His Little Drummer Girl
She finds out
Underneath the mother's name it read: Samantha Jane Ellis, occupation - Teacher then I gasped as underneath the part where it said father's name it said Frank Edwin Wright III, occupation - Musician.
What? Tre is my father. Tre Cool is my father. No I don't believe it. Tre. Cool. Is. My. Father. It all adds up. The dates and everything, my god it must be true. My stomach lurched and my heart started pounding real fast.
Why hadn't I been told before this? At that moment I hated my mum for not telling me. All the time she fobbed me off, not telling me who my father was and now, I find out that the greatest drummer in the whole wide world is my dad.
I threw the certificate down onto the bed, tears blinding my eyes. I ran down the stairs and out the front door, not caring where I was going, I just wanted to get away...
Later...
"Francesca, we're home," shouted Sammi.
No reply. "She's probably in the garden," Sammi said to Tre
"Franky" shouted Tre. "Where are you? We're gonna make burgers for lunch"
"She's not in the garden," said Sammi "May be she's in her bedroom with the ipod on full blast and can't hear us".
Going into her room they expected to see her lying on the bed.
"Not here" said Sammi
"Francesca, stop messing. Is this some sort of a game?" Sammi said
"You can't play hide and seek here, honey," said Tre "We'd never find you. It's too hot to play anyway, come on out and get something to eat and drink"
Still nothing.
Going into his bedroom Tre shouted "Sammi, I think you'd better come here"
On the bed were the certificate and the envelope. Clearly the certificate had been read and flung down in a hurry.
"Shit" they both said at the same time.
Franky's Point Of View
I'd been knocking for ages before he answered. He had an old stripy t-shirt on and his hair was all over the place but I still fancied him like crazy.
"Franky? You OK?" Ahh he was all concerned for me. Billie Joe was concerned.
"No, not really. I've run away from Tres" I blubbered.
He could see I was upset. "Look you'd better come on in. Adrienne and the kids are shopping. Come in and tell me all about it"
He took my hand in his. Oh, those hands of his felt so strong and warm. "Let me get you a drink, lemonade?"
"Yes please." Billie Joe Armstrong was making me a glass of lemonade in his house. In his kitchen just for me and me alone...
"Ice in it?" shouted Billie from the kitchen
"Please" I said sheepishly
Billie Joe's house was awesome. Ultra modern and trendy with loads of discs on the wall and also loads of photographs of him, Adrienne and the kids. Happy families.
"Here, drink this," said Billie on his return. "I was just working on the computer doing some writing. Want to talk about what's happened?"
"Maybe"
"Do your Mum and Tre know you are here?" asked Billie
"No"
"What happened then?"
"I've just found out that Tre's my Dad. I found out by accident. They don't know I know." I blurted out
"Oh" said Billie, understanding
"Did you know?" I said looking at him
"Err. Kinda"
"You know? Who else knows? Is it just me that doesn't know?" I said angrily
"Look sweetheart" He called me sweetheart, "They were planning on telling you tonight actually. Tre has only just recently found out himself. It's quite a big deal for them, they want to do it right. They've been through quite a lot."
He hugged me then nice and tight. His hair tickled my face and I could smell his aftershave and his breath was all minty. He held me tight and I wanted to stay there in his arms forever. I'm sure he felt the same way about me. He must do.
"Dad?" came voices from the hall
Jakob came running into the room and saw us together. He stopped dead in his tracks.
"Mum" he shouted. "Dad's cuddling Franky on the sofa"
Adrienne and Joey followed him into the room.
"Hey, Franky. Why so upset?" she said. Why isn't she bothered that I'm laying here cuddling her husband?
Billie spoke.
"She just found something out," he said. He must have indicated somehow what it was as Adrienne seemed to know what he meant.
He still carried on cuddling me and Adrienne told the boys to go and play while she spoke to me. She came over and started cuddling me too. 'Get off' I thought, 'I don't want to cuddle you, too. Just Billie Joe.'
