Dirty, Rotten Bastard
Six
Try as he might, but Billie Joe could not get Bridget off his mind.
“Are you listening to me?” Billie shook himself back into reality and noticed Adrienne standing in front of him, her hands on her hips. That was never a good sign. What had he done this time? “Are you going to pick the kids up or do I have to do everything around here?” Billie slowly lifted himself from the couch, taking a glance at the clock as he left the room. He’d been sitting in that chair for hours, and now he would be late. They would be angry, Adrienne would be disappointed, and he was to blame.
The boys had been waiting by the side of the road, leaning on their backpacks and staring into their phones. They were the last ones left to be picked up. Billie’s mind went to all those other times he’d been late picking them up after soccer practice, after swimming carnivals, after afternoons spent at the library… They got in the car, no words to spare between the both of them.
“Sorry, kids.” Billie had meant it, but his apology hadn’t been heard. He saw in the rear view mirror as they looked out their respective windows and took to staring. They already looked miserable to be home. Billie tried to keep his focus on the road and outside of his mind. He needed a drink. He needed to escape. He pulled up at the traffic lights and from the corner of his eye, a familiar image began to form.
Bridget walked alone down an unfamiliar street, having yet again been rejected for a job. No one wanted to hire a high school drop-out. Hell, it seemed even her gender was against her now as she’d been refused this time for not seeming strong enough. She hadn’t had much interest working on a factory floor but it would have been something, at least. She tried not to think about the little money she had left in her wallet. She tried not to remember where she was headed back to – who she was headed back to. She tried not to notice the face staring back at her as she went to cross the road at the lights. A part of her wanted him to put the car back into gear as she saw two kids in the back of his car, and to further destroy what her life had become. She looked away as one of the kids stared back at her, feeling the sweat as it formed on the back of her neck.
Billie waited for her to pass, jolting back to life as the driver behind him slammed their fist into their horn. She had looked miserable, he thought. He knew she’d seen his children. He knew how terrible a person he had become. How could he have done this?
Billie tried to hold in the contents of his stomach as he overheard Adrienne having a quiet conversation with their kids in the adjacent room. She’d told them everything. With the way she’d worded things, it sounded like things were okay once again. Billie knew better.
“Dad’s a mess, isn’t he?” The tipping point. Billie got up, grabbed his keys, and headed for the front door. He didn’t care if Adrienne had heard him leave. He didn’t care that she was peeking at him through the curtains as he attempted to find the ignition through his hazed vision, his eyes brimming with tears that just wanted to fall. He almost ran over the letterbox as he sped off, the sun still visible as a slither above the horizon and making things difficult for someone who’d forgotten their sunglasses on the coffee table. It wasn’t fair.
They didn’t understand.
“Are you listening to me?” Billie shook himself back into reality and noticed Adrienne standing in front of him, her hands on her hips. That was never a good sign. What had he done this time? “Are you going to pick the kids up or do I have to do everything around here?” Billie slowly lifted himself from the couch, taking a glance at the clock as he left the room. He’d been sitting in that chair for hours, and now he would be late. They would be angry, Adrienne would be disappointed, and he was to blame.
The boys had been waiting by the side of the road, leaning on their backpacks and staring into their phones. They were the last ones left to be picked up. Billie’s mind went to all those other times he’d been late picking them up after soccer practice, after swimming carnivals, after afternoons spent at the library… They got in the car, no words to spare between the both of them.
“Sorry, kids.” Billie had meant it, but his apology hadn’t been heard. He saw in the rear view mirror as they looked out their respective windows and took to staring. They already looked miserable to be home. Billie tried to keep his focus on the road and outside of his mind. He needed a drink. He needed to escape. He pulled up at the traffic lights and from the corner of his eye, a familiar image began to form.
Bridget walked alone down an unfamiliar street, having yet again been rejected for a job. No one wanted to hire a high school drop-out. Hell, it seemed even her gender was against her now as she’d been refused this time for not seeming strong enough. She hadn’t had much interest working on a factory floor but it would have been something, at least. She tried not to think about the little money she had left in her wallet. She tried not to remember where she was headed back to – who she was headed back to. She tried not to notice the face staring back at her as she went to cross the road at the lights. A part of her wanted him to put the car back into gear as she saw two kids in the back of his car, and to further destroy what her life had become. She looked away as one of the kids stared back at her, feeling the sweat as it formed on the back of her neck.
Billie waited for her to pass, jolting back to life as the driver behind him slammed their fist into their horn. She had looked miserable, he thought. He knew she’d seen his children. He knew how terrible a person he had become. How could he have done this?
Billie tried to hold in the contents of his stomach as he overheard Adrienne having a quiet conversation with their kids in the adjacent room. She’d told them everything. With the way she’d worded things, it sounded like things were okay once again. Billie knew better.
“Dad’s a mess, isn’t he?” The tipping point. Billie got up, grabbed his keys, and headed for the front door. He didn’t care if Adrienne had heard him leave. He didn’t care that she was peeking at him through the curtains as he attempted to find the ignition through his hazed vision, his eyes brimming with tears that just wanted to fall. He almost ran over the letterbox as he sped off, the sun still visible as a slither above the horizon and making things difficult for someone who’d forgotten their sunglasses on the coffee table. It wasn’t fair.
They didn’t understand.
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Thanks for the comments last chapter, guys :3