RockFan
2
Green Day were just about to drop American Idiot. It was an album that Billie Joe Armstrong considered his baby, and an album that was not easily conceived. Yet, as excited as the frontman should've been to officially debut his masterpiece to the world, he couldn't find the stamina to give a damn. September was a difficult month for Billie Joe, it was filled with unsettled grief and anger over the loss of his father at the tender age of ten.
He laid in bed until noon, not sleeping but not ready to get out from under the security of his blankets. His schedule for today was actually free, a small break from the recent normality of PR for American Idiot. He finally pulled the covers back though, and walked to the bathroom clad only in a t-shirt and boxers. He started the water in the shower and waited for it to get hot while he brushed his teeth.
He spat out the foamy paste, wiped his lips with the back of his hand, then rinsed his toothbrush. He shed his shirt and boxers, stepped into the glass-enclosed shower, and sighed as the hot water pounded on his tattooed skin. He could stay just like this for hours, letting the steam rise around him, yet the temptation of his coffee machine in the kitchen downstairs urged him to keep his shower brief.
He shut the water off after shampooing, conditioning, and rinsing. He dried his body with a towel then redressed into his boxers and t-shirt. He went into his bedroom, pulled on a pair of black Dickies and a belt, then descended the stairs to the first floor. He immediately went to his Keurig coffeemaker and popped in a hazelnut cup to brew.
"Buenos dias, Mr. Armstrong," he heard his maid, Nina, call from behind him. Billie Joe turned around and smiled.
"Hi, Nina, how are you?"
"Good," she nodded, "You sleep late today, no rock?"
Billie chuckled, "No, no rock 'n roll today. Hey, look, Nina, what have you cleaned already?"
"All of your house, but not your room," she answered.
"Eh, skip my room today. It's Friday, payday, I'll write you your check," Billie Joe said, stepping over to the counter where his checkbook was waiting.
"You not want your room cleaned?"
"No, not today. We'll just say you cleaned it, okay?" Billie Joe scratched his pen across the check and then ripped it from the book.
"I don't understand," Nina said, shaking her head.
"Here," Billie Joe handed her the check, "Go home early today, go have fun."
Nina took the check a looked it over, expecting a cut in pay for her shortened hours today. Instead her eyes grew wide with shock, "Mr. Armstrong, you pay me double?!"
"Yeah, I feel like being nice today. Go home, okay? Have a nice weekend, and come back on Monday."
"Mr. Armstrong, you are too nice! More money and no work this weekend? God bless you!" Nina said, clasping her hands together and grinned ear to ear.
"Yeah, okay," Billie Joe said, nodding to her in farewell and returning to his position in front of the Keurig machine, "Goodbye, Nina."
Nina nodded her way out of the kitchen, repeating over and over as she went, "Thank-you, Mr. Armstrong, you are a good man. Bless you, God bless you."
When Billie Joe heard the front door close he turned around to take a sip from his mug of coffee that was waiting for him. He padded over to his living room with his coffee and turned on the TV. He sat down on his cream-colored, comfy couch and switched channels to the news. He tried to focus on the depressing news and the boring weather forecast, but his mind was too distracted. He was hoping his extra dose of kindness to his faithful maid, Nina, would encourage his mood to lift. Unfortunately, he felt nothing of the sort yet.
He laid in bed until noon, not sleeping but not ready to get out from under the security of his blankets. His schedule for today was actually free, a small break from the recent normality of PR for American Idiot. He finally pulled the covers back though, and walked to the bathroom clad only in a t-shirt and boxers. He started the water in the shower and waited for it to get hot while he brushed his teeth.
He spat out the foamy paste, wiped his lips with the back of his hand, then rinsed his toothbrush. He shed his shirt and boxers, stepped into the glass-enclosed shower, and sighed as the hot water pounded on his tattooed skin. He could stay just like this for hours, letting the steam rise around him, yet the temptation of his coffee machine in the kitchen downstairs urged him to keep his shower brief.
He shut the water off after shampooing, conditioning, and rinsing. He dried his body with a towel then redressed into his boxers and t-shirt. He went into his bedroom, pulled on a pair of black Dickies and a belt, then descended the stairs to the first floor. He immediately went to his Keurig coffeemaker and popped in a hazelnut cup to brew.
"Buenos dias, Mr. Armstrong," he heard his maid, Nina, call from behind him. Billie Joe turned around and smiled.
"Hi, Nina, how are you?"
"Good," she nodded, "You sleep late today, no rock?"
Billie chuckled, "No, no rock 'n roll today. Hey, look, Nina, what have you cleaned already?"
"All of your house, but not your room," she answered.
"Eh, skip my room today. It's Friday, payday, I'll write you your check," Billie Joe said, stepping over to the counter where his checkbook was waiting.
"You not want your room cleaned?"
"No, not today. We'll just say you cleaned it, okay?" Billie Joe scratched his pen across the check and then ripped it from the book.
"I don't understand," Nina said, shaking her head.
"Here," Billie Joe handed her the check, "Go home early today, go have fun."
Nina took the check a looked it over, expecting a cut in pay for her shortened hours today. Instead her eyes grew wide with shock, "Mr. Armstrong, you pay me double?!"
"Yeah, I feel like being nice today. Go home, okay? Have a nice weekend, and come back on Monday."
"Mr. Armstrong, you are too nice! More money and no work this weekend? God bless you!" Nina said, clasping her hands together and grinned ear to ear.
"Yeah, okay," Billie Joe said, nodding to her in farewell and returning to his position in front of the Keurig machine, "Goodbye, Nina."
Nina nodded her way out of the kitchen, repeating over and over as she went, "Thank-you, Mr. Armstrong, you are a good man. Bless you, God bless you."
When Billie Joe heard the front door close he turned around to take a sip from his mug of coffee that was waiting for him. He padded over to his living room with his coffee and turned on the TV. He sat down on his cream-colored, comfy couch and switched channels to the news. He tried to focus on the depressing news and the boring weather forecast, but his mind was too distracted. He was hoping his extra dose of kindness to his faithful maid, Nina, would encourage his mood to lift. Unfortunately, he felt nothing of the sort yet.