Status: Updating regularly :)
Land of Make Believe
Arrivals
Tre let his head drop against the cab window, enjoying the feel of the cool glass against his forehead. It felt late, although he had no idea whether it was late - he had been transported across the date line and into the future and he wasn't sure if that growling in his stomach was a cry for breakfast, dinner or a seriously strong nightcap. He figured he should probably cover all three bases as soon as possible to be sure.
The sun dipped lower in the sky, and he shielded his eyes against its warm glow, watching the palm trees that lined the riverside fly by one by one, like a stuttering slideshow. His descent into sleep was suddenly interrupted by a muffled ring tone and Billie Joe shuffled next to him, retrieving his phone from the pocket of his jeans and answering it drowsily.
"Mmm... hey, Honey. We're fine... just arrived, on our way to our apartment... uh-huh... sunny and hot."
Tre watched Billie Joe fight to keep his eyes open, listening to Adrienne's cheerful chatter float down the line.
"Oh, sure... they're fine..."
Tre turned his head at the same time Billie did, to see the two boys slumped in the back seats. Jakob's Raiders hat was pulled down over his eyes and Frankito's head rested on his shoulder, both of them sleeping deeply despite their new surroundings. He smiled.
*
"- Will we get to go to the beach tomorrow?"
Tre sighed, distracted from his son's insistent voice, as Billie Joe pushed against the door of their apartment and he followed him inside, stopping for a moment to take in the generous living space, huge open plan kitchen and expanse of glass windows, which flooded the room with evening sunlight.
"Nice job, Bart..." Billie Joe smirked, exchanging a glance with Tre, "It is a fucking nice penthouse."
He dumped his bags by the door and headed for the refrigerator.
"- Can me and Jakob go hiking in the outback?”
Billie Joe hummed in appreciation, as he opened the refrigerator door and the cold air washed over his face. He looked back at Tre.
"Beer?"
"Shit, yeah."
He caught it in one hand, then opened it, letting the froth drip onto the shining tiled floor.
"- Will we get to see a koala?"
"Jesus, Frankito, we just stepped off of the plane. I'll take you kids to the beach tomorrow and you can koala hunt to your little hearts' content, alright?"
"I don't think you get them at the beach. They live in trees, Dad."
"They live in Oakland Zoo, too," Jakob pointed out, launching himself horizontally onto the couch and then groaning with satisfaction. "Can I have a beer?"
His eyes lit up, as Billie Joe sent another can sailing through the air and he caught it, clumsily, then frowned.
"This is root beer."
"I'm easing you in, Bud. Why don't you and Frankie go check out your crib?"
Frankito grinned from across the room, where he stood with his palms spread flat against the window, nose pressed to the glass.
"Do I get to share with Jake?"
Tre sighed, flopping into one of the armchairs and resting his beer against his stomach.
"Well, you sure aren't sharing with me, Kiddo."
"Yes!"
Tre grinned, watching Jakob haul himself up from the couch and steer the younger boy towards the bedrooms, clearly a lot better at containing his excitement.
Billie Joe sank onto the couch next to him, tapping his beer against Tre’s, as they listened to the boys’ voices float from the other side of the apartment, already bickering about who was going to sleep where and who was going to put their stuff in which closet. Which was pointless, really, when they all knew that their clothes would be all over the floor in a matter of hours, just like they were at home.
“It’ll be fine, y’know,” Tre stated, taking another sip of his beer. The weary expression that had clouded his friend’s features told him that he needed to hear it. “You’ll be great, just like before, the cast will be fine and in a few weeks you’ll have a shit hot show, all over again, and you won’t want to leave.”
“Yeah,” Billie murmured, gratefully, flicking at the ring pull on his beer can. “I know. It’s just always a little daunting stepping into an established cast like this, I guess. What if they don’t find anyone else? Or, what if they do, but… they don’t have time to get the part down in rehearsals?”
He rubbed a hand over his face and Tre shrugged.
“Then… I guess you’ll be Saint Jimmy for a little while and our boys’ vacation’ll have to go on longer than planned. You won’t hear me complaining. Summer in January? I’m cool with that.”
Billie Joe smiled and Tre reached out to mess up his hair.
“Seriously, man. You’re gonna kill it. What can really go wrong?”
*
Daisy returned that evening to find the driveway was empty and the door was locked. She hadn't expected anything else but it still made her heart sink a little, as she trudged up the path to the house, her legs feeling like they were made of leaden jelly. Once inside, she left her bag in the kitchen, then paused, listening to the silence.
"... I'm home, Mum..."
She listened again but knew there would be no response. She flicked on the lights in the kitchen - it wasn't quite dark yet, but it soon would be. She did the same in the living room, then upstairs in the bedrooms and the landing. Filling the house with light made it feel a little less empty. Returning to the kitchen, she sliced one of the lemons that had fallen from the tree in the front yard that morning, remembering Bart's advice from earlier. "Singing all day, guys, it's tough. You need to look after your voices, don't push it until you have to. Warm lemon and honey, morning and night. I want you guys singing like frickin' angels in three weeks' time."
Three weeks? Was that really all it was? The time seemed to have passed so quickly since the day that white envelope had fallen through her door and she couldn't remember one week from another. It just seemed like the house had been quiet for a very long time.
Later, she fell asleep with one ear plugged into her iPod and the other listening to the night. She tried to concentrate on Billie Joe's voice, on the way it rose and fell and the love and fury he lay into the different words he sang. She left the lights on all night long.
The sun dipped lower in the sky, and he shielded his eyes against its warm glow, watching the palm trees that lined the riverside fly by one by one, like a stuttering slideshow. His descent into sleep was suddenly interrupted by a muffled ring tone and Billie Joe shuffled next to him, retrieving his phone from the pocket of his jeans and answering it drowsily.
"Mmm... hey, Honey. We're fine... just arrived, on our way to our apartment... uh-huh... sunny and hot."
Tre watched Billie Joe fight to keep his eyes open, listening to Adrienne's cheerful chatter float down the line.
"Oh, sure... they're fine..."
Tre turned his head at the same time Billie did, to see the two boys slumped in the back seats. Jakob's Raiders hat was pulled down over his eyes and Frankito's head rested on his shoulder, both of them sleeping deeply despite their new surroundings. He smiled.
*
"- Will we get to go to the beach tomorrow?"
Tre sighed, distracted from his son's insistent voice, as Billie Joe pushed against the door of their apartment and he followed him inside, stopping for a moment to take in the generous living space, huge open plan kitchen and expanse of glass windows, which flooded the room with evening sunlight.
"Nice job, Bart..." Billie Joe smirked, exchanging a glance with Tre, "It is a fucking nice penthouse."
He dumped his bags by the door and headed for the refrigerator.
"- Can me and Jakob go hiking in the outback?”
Billie Joe hummed in appreciation, as he opened the refrigerator door and the cold air washed over his face. He looked back at Tre.
"Beer?"
"Shit, yeah."
He caught it in one hand, then opened it, letting the froth drip onto the shining tiled floor.
"- Will we get to see a koala?"
"Jesus, Frankito, we just stepped off of the plane. I'll take you kids to the beach tomorrow and you can koala hunt to your little hearts' content, alright?"
"I don't think you get them at the beach. They live in trees, Dad."
"They live in Oakland Zoo, too," Jakob pointed out, launching himself horizontally onto the couch and then groaning with satisfaction. "Can I have a beer?"
His eyes lit up, as Billie Joe sent another can sailing through the air and he caught it, clumsily, then frowned.
"This is root beer."
"I'm easing you in, Bud. Why don't you and Frankie go check out your crib?"
Frankito grinned from across the room, where he stood with his palms spread flat against the window, nose pressed to the glass.
"Do I get to share with Jake?"
Tre sighed, flopping into one of the armchairs and resting his beer against his stomach.
"Well, you sure aren't sharing with me, Kiddo."
"Yes!"
Tre grinned, watching Jakob haul himself up from the couch and steer the younger boy towards the bedrooms, clearly a lot better at containing his excitement.
Billie Joe sank onto the couch next to him, tapping his beer against Tre’s, as they listened to the boys’ voices float from the other side of the apartment, already bickering about who was going to sleep where and who was going to put their stuff in which closet. Which was pointless, really, when they all knew that their clothes would be all over the floor in a matter of hours, just like they were at home.
“It’ll be fine, y’know,” Tre stated, taking another sip of his beer. The weary expression that had clouded his friend’s features told him that he needed to hear it. “You’ll be great, just like before, the cast will be fine and in a few weeks you’ll have a shit hot show, all over again, and you won’t want to leave.”
“Yeah,” Billie murmured, gratefully, flicking at the ring pull on his beer can. “I know. It’s just always a little daunting stepping into an established cast like this, I guess. What if they don’t find anyone else? Or, what if they do, but… they don’t have time to get the part down in rehearsals?”
He rubbed a hand over his face and Tre shrugged.
“Then… I guess you’ll be Saint Jimmy for a little while and our boys’ vacation’ll have to go on longer than planned. You won’t hear me complaining. Summer in January? I’m cool with that.”
Billie Joe smiled and Tre reached out to mess up his hair.
“Seriously, man. You’re gonna kill it. What can really go wrong?”
*
Daisy returned that evening to find the driveway was empty and the door was locked. She hadn't expected anything else but it still made her heart sink a little, as she trudged up the path to the house, her legs feeling like they were made of leaden jelly. Once inside, she left her bag in the kitchen, then paused, listening to the silence.
"... I'm home, Mum..."
She listened again but knew there would be no response. She flicked on the lights in the kitchen - it wasn't quite dark yet, but it soon would be. She did the same in the living room, then upstairs in the bedrooms and the landing. Filling the house with light made it feel a little less empty. Returning to the kitchen, she sliced one of the lemons that had fallen from the tree in the front yard that morning, remembering Bart's advice from earlier. "Singing all day, guys, it's tough. You need to look after your voices, don't push it until you have to. Warm lemon and honey, morning and night. I want you guys singing like frickin' angels in three weeks' time."
Three weeks? Was that really all it was? The time seemed to have passed so quickly since the day that white envelope had fallen through her door and she couldn't remember one week from another. It just seemed like the house had been quiet for a very long time.
Later, she fell asleep with one ear plugged into her iPod and the other listening to the night. She tried to concentrate on Billie Joe's voice, on the way it rose and fell and the love and fury he lay into the different words he sang. She left the lights on all night long.