Dad, what’s masturba- JOEY NOOO!

They parked right in front of the gigantic park, all three looking for a glimpse of Joey and calling out his name. Jakob ran straight down the short cut green grass, to the tree where his brother would be hiding, and with luck and good thinking he was right.

“JOEY!” Jakob exclaimed finally, relieved to see that he had found his brother, Joey’s face even redder now and blotchy from all his crying.

Billie and Adie ran so fast to where Jakob was standing, full of so much shock, relief and anger.

“JOEY!” Billie and Adie both yelled out in unison.

Their son looked up at them, his facial expression breaking his parents hearts, his lips quivering and his eyes still filled with tears. He didn’t know what to say and neither did they. They just stood there speechless, not believing what they were both witnessing.

“Baby,” Adie finally spoke out loud, she ran up to him and hugged him tightly.

“What happened? What’s wrong Joey?” she said once more, holding his face up and trying to wipe his tears.

“I’m sorry…for running out like that…I just didn’t want to talk to you dad because I don’t know what I’m going to tell you…I don’t want to tell you,” Joey finally spoke, his voice all broken up because of the crying.

“Adie, Jakob…can I have a word with Joey…alone?” Billie spoke out, wanting to privately talk with him and get everything all sorted out.

“Yeah its best…Jake lets go.” Adie replied, standing up from where she was kneeling down in front of her son and taking Jakob to the car.

“Actually babe…we might be a while…why don’t you just drive off home instead and we’ll walk home later?” Billie turned around asking his wife, scratching his arm.

Adie nodded and left with Jakob. Billie watched them drive off home and then directed his attention to Joey, who remained sitting in that same position he had been sitting in the whole time. Joey had finally stopped crying, the left-over tears around his eyes and down his face that were hanging pointlessly on the edge of his chin had dried up. Billie slowly walked to where Joey sat, and sat down comfortably right next to him.

They ignored each other, allowing an annoying long silent conversation take place.

“I got really scared when you ran off like that.” Billie finally said out loud, trying to break the silence that was annoying the both of them.

“Dad…I’m sorry…I don’t know why I acted that way.” Joey replied, his voice sounding clearer now that he had stopped crying.

“Yeah, that was really unexpected…but Joey there’s one question I need to ask you, and it’s related to what’s just happened.” the now relaxed man said to his son, trying to make eye contact with him.

“What is it?” Joey asked, still avoiding his father’s eyes.

“I…err I just want to know that what you don’t want to tell me has nothing to do with drugs.” Billie Joe concernedly questioned, now his eyes set on the amazing scenery surrounding himself and his son.

“What? No dad…it’s nothing like that, I promise.” Joey truthfully replied, finally looking at his father’s eyes to let him know that he wasn’t lying.

“Alright…good, I’m glad.” Billie replied looking back at his son, focused on the resemblance his son had of him, especially when he cried.

Another silent moment came into their conversation, but this time not as long as the other one.

“Joey, listen, the reason I wanted to find out what was bothering you, was because you looked really unhappy and…worried, all I wanted was to help you…I didn’t want you to get mad at me and well…run away like this.” Billie said, breaking the silence once more…he was good at doing that.

“Dad, this isn’t something you need to fret about…I ran away because I didn’t want to make up something and lie to you, and also because I simply don’t want to tell you…it’s nothing important and it’s really stupid.” Joey replied, scratching the back of his neck, as he waited for his dad to say something else.

“Are you sure?” his father said, looking right at him and smiling sweetly.

“Yes, I am, and trust me dad, if it was really that bad, then without a doubt I’m sure you’d be the first person I’d speak to.” Joey replied back, finally showing a smile appear on his face.

“Alright…but Joey… just one more question, a simple yes or no…has this ‘little problem’ of yours got anything to do with…porn?” Billie questioned, with a tiny smirk appearing onto his pink lips.

Joey immediately turned his head into the opposite direction, wincing his eyes at the last word that came from his father’s mouth. He bit his arm really hard with his teeth, thinking how he should reply to that.

“Hey, why the sudden quick turn?” Billie retorted, hinting that the answer to his question was a definite yes.

“Can’t we talk about this later?” Joey said back, trying to avoid answering the question.

"Joey, later is now…I want to get everything sorted out with you right now…everything” Billie replied, shifting his body more to the right side, facing his son. His eyebrows rising a bit and his eyes now focused on the sun, which was slowly fading away.

“So I am right?” Billie replied, beginning to giggle, placing his right hand on Joey’s shoulder.

“WHAT? NO…THAT’S NOT FAIR!” Joey exclaimed, turning around quickly, facing his dad, a pissed off look appearing on his face. Billie’s hand slipped off Joey’s shoulder and his father began laughing even more.

“Joey, chill…no need to yell and get all angry at me.” Billie replied, his laughs coming to an end, but a smirk drawing onto his lips.

“ALRIGHT, FINE!” Joey yelled again, his cheeks turning a deep crimson red.

“Alright, fine what?” Billie replied, playing around with Joey’s hair, messing it up even more.

“ALRIGHT, FINE…MEANING YES IT IS PORN!” Joey screamed once more, his eye’s getting all watery again. He moved his head away to stop his father from messing his hair.

“Hey hey hey…calm down buddy” Billie said back, trying to settle down his son, knowing he was very agitated and angry. Once more he placed his hand on his son’s shoulder, pushing himself closer to him so that he could put his arm around his body. Joey went back into sitting like a ball. His head between his arms, trying to hide away his eyes, and his legs curled up to his chin.

Joey tried to get out of his dads hug, but it didn’t quite work out. He could feel his father’s fingers tapping softly against his back, and his instincts felt that Billie was staring right at him. Indeed his instincts were right; Billie was staring at him, but having one of his deep thoughts. He was reminiscing back to when he was Joey’s age and how he would act when he got all pissed off. He was also thinking wether or not he should ask Joey if he wanted to ask something related to what he had seen. He could quietly hear his son weeping, and that’s when he hugged him stronger, trying to get Joey’s head out from his arms and onto his own shoulder.

“Joey, come on buddy…don’t cry…there’s nothing to worry about.” His father finally said to his son, accomplishing to bring him out of his ball-like position and place his sons head onto his chest.

“You’re not mad’?” Joey asked, trying to wipe the tears in between his eyes.

“Mad? Of course not…it’s not like you’re the only one that’s done that before Joey…” Billie answered back, still gripping his son gently by his shoulder, and smelling the sweet, aromatic smell that evaporated from Joey’s hair.

“Who else are you speaking of?” Joey asked again, slightly moving from his position to look up at his dad. His face once again blotchy, red and wet from the tears that had managed to fall down from his dark brown coloured eyes.

“Me, silly,” Billie easily said, smiling his toothy smile and kissing Joey’s forehead.

“Back when I was your age, Mike and I would steal some dirty mags from my brother’s room, and we would look at them all day long.” Billie said again, this time with a disgusted, naughty and cheeky expression appearing on his face all at once.

Joey laughed.

“OMG HIS LAUGHING…IT’S A MIRACLE …MY SON IS LAUGHING” Billie sarcastically but sweetly said out loud, his smile growing even bigger as he looked at his son who looked right back at him.

Such a sweet, father and son moment.

The sky was transforming from day to night, and Billie and Joey had decided it was time for them to get up and head home. They stood up under the gigantic tree and stretched their bodies, after sitting for more then an hour. The time was now 6pm and they both walked slowly down the green soccer field, and walked up the hill, to meet with the footpath that would lead them home.

“Now Joey, it isn’t exactly cool that you’re watching this stuff, especially at your age…I mean your only eleven, and there are ratings on those movies you are watching you know…eighteen and over…so I want you to stop” Billie spoke to his son as they walked slowly on the footpath, both walking with their hands in their own pockets.

“Actually dad the ones I’ve seen are rated as twenty one and over” Joey replied, trying not to smile as he looked at his dad.

“Oh Jesus…where are you watching them?” His father questioned, not very pleased as he arched his eyebrow looking at his son, waiting for his response.

“Err…the internet” Joey shamefully replied, but avoiding in mentioning that he also watched it on a PSP.

“Is that all?” Billie asked taking his arm out of his pockets and placing it on Joeys shoulder, walking together under the street lights that had just turned on.

