John's Revenge
Memories
*Adrienne’s POV*
Grabbing a tissue from the glove compartment, I pulled out of the drive and sped down the road. I had no idea where I was going, and I honestly didn’t care. I just needed to get away.
Part of me regretted what I had said to Billie Joe, but the other part praised me for finally saying what I felt. I had known some idea of what married life would entail; Billie being on tour, me being at home, but I never thought it would be this difficult. Every time the phone rings, the twins look up, willing it to be him, every time there’s a knock at the door, they run to it, laughing. And every time they see him on TV, they say the same thing, “Mommy, why is Daddy with those other people and not us? Doesn’t he like us anymore?”
*Billie Joe’s POV*
I rocked Jakob back and forth, feeding him a bottle. I had dried my tears and tried to pull myself together, if only for his sake. I remembered that Adrienne always liked to play the more suitable Green Day songs for the children when they were young, just so they could hear my voice.
I began to sing softly, “Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road, time grabs you by the wrist directs you where to go…”
Tears of joy almost sprang to my eyes as Jakob searched for the voice. I could see recognition in his eyes and carried on.
By the end of the first chorus, he was asleep again. I walked into the twins room. They were both asleep with their teddy bears. I cautiously rearranged Joey so that he wasn’t in danger of falling out of bed, and brushed Addy’s hair carefully out of her face.
When I walked back downstairs, I didn’t know what to do. I felt out of place, like a giraffe in the polar bear exhibit at the zoo. I didn’t think I should call Adie. I’d always called her before, but we’d never had a fight like that. I almost cried again, thinking of what I’d done. I hadn’t done everything I had promised her father on our wedding day, I hadn’t looked after her, kept her with me, supported her, been there for her, or treated her like she deserved to be treated, as the most special, amazing thing in my life.
And now I’d lost her.
*Adrienne’s POV*
I walked out to the beach. The tide was coming in, but there was still a sandy area left where you could walk. When we were first married, Billie and I came here all the time. We’d come here at night and look at the stars.
*July 29th 1994*
I couldn’t help but smile as Billie and I walked hand in hand across the beach. We’d only been married for a matter of weeks, but I couldn’t imagine life without him.
We sat down and leant against some of the rocks, not the wisest decision we’d ever made, but we’d get over it. We gazed up at the stars in silence.
“D’you know what any of them are called?” I asked, tilting my head.
Billie exhaled slowly. “Well, I am a musical genius and music and astrology…”
“Astronomy.” I corrected.
“Very good, that was a test, astronomy are very closely intertwined.”
I raised my left eyebrow. “Oh really?”
“Absolutely.”
“Then name,” I squinted up at the sky and pointed to a cluster of stars. “That star.”
“Well, that is Paul. And a couple of stars to his left is Rebecca, then Lewis and Stanley….”
I gently pushed him away, giggling.
He pretended to huff indignantly. “A lesser man would be very offended.”
“And a wiser man would know when to admit he’s wrong,” I laughed.
*Billie Joe’s POV*
I heard footsteps gently padding towards me.
“Daddy?”
“Hey sweetheart.” I pulled Addy onto my lap and she curled up, resting her head on my shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’ sweep,” she said, thumb in her mouth.
“That’s too bad.”
“I hear’ shou’ing,” she mumbled. There was a pause. She took her thumb out of her mouth and fiddled with the corner of her pyjamas. “Are you and Mommy going to get a divorce?”
*November 12th 1994*
“OK, thanks for letting us know. Bye.”
I walked into he living room where Adie was sitting with Liv, Tré and Mike. Annie was out with her Mom who had come to visit.
“That was Reprise. We’ve sold 100 000 copies of Dookie, and that number shows signs of increasing. Very dramatically.”
“Wow,” Mike said, gawping.
Tré sighed. Liv stared at him like he was mad. “Aren’t you pleased?”
“Yeah, but,” he looked around the room. “All this money and you still won’t let us go to Disneyworld!”
Adrienne and Liv exchanged looks. “We’ve had this conversation so many times Tré,” Adrienne sighed. “We can’t go to Disneyworld.”
“Why not?”
“Because Adie and I are pregnant, and pregnant women can’t go on the roller coasters.” Liv got up and walked into the kitchen with Adie.
“So you two stay home,” Tré muttered grumpily.
I heard a gasp and looked towards the kitchen. “What?”
“Holy shit Billie! I just found your pay check!”
“Hey! Give it back! I worked hard for that!”
Liv and Adie raised their eyebrows.
“Well, I worked for it!”
“Why didn’t you tell me how much you were going to get?”
“I dunno.”
“What, were you scared I’d divorce you to get half the money?” Adie chuckled at her own joke before pausing. “That’s not a bad idea.”
Grabbing a tissue from the glove compartment, I pulled out of the drive and sped down the road. I had no idea where I was going, and I honestly didn’t care. I just needed to get away.
