might try a private school, seeing as we can afford it.”
I nodded, thinking. “Yeah, that’s a good idea, my parents always wanted me to go to a private school, but my Dad just kept delaying it.”
“I thought in September, they could maybe try out a nursery school, just doing mornings, to see whether they like it or not.”
“I like the idea of them only being away in the mornings, that way we can still spend time with them,” I said, taking a sip of my wine.
“So, shall I find out about some in the area?”
I nodded. “Then, we can look around and see what we think.”
Billie smiled. He opened his mouth to speak when the phone rang.
I motioned to him to stay sitting down and I went to grab the phone, but it had stopped.
“Hewo?”
I stared at Billie and gave a gasp of laughter as we heard Joey on the phone.
We walked through into the kitchen. Joey saw us and giggled. “Daddy’s here, Ungle Mi’e.”
He passed the phone to Billie.
“Hey buddy.” Billie crossed over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of beer.
“No fucking way!” shrieked Billie.
I slapped his arm as Addy and Joey gasped, clapping their hands over their mouths and giggling.
“Never say that word,” I hissed at them, glowering at Billie Joe.
“We’re on our way, congratulations man!” Billie shoved the beer back in the fridge and started jumping up and down as he dialled another number.
“Mom, I’m sorry for such short notice, but can you look after Joey and Addy for a couple of hours? Sure, bring David and Anna, I’d like to see them. See you soon, bye!”
He hung up.
“Annie’s having the baby!”
“Oh my God! This is fantastic! She was getting so uncomfortable, poor thing, three weeks late!”
“OK, I’ll go grab the baby presents from upstairs,” Billie sprinted upstairs.
“I take it that your Mom is coming with David and Anna,” I called as I cleared away some colouring things.
“Yeah!”
“Addy, Joey,” I looked them both in the eyes, I found it difficult at first, but I’m getting quite good at it. “Grandma, Uncle David and Aunt Anna are coming to look after you. Promise me you’ll be good.”
They put their hands on their hearts and looked at me wide-eyed. “We promise.” They chanted. I sighed. I had heard this so many times before.
Billie came running downstairs carrying a bag full of goodies for the baby. He pulled on his Converses and grabbed his jacket, putting the car keys in the pocket.
“Come on, Adie, get ready!”
“Billie, calm down. Your mother won’t be here for ten minutes at least. I don’t need to tie my shoes, they’re slip-ons and my jacket takes two seconds to put on. Also, don’t you think your mother will want to come too?”
“Uh….” Billie frowned.
I turned back to the twins. “Right, upstairs! Get your PJ’s on!”
Addy and Joey obediently ran upstairs. I followed them and helped them. Then we went into the bathroom and I helped them brush their teeth. As we were walking downstairs, my cell phone rang.
“Hi Tré, Billie and I are just about to leave, we’re waiting for Ollie to get here.” I said to Tré. “What? She’s at ten centimetres already! Oh my God!”
The doorbell rang and Billie answered it. Ollie, David and Anna came flying in.
Billie ran straight outside without a word to any of them. I said bye to Tré and hung up.
“Hi, Ollie, David, Anna,” I hugged each of them. “Addy and Joey are all ready for bed, I don’t really mind when you put them to bed. We’ve got to go now, Tré just called, Annie’s gone into the delivery room, we’ll call you when we know.”
I jumped into the car and we sped to the hospital. We ran into reception and sat next to Tré and Liv, just as Mike came out wearing a gown and mask. We jumped back up.
Mike tore off the mask and he was crying. He walked over to Billie and put his arms on Billie’s shoulders.
“It’s a little girl,” he sobbed into Billie’s shoulder. “I’m a father, I have a beautiful baby daughter.”