“Ye...yeah,” Joey said back, trying to hide the lying in his voice as much as possible.

“Mmm…it sounds like your lying to me.” He replied to his son, looking at him straight in the eyes, Joey obviously trying to avoid looking back at him.

They arrived to there house, opened the front gate and walked onto the front porch. Billie was about to open the door with his keys, when Joey suddenly pushed him lightly wanting to ask him one final question.

“You’re not going to tell mum are you?” Joey embarrassingly asked, this time his hand on his father’s shoulder.

Billie bent down to Joey’s height and Joey let go of his shoulder.

“Well I’m not going to tell her everything…like the fact it’s porn that’s been bugging you, I’m going to tell her little details only.” Billie replied, shrugging his shoulders and standing up straight.

“Oh, and Joey, if I do find out that you’ve watched it somewhere else besides your computer…its not going to be a very friendly conversation.” Billie retorted, still facing Joey and arching his eyebrow, then he turned back to the front door and opened it.

Joey remained quiet and entered his house.

“Daddy, your back!” exclaimed Jakob from the lounge room, he was watching one of his favourite Disney TV shows ‘The Suite Life of Zack and Cody’, but now he came up to his father to ask him what had happened.

“Jake, I’ll tell you later…where is your mommy?” Billie asked his son, poking his head in the kitchen to see if his wife was there. She wasn’t in there; Joey had gone up to the refrigerator to get something to eat.

“Jakob, where is she?” Billie asked him again, wanting him to reply to him.

“She’s taking a shower I think” Jakob replied back, shrugging his shoulders then making his way to Joey, staring at him and waiting patiently to ask him a question.

“What?” Joey rudely spat out to his brother, getting even more annoyed that he was just staring at him and not saying anything.

“Err…I just wanted to ask if your okay now…geez sorry…obviously not” Jakob replied, sad that his brother had just treated him like the scum of the earth. He walked off back to the lounge room and Joey went up to his bedroom.

Billie had gone into his bedroom to see if his wife was in their shower, indeed she was. Billie opened the door and called her name, feeling the big, vast, warm, cloudy air touch his face, obviously coming from the hot water that Adie was showering in.

“Hey babe,” Billie said, sliding himself into the door and walking to the toilet. He couldn’t see his wife behind the vapour that covered the glass, he could only tell it was her by her skin coloured body and black knotted hair.

“Hey hun, finally your home…how was it?” Adie replied to her husband, exfoliating her body with her sponge and body gel. The water temperature was perfect.

Billie flushed the toilet and began taking off his clothes, getting ready to take a shower. He got completely naked and opened the shower door, huge amounts of fog-like steam covering his whole body and making it difficult for him to see his wife.

“Hey Adie” Billie said back to his wife, trying to wrap his arms around her but was having a difficult time in seeing her between the huge amounts of steam.

“I think the shower is a little too hot” Adie replied back giggling lightly, she then looked at her husbands face, wanting to know what happened with Joey.

“Well…we talked and got everything sorted out” Billie said out loud, scrubbing his body with soap and his sponge, trying to avoid making eye contact with his wife.

“And…” Adie retorted, wanting him to tell her a bit more detail.

“And…well I promised him I wouldn’t tell you hun” Billie replied, shooting a look to Adie, meaning ‘I’m sorry; I can’t break my promises’.

“Mmm…interesting Billie, I’m that boys mother and I can’t know what the cause for his behaviour was today,” Adie said back, upset that he wasn’t going to tell her.

“Oww babe, okay listen, firstly it’s got nothing to do with drugs,” Billie explained, shifting his eyebrows and looking in direct with her eyes. “Secondly, I will tell you about it…just not right now, and thirdly it’s nothing for you to worry about…because it’s sort of a guy to guy thing” he finished off saying, his eyes being serious and his hands, one placed on her shoulder and the other on her cheek.

A trustful smile printing on Adie’s lips, to show that she believed him.

“Okay, if you say so,” Adie replied, as she walked around him and stepped out of the shower.
Minutes later, Billie finished showering also and came out of his bathroom heading for his drawers. His wife was drying up her hair with the hair dryer, and he dried up his body, putting on his boxer shorts and one of his random house shirts.