"How did you find out?" she asked
"I found my birth certificate while looking for my sunglasses," I said
"I think mum and Tre were going to tell you tonight. They've arranged for a special meal out so you can all spend some time together to discuss it"
I didn't answer. Just leave me alone and let me be with Billie Joe.
Billie Joe started getting up and gently lifted me off of him. He's left me alone with Adrienne now. He must be embarrassed that he was cuddling me. I hope they argue about it. If they argue about it may be she will leave and take the kids and then I can move in here and be with Billie Joe. Stop it. What are you thinking?
"Don't be angry with them" said Adrienne, "They are trying to do the best by you and wanted to make telling you real special. Did you know that Tre only found out about you a couple of weeks ago? What do you think his reaction was? He was over the moon that you were his daughter but not happy that he has missed out on so much. Don't be angry with him, he doesn't deserve it. I know its come as a shock but just think. You now have the opportunity of getting to know your dad. Your real dad. Sometimes people don't get that opportunity."
She looked up then and Billie Joe was standing in the doorway and obviously the remark was aimed at Billie Joe having lost his dad when he was only 10.
"Adrienne's right." Billie said, "You have got the opportunity of getting to know Tre. I think that's a damn lucky thing, you know. Imagine having Tre as your father. It can't get much better than that. Listen. I've called them. They are on their way."
I felt stupid then.
"Look, I'm really sorry," I said. "It's just that it was a bit of a shock. You're right. I'm glad it's Tre Cool on my birth certificate. I mean how cool is that" and laughed. I meant it. It could have been anyone's name on that certificate but it wasn't, it was Tre. He was the best drummer in the goddam world and he was my dad.
There was a knock that the door. It was Mum and Tre. They had come rushing over to see if I was OK. Mum and Tre. Mum and Dad. My Dad. I liked saying that. I hugged them both and said sorry. They said sorry too then we all left Billie Joe's and went home. As I looked back out of the window of the car to wave, Billie Joe was standing there alone. 'I love you Billie Joe' I thought...
What? Tre is my father. Tre Cool is my father. No I don't believe it. Tre. Cool. Is. My. Father. It all adds up. The dates and everything, my god it must be true. My stomach lurched and my heart started pounding real fast.
Why hadn't I been told before this? At that moment I hated my mum for not telling me. All the time she fobbed me off, not telling me who my father was and now, I find out that the greatest drummer in the whole wide world is my dad.
I threw the certificate down onto the bed, tears blinding my eyes. I ran down the stairs and out the front door, not caring where I was going, I just wanted to get away...
Later...
"Francesca, we're home," shouted Sammi.
No reply. "She's probably in the garden," Sammi said to Tre
"Franky" shouted Tre. "Where are you? We're gonna make burgers for lunch"
"She's not in the garden," said Sammi "May be she's in her bedroom with the ipod on full blast and can't hear us".
Going into her room they expected to see her lying on the bed.
"Not here" said Sammi
"Francesca, stop messing. Is this some sort of a game?" Sammi said
"You can't play hide and seek here, honey," said Tre "We'd never find you. It's too hot to play anyway, come on out and get something to eat and drink"
Still nothing.
Going into his bedroom Tre shouted "Sammi, I think you'd better come here"
On the bed were the certificate and the envelope. Clearly the certificate had been read and flung down in a hurry.
"Shit" they both said at the same time.
Franky's Point Of View
I'd been knocking for ages before he answered. He had an old stripy t-shirt on and his hair was all over the place but I still fancied him like crazy.
"Franky? You OK?" Ahh he was all concerned for me. Billie Joe was concerned.
"No, not really. I've run away from Tres" I blubbered.
He could see I was upset. "Look you'd better come on in. Adrienne and the kids are shopping. Come in and tell me all about it"
He took my hand in his. Oh, those hands of his felt so strong and warm. "Let me get you a drink, lemonade?"
