Adventures in Babysitting
Chapter One: The Kid
Chapter One: The Kid
“I’m bored!” Gerard whined. I turned my head only to come face to face with Gerard’s wide grin. I raised an eyebrow.
“How could you be bored?” i asked, playing along. I turned on the small couch to face him completely. “You have me, Ray, Mikey and Bob. Okay, well maybe not Bob, but still.”
“Mikey’s reading something and doesn’t want to be bothered, Ray’s sleeping, and Bob’s still mad at me.” I then remembered something. The reason Bob was mad a Gee.
Gerard had broken Bob’s Black Sabbath CD. But it wasn’t his fault! I mean, I was the one who pushed him into Bob while he was holding the CD, thus making him drop it and break it. Maybe that’s why Bob was more mad at me...
Then the man himself came through the door. Bob. I turned to face him while he walked into the “living room” and sat down. “Hey Bob,” I started, “What’s up?” Silence. “Hey, are you still mad at me?” Silence. Damn he’s good!
As I got up and walked around the bus, Bob kept staring me down. It creeped me out, and the fact that it creeped me out creeped me out more. I was from fucking Jersey! How could I be so freaked out by such a minor thing, something that happened everyday growing up?
“Okay, why do you keep looking at me that way?” I asked, pissed off. That made him smile. Still silence and stares. Fuck! When did he get so good at this? “You know, I’m beginning to think you’re messing with me, and that you were never mad.”
Then, Bob started laughing. I just stared at him. I glanced over at Gerard. He looked at me and raised an eyebrow. While Bob continued to practically piss himself (it wasn’t that funny.) Gerard and I walked out of the van. A little fresh air would be good for us. Even though the air wasn’t so fresh in his hometown. Newark, New Jersey.
“So Bob and us are cool?” Gerard asked. I nodded. We continued to walk to the nearby Starbucks in silence. A walk through Jersey as legends. Should be interesting...
++++++++++++++++++
When we got back to the bus, it was total chaos. Mikey had tried making toast or something. ‘Nuff said. Bob was lying in his bunk listening to his ipod while Ray was just looking at Mikey and shaking his head.
Gerard started handing coffee and sodas to everyone. When Bob came out to get his. He looked at me, turned away, and started cracking up. I shook my head and pushed him gently. He fell into one of the chairs. I threw my self onto the couch while Mikey and Ray continued to sit in their seats. Gerard sat down next to his brother.
“So how was your guys walk?” Mikey asked as he sipped his iced coffee. He then gently pushed up his glasses, awaiting my answer. The lasik surgery hadn’t worked quite as we expected. Mikey had to start wearing his glasses again last month.
“It was good,” I replied.
“Cool,” Mikey said. Another sip of coffee, “It’s be nice to be back home. I mean, I love touring, but I love being home too.”
“Yea,” I agreed, “No place like Jersey, right?” We all nodded our heads. Even Bob. He’d grown so accustomed to Jersey, even though he didn’t live there. He still considered it home.
After we all finished our drinks (no alcohol. Just coffee and soda.), Bob went back to listening to music, Ray joining in as well, and Mikey went back to...being Mikey. Gerard went into the bunk area to draw, and I started listening to my music on my headset. Before I knew it, I was fast asleep...
What woke me was this loud banging noise. I didn’t realize it was someone at the door until Ray came out of the bunk area and opened it. I could just barely see over his shoulder. But what I could see was very clear.
“Can I help you?” Ray asked politely.
“This guy gave me twenty bucks to bring her here,” I heard someone say. It sounded like some teenage, Jersey punk, reminding me of the days in Catholic Belleville High. Was I dreaming?
I then heard the boy run off and later I heard Ray yelling. “Guys, you might want to get in here.” He sounded nervous.
All the guys came in immediately. I slowly got up off of the couch and looked over Ray’s shoulder. I smacked my cheeks a couple of times to see if this was all a dream. Nothing. And it suddenly came to me...
Why the fuck is there a kid in our bus?!
“I’m bored!” Gerard whined. I turned my head only to come face to face with Gerard’s wide grin. I raised an eyebrow.
“How could you be bored?” i asked, playing along. I turned on the small couch to face him completely. “You have me, Ray, Mikey and Bob. Okay, well maybe not Bob, but still.”
“Mikey’s reading something and doesn’t want to be bothered, Ray’s sleeping, and Bob’s still mad at me.” I then remembered something. The reason Bob was mad a Gee.
Gerard had broken Bob’s Black Sabbath CD. But it wasn’t his fault! I mean, I was the one who pushed him into Bob while he was holding the CD, thus making him drop it and break it. Maybe that’s why Bob was more mad at me...
Then the man himself came through the door. Bob. I turned to face him while he walked into the “living room” and sat down. “Hey Bob,” I started, “What’s up?” Silence. “Hey, are you still mad at me?” Silence. Damn he’s good!
As I got up and walked around the bus, Bob kept staring me down. It creeped me out, and the fact that it creeped me out creeped me out more. I was from fucking Jersey! How could I be so freaked out by such a minor thing, something that happened everyday growing up?
“Okay, why do you keep looking at me that way?” I asked, pissed off. That made him smile. Still silence and stares. Fuck! When did he get so good at this? “You know, I’m beginning to think you’re messing with me, and that you were never mad.”
Then, Bob started laughing. I just stared at him. I glanced over at Gerard. He looked at me and raised an eyebrow. While Bob continued to practically piss himself (it wasn’t that funny.) Gerard and I walked out of the van. A little fresh air would be good for us. Even though the air wasn’t so fresh in his hometown. Newark, New Jersey.
“So Bob and us are cool?” Gerard asked. I nodded. We continued to walk to the nearby Starbucks in silence. A walk through Jersey as legends. Should be interesting...
++++++++++++++++++
When we got back to the bus, it was total chaos. Mikey had tried making toast or something. ‘Nuff said. Bob was lying in his bunk listening to his ipod while Ray was just looking at Mikey and shaking his head.
Gerard started handing coffee and sodas to everyone. When Bob came out to get his. He looked at me, turned away, and started cracking up. I shook my head and pushed him gently. He fell into one of the chairs. I threw my self onto the couch while Mikey and Ray continued to sit in their seats. Gerard sat down next to his brother.
“So how was your guys walk?” Mikey asked as he sipped his iced coffee. He then gently pushed up his glasses, awaiting my answer. The lasik surgery hadn’t worked quite as we expected. Mikey had to start wearing his glasses again last month.
“It was good,” I replied.
“Cool,” Mikey said. Another sip of coffee, “It’s be nice to be back home. I mean, I love touring, but I love being home too.”
“Yea,” I agreed, “No place like Jersey, right?” We all nodded our heads. Even Bob. He’d grown so accustomed to Jersey, even though he didn’t live there. He still considered it home.
After we all finished our drinks (no alcohol. Just coffee and soda.), Bob went back to listening to music, Ray joining in as well, and Mikey went back to...being Mikey. Gerard went into the bunk area to draw, and I started listening to my music on my headset. Before I knew it, I was fast asleep...
What woke me was this loud banging noise. I didn’t realize it was someone at the door until Ray came out of the bunk area and opened it. I could just barely see over his shoulder. But what I could see was very clear.
“Can I help you?” Ray asked politely.
“This guy gave me twenty bucks to bring her here,” I heard someone say. It sounded like some teenage, Jersey punk, reminding me of the days in Catholic Belleville High. Was I dreaming?
I then heard the boy run off and later I heard Ray yelling. “Guys, you might want to get in here.” He sounded nervous.
All the guys came in immediately. I slowly got up off of the couch and looked over Ray’s shoulder. I smacked my cheeks a couple of times to see if this was all a dream. Nothing. And it suddenly came to me...
Why the fuck is there a kid in our bus?!