Communion

"Frank? Is Billie there with you?"

"No, why honey?" Tre replied as he cruised around L.A. in a swank rented Cadillac, Escalade. "I'm on the road right now. I have no idea where Bill is."

"Frank, something terrible's happened," Rose said calmly as she sat down at the cherry wood table of her west facing dining room.

"What? Oh my God, is it Michelle? Is she okay? Rose tell me what's wrong!" Tre yelped out very suddenly.

"No honey, not Michelle. It's Ollie..."

"Oh thank God! Rose you scared the living crap out of me! Wait...Ollie? What do you mean, honey? What's wrong with Billie's mom?" Tre asked, concerned.

"She died," Rose whispered.

"Oh."

"Yeah, I just got the call from Billie's brother, David," Rose explained. "He said he couldn't get a hold of him on his cell and then he tried to call Mike...and Mike was out of service and then he called me again and told me you apparently hung up on him because you thought he was some cracked out fan..."

"Rose! Calm down sweetie. You're all worked up all of a sudden!" Tre shouted over his wife's long breathless explanation.

"I'm sorry Frank. I'm just so panicky about how Billie Joe's going to take this. I mean, she was old...he knew her time was upon her and-."

"Rose?"

"Yes Frank?"

"How did she die?" Tre inquired, now feeling terrible for hanging up on an obviously distraught, David Armstrong.

"Her pneumonia," Rose sighed, "she died this afternoon."

"Wow," Tre breathed and then paused to reminisce on teenage memories of Billie Joe's mother. She was generally nice, not very involved in her son's life but quite supportive of his goals and wishes. "She's really dead."

"Yeah."

"Whatever you do don't try and call Billie," Tre warned, pulling off into a McDonald's drive-thru after long moments of silence.

"Why?"

"Just because, honey. 'Cause he's stressed out about the new album and everything."

"Stressed? But your song is number two..."

"I know," Tre said.

Rose let her head slink down on the table top as the phone remained glued to her ear. She knew Billie was stressed. She always saw it in him and at times it reminded her of her mother. She bit her bottom lip as she began to recollect on a conversation she had had with her cousin in Redwood National Park. It was about emotions and the things we do to help us get through the day.

"Frank, is Billie taking any narcotics or antidepressants?" Rose inquired. Her husband would be very well informed of anything before she was, she thought.

"Narcotics? Antidepressants?" Tre repeated. "Where did that come from?"

"Billie, honey. He was taking Prozac a few years ago, right?" Rose said.

"What?" Tre said dumbfound. "Just a sec sweetie, I'm ordering something."

"Okay," Rose replied.

"Ah yeah. I'll get two chicken fajitas and a diet coke," Tre spoke into the drive-thru intercom, whilst still speaking on the phone with his junior wife.

"The Healthy Choice Menu...a diet coke?" Rose said with suspicion. "What's going on buster?"

"It's called being middle aged and not wanting to die," Tre said, thinking of Billie Joe's mother once again. "Crap, what the fuck is Billie going to say?"

"Frank honey, you're not going to die," Rose said with an emotional tremor, ignoring Tre's question about Billie. "Not now at least. You still have a good fifty to sixty years to humor me."

"Aw, I miss you so much Rosie. I wish so badly that I could just be sitting on the tour bus right now with you and Michelle, laughing it up," Tre said sincerely.

"It's okay. You're coming home soon and then we'll have some nice time to spend before we actually do have to head out on the road. As much as I loved doing it last time with you, I can recall how hectic it was," Rose said, rolling her eyes.

"Mmm, Rosie's a smart girl..." Tre said in a low over-sexualized voice.

"Frank, that's degrading," Rose replied.

"Sorry honey, you're just so sexy. It'll be different this time though, I promise. I mean, we weren't getting along very much last time and we only really got to do one tour date before everything turned to shit. I just....I feel desperate for some contact from a woman. You. My woman."

"Oh Frank...come home?"

"I can't. Not right this moment," Tre said and he shook his head as he fumbled to find his Visa Platinum. "I'm going to have to somehow get a hold of Billie. Then, somehow break the news to him."

"Yes, I know. I'm sorry it's up to you honey. And I'm sorry Billie won't be here for me to give some comfort to," Rose sniffled again.

"Oh, I'm sure he will."

"You are?"

"Yeah, I know Billie. As soon as I tell him he'll speed his car out of here so fast the earth will spin off its axis. Well maybe."

"Oh," Rose said. She paused to gather her thoughts. "Will you come back up to Oakland too than? I have something important to tell you. Frank?"

"Yeah, I was going to soon anyways. All the rest of the promo down here is really Billie's job to do. You know how it is with lead singers and their spotlight," Tre giggled subtly. "What do you have to tell me?"

Rose shared a brief laugh with her husband before settling down to continue mourning the loss of her Aunt Ollie. She bit her bottom lip again before making a sudden decision.

"Nothing, just give me a call later and let me know what's happening. Love you."

"Hmm? Umm okay...love you."

* * *

Billie awoke on a couch at Los Angeles Center Studios that afternoon. It was Saturday, he had just finished a morning commercial shoot for Yahoo Music; he was exhausted and beside himself with agitation. A clock on the wall revealed to him that he had been out for just over an hour and his reflection in a one-way mirror showed his under eyes to be baggy and red.

"Mr. Armstrong?" came a woman's gentle voice.