Joey had gone to his room to finish off the homework he was meant to finish before, and then had a shower. Jakob was in the lounge room where his drum set was still neatly placed, he hadn’t managed to take it up yet to his bedroom. He was softly playing to a beat that was in his head, and then he stopped when his father entered the room.

“Hey, don’t stop…you were sounding really good.” his father said to him, sitting down on the lounge that was closest to Jakob.

“Oh, thanks,” Jakob replied, beginning to gently hit the drums again. His eyes gazing at his fathers face, who looked confused.”So…what happened with you and Joey?” The eight year old questioned.

“Well…me and him got some stuff worked out.” Billie answered him, switching from channel to channel with the remote.

“JAKOB, TIME FOR BED” his mother yelled from the second level of their house. She wanted him to go to bed early so he could get back to his normal sleeping routine.

“Oh, not fair…it’s only nine.” Jakob pouted, getting up from his seat and placing his drum sticks in their box. He hugged his dad and went up to his bedroom.

“Actually, I’m tired as well.” Billie said to himself, switching off the television, and following his son upstairs.

He passed by Joey’s room to see if he was getting ready for bed. He found him sitting on the edge of his bed, playing on his electric Gibson that was hooked to his amplifier but soundless because he had his head phones hooked up and placed on his ears.

“Mmm Joey,” Billie said, wanting to see if his son could hear him.

Joey didn’t respond

“Obviously not.” Billie said to himself.

Billie got closer to him and made hand movements for his son to notice that he was there.

“What’s wrong?” Joey replied, pulling off his head phones, and looking at his dad.

“It’s time for bed.” Billie replied back, taking his guitar from his son’s hands and placing it back on its stand. Joey got up rudely, placing his hands on his waist, wanting to yell and scream.

“It’s only nine o’clock…last time I checked, bed time was at ten.” Joey retorted, trying to hold back all his anger from coming out.

“Joey, don’t argue with me okay, your mum wants you and Jakob to get back to your normal sleeping routine…you both had a hard time getting up this morning.” Billie replied, not in the mood for another argument.

Joey didn’t even think of replying because he also had, had enough for one day.

“I’m going to go see Jakob, and when I get back I expect you to be in bed.” his father said, walking out of the room.

He passed by Adie and knocked on Jakob’s room. Adie had gone downstairs to turn off the lights and lock the windows that were open.

“Hey Jake, what are you reading?” Billie asked his son, who was sitting up right in his bed, holding a book…upside down.

“Err…The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.” Jakob replied, unaware that he was holding the book upside down.

“Oh really…and what chapter are you up to?” his father said back, hinting that his son was lying to him.

“Seven…is something wrong?” Jakob replied, putting down his book to see his father.

“Not really…I just want to know how you can read upside down.” Billie said, trying to sound sarcastic.

“Oh…umm…” Jakob thought.

“Pull off your covers,” His father instructed. Wanting to see if Jakob was hiding his PSP under the covers.

“What for?” Jakob replied, his face getting worried, knowing that his father knew he had his PSP with him.

“Haven’t you learnt your lesson Jakob?” Billie said to him, getting disappointed.

“Dad,” Jakob whined, as he took out the game console from beneath his bed covers, revealing his PSP.

“You know, I really wish I never bought these for you or Joey.” Billie said back, grabbing it from Jakob’s hands.

“I’m sorry.” Jakob pleaded, hoping that his dad wouldn’t confiscate it from him again.

“I don’t care…I’ve given you one too many chances Jakob.” Billie said to his son, closing it up in its case and heading for the door. “Go to sleep.” He said as he walked out the door, switching off Jakob’s light and closing the door half way.

“Oww man,” Jakob said to him self, covering his face with his pillow.

“Joey are you asleep?” Billie said to him through the darkness of his room, standing half in the corridor and half in his room.

“Mmhmm,” Joey replied a little later, rolling over onto his side.

“Alright, goodnight then,” Billie said back, stepping out.

“Night,” Joey replied in a low voice.

Billie walked annoyed to his bedroom. Shutting the door behind him and falling onto his bed, where his wife laid next to him.

“Why is my life so complicated?” Billie said out loud, a question he did not want answered.