"Yes please." Billie Joe Armstrong was making me a glass of lemonade in his house. In his kitchen just for me and me alone...
"Ice in it?" shouted Billie from the kitchen
"Please" I said sheepishly
Billie Joe's house was awesome. Ultra modern and trendy with loads of discs on the wall and also loads of photographs of him, Adrienne and the kids. Happy families.
"Here, drink this," said Billie on his return. "I was just working on the computer doing some writing. Want to talk about what's happened?"
"Maybe"
"Do your Mum and Tre know you are here?" asked Billie
"No"
"What happened then?"
"I've just found out that Tre's my Dad. I found out by accident. They don't know I know." I blurted out
"Oh" said Billie, understanding
"Did you know?" I said looking at him
"Err. Kinda"
"You know? Who else knows? Is it just me that doesn't know?" I said angrily
"Look sweetheart" He called me sweetheart, "They were planning on telling you tonight actually. Tre has only just recently found out himself. It's quite a big deal for them, they want to do it right. They've been through quite a lot."
He hugged me then nice and tight. His hair tickled my face and I could smell his aftershave and his breath was all minty. He held me tight and I wanted to stay there in his arms forever. I'm sure he felt the same way about me. He must do.
"Dad?" came voices from the hall
Jakob came running into the room and saw us together. He stopped dead in his tracks.
"Mum" he shouted. "Dad's cuddling Franky on the sofa"
Adrienne and Joey followed him into the room.
"Hey, Franky. Why so upset?" she said. Why isn't she bothered that I'm laying here cuddling her husband?
Billie spoke.
"She just found something out," he said. He must have indicated somehow what it was as Adrienne seemed to know what he meant.
He still carried on cuddling me and Adrienne told the boys to go and play while she spoke to me. She came over and started cuddling me too. 'Get off' I thought, 'I don't want to cuddle you, too. Just Billie Joe.'
"How did you find out?" she asked
"I found my birth certificate while looking for my sunglasses," I said
"I think mum and Tre were going to tell you tonight. They've arranged for a special meal out so you can all spend some time together to discuss it"
I didn't answer. Just leave me alone and let me be with Billie Joe.
Billie Joe started getting up and gently lifted me off of him. He's left me alone with Adrienne now. He must be embarrassed that he was cuddling me. I hope they argue about it. If they argue about it may be she will leave and take the kids and then I can move in here and be with Billie Joe. Stop it. What are you thinking?
"Don't be angry with them" said Adrienne, "They are trying to do the best by you and wanted to make telling you real special. Did you know that Tre only found out about you a couple of weeks ago? What do you think his reaction was? He was over the moon that you were his daughter but not happy that he has missed out on so much. Don't be angry with him, he doesn't deserve it. I know its come as a shock but just think. You now have the opportunity of getting to know your dad. Your real dad. Sometimes people don't get that opportunity."
She looked up then and Billie Joe was standing in the doorway and obviously the remark was aimed at Billie Joe having lost his dad when he was only 10.
"Adrienne's right." Billie said, "You have got the opportunity of getting to know Tre. I think that's a damn lucky thing, you know. Imagine having Tre as your father. It can't get much better than that. Listen. I've called them. They are on their way."
I felt stupid then.
"Look, I'm really sorry," I said. "It's just that it was a bit of a shock. You're right. I'm glad it's Tre Cool on my birth certificate. I mean how cool is that" and laughed. I meant it. It could have been anyone's name on that certificate but it wasn't, it was Tre. He was the best drummer in the goddam world and he was my dad.
There was a knock that the door. It was Mum and Tre. They had come rushing over to see if I was OK. Mum and Tre. Mum and Dad. My Dad. I liked saying that. I hugged them both and said sorry. They said sorry too then we all left Billie Joe's and went home. As I looked back out of the window of the car to wave, Billie Joe was standing there alone. 'I love you Billie Joe' I thought...