Part of me regretted what I had said to Billie Joe, but the other part praised me for finally saying what I felt. I had known some idea of what married life would entail; Billie being on tour, me being at home, but I never thought it would be this difficult. Every time the phone rings, the twins look up, willing it to be him, every time there’s a knock at the door, they run to it, laughing. And every time they see him on TV, they say the same thing, “Mommy, why is Daddy with those other people and not us? Doesn’t he like us anymore?”
*Billie Joe’s POV*
I rocked Jakob back and forth, feeding him a bottle. I had dried my tears and tried to pull myself together, if only for his sake. I remembered that Adrienne always liked to play the more suitable Green Day songs for the children when they were young, just so they could hear my voice.
I began to sing softly, “Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road, time grabs you by the wrist directs you where to go…”
Tears of joy almost sprang to my eyes as Jakob searched for the voice. I could see recognition in his eyes and carried on.
By the end of the first chorus, he was asleep again. I walked into the twins room. They were both asleep with their teddy bears. I cautiously rearranged Joey so that he wasn’t in danger of falling out of bed, and brushed Addy’s hair carefully out of her face.
When I walked back downstairs, I didn’t know what to do. I felt out of place, like a giraffe in the polar bear exhibit at the zoo. I didn’t think I should call Adie. I’d always called her before, but we’d never had a fight like that. I almost cried again, thinking of what I’d done. I hadn’t done everything I had promised her father on our wedding day, I hadn’t looked after her, kept her with me, supported her, been there for her, or treated her like she deserved to be treated, as the most special, amazing thing in my life.
And now I’d lost her.
*Adrienne’s POV*
I walked out to the beach. The tide was coming in, but there was still a sandy area left where you could walk. When we were first married, Billie and I came here all the time. We’d come here at night and look at the stars.
*July 29th 1994*
I couldn’t help but smile as Billie and I walked hand in hand across the beach. We’d only been married for a matter of weeks, but I couldn’t imagine life without him.
We sat down and leant against some of the rocks, not the wisest decision we’d ever made, but we’d get over it. We gazed up at the stars in silence.
“D’you know what any of them are called?” I asked, tilting my head.
Billie exhaled slowly. “Well, I am a musical genius and music and astrology…”
“Astronomy.” I corrected.
“Very good, that was a test, astronomy are very closely intertwined.”
I raised my left eyebrow. “Oh really?”
“Absolutely.”
“Then name,” I squinted up at the sky and pointed to a cluster of stars. “That star.”
“Well, that is Paul. And a couple of stars to his left is Rebecca, then Lewis and Stanley….”
I gently pushed him away, giggling.
He pretended to huff indignantly. “A lesser man would be very offended.”
“And a wiser man would know when to admit he’s wrong,” I laughed.
*Billie Joe’s POV*
I heard footsteps gently padding towards me.
“Daddy?”
“Hey sweetheart.” I pulled Addy onto my lap and she curled up, resting her head on my shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’ sweep,” she said, thumb in her mouth.
“That’s too bad.”
“I hear’ shou’ing,” she mumbled. There was a pause. She took her thumb out of her mouth and fiddled with the corner of her pyjamas. “Are you and Mommy going to get a divorce?”
*November 12th 1994*
“OK, thanks for letting us know. Bye.”
I walked into he living room where Adie was sitting with Liv, Tré and Mike. Annie was out with her Mom who had come to visit.
“That was Reprise. We’ve sold 100 000 copies of Dookie, and that number shows signs of increasing. Very dramatically.”
“Wow,” Mike said, gawping.
Tré sighed. Liv stared at him like he was mad. “Aren’t you pleased?”
“Yeah, but,” he looked around the room. “All this money and you still won’t let us go to Disneyworld!”
Adrienne and Liv exchanged looks. “We’ve had this conversation so many times Tré,” Adrienne sighed. “We can’t go to Disneyworld.”
“Why not?”
“Because Adie and I are pregnant, and pregnant women can’t go on the roller coasters.” Liv got up and walked into the kitchen with Adie.
“So you two stay home,” Tré muttered grumpily.
I heard a gasp and looked towards the kitchen. “What?”
“Holy shit Billie! I just found your pay check!”
“Hey! Give it back! I worked hard for that!”
Liv and Adie raised their eyebrows.
“Well, I worked for it!”
“Why didn’t you tell me how much you were going to get?”
“I dunno.”
“What, were you scared I’d divorce you to get half the money?” Adie chuckled at her own joke before pausing. “That’s not a bad idea.”
♠ ♠ ♠
- - - -Back again! Sorry, my computer lost a load of files, and when I managed to recover them, I had no idea where to go. Thankfully, my writer's block is behind me, and I have a few more chapters ready.
Phoebe xxx