"Hmm?" the musician grunted, looking away from the mirror with blurred green eyes. He could tell this woman was obviously the same one he had encountered earlier on. She was simply there to assist him with anything he should need.

"There's a Mr. Mike Dirk on the phone for you sir," she said to inform.

"Mike? Oh Dirnt, hmm okay," Billie sighed lazily.

"Line three, sir. There's a telephone just down the hall."

"That's great, thank you," Billie replied, sitting up from the chesterfield. Sauntering out of the room and down into the hallway, Billie found himself situated in front of a white corded telephone. He let out an unenthused yawn before slowly reaching for the phone as though urgency was not an issue.

The studio was generally loud and busy with people. Billie was but only another famous face mixed in with the others. Crew and television people passed him by without notice it seemed. He was just lonely as he let the phone's ear piece attach its self to his ear and without word await for his friend of thirty years to speak.

"Billie?"

"Yeah," he said, yawning. "What's up?"

"Hey man, not too much. How are you feeling?" Mike said.

"Fine. Tired," Billie replied.

"Tired? That sucks. What are you doing? How's the commercial?" Mike asked casually.

"Umm, I'm done. I fell asleep though," Billie said.

"How's Adie, what are Joey and Jakob up to?"

"What? Man, I just talked to Adie last night, and you just saw the whippersnappers awhile ago. What's with all the small talk?" Billie inquired. He listened intently and all he could hear was his best friend sigh mournfully into the telephone.

"Billie, your cell phone has been turned off or something for quite awhile," Mike said.

"Yeah so?"

"Well, Tre called me a half a hour ago."

"Wait, where are you?"

"At the resort getting burnt," Mike chuckled briefly. "Why?"

"I don't know. It's just I tried calling you earlier and there was no answer. And then my phone died because I was talking to Adrienne. How come I couldn't get a hold of you?" Billie asked.

"Because I was on the phone with Holly," Mike said shyly.

"Oh, I see," Billie said, letting a grin be heard in his voice.

"Look Bill, I don't know how to say this..."

"Billie."

Billie Joe felt someone tap his shoulder and in a quick instant he turned to see a brawny middle aged Tre Cool standing in the busy corridor with him.

"Tre, what are you doing here?"

"Man, I came to find you," Tre whispered under the chaos of the crowded hallway.

"What?" Billie replied. "Mike man, just a second. Tre's here."

"Sure," Mike said into his phone receiver.

"Billie, are you done here?" Tre asked.

"Yes why?"

"Because....Because we have something we need to talk about. It's really important and I can't tell you here."

"What's going on?"

"Where's Mike?"

"At our favourite retreat," Billie said. "I'm on the phone, what's going on?"

"Nothing man. Just come on. Just come on..." Tre said and he snatched the phone away from Billie. "Mike, we'll be there in a half a hour. Love you, bye." Tre hung up the phone and snatched Billie out into the studio parking lot.

* * *

"Do you want to explain to me what the hell this is all about?" Billie whined, disgruntled.

"Just shut up man. Be quiet...fuck why am I not a smoker?" Tre replied. "I need to start doing more of these things."

While Tre pulled up into the driveway of a secluded resort, Billie saw a vague glimpse of Mike sitting down outside, nestled amongst the tall oak trees. He ignored Tre and instead listened to the very present beating of his heart. The housing units at the top of the grassed hill were familiar, painted white and the roofs red like his own home in the Claremont Hills. A gazebo next to where Mike sat was like one he had placed in his yard for Tre's marriage to Rose.

He never had it removed.

Tre gave a nonchalant grin as Mike showed a lit cigarette wielded between the middle and index finger of his left hand. Driving his Escalade carelessly into a crevice of the perfectly manicured lawns, Tre stopped the vehicle and turned to look at his wife's cousin.

"Get out Billie," Tre said quiet and somberly.

Billie swallowed back a lump in his throat, pondering why Tre seemed so sincere, enveloped with fear and sadness. He watched as his blue-eyed friend got out of the car, and subconsciously he reached for the doorhandle on his own side. He wanted to open his mouth to say something, but the words did not seem to come on command. They would come only after the words of both his best friends came.

Tre sauntered across the lawn towards Mike whom it was now obvious had perched himself on a stone bench for rest. He was dressed like he had been sweating it off by the pool. Swim trunks, towel and bare chested.

Billie hung back a short ways as he watched his shorter friend take a seat next to Mike, leaving a space in between them that seemed just fit and vacant for him.

"Come here Billie," Tre said as he watched Mike take a puff off his cigarette. "Can I have some of that?"

"Be my guest," Mike said, handing over the fag.

Billie quietly found his way over to the bench and although eying that unoccupied spot, he felt too filled with anticipation to be able to seat himself.

"Sit down Bill," Mike said.

Billie shook his head slightly with confusion before he caved and took a seat in between the other two members of his band.

Tre took a puff off of Mike's fag before handing it back to him and exhaling the smoke into the tall trees. He looked up at them, towering above his head, the sun shining through them majestically. The drummer zoned out as the sound of Mike's voice began to linger in his ears.

"Billie, you know we've been a band for a long time now. We've done a lot of great things, known a lot of great people-."

"Mike man, just spill it. Please. I can't take being lead on, you know that. So please," Billie begged as he looked up and into the bassist's sullen blue eyes.

"Bill...your mom died."

"Oh," Billie said.

Both Mike and Tre placed their hands on the frontman's shoulders supportively. Tre patted gently whilst Mike soothingly rubbed.

"Are you okay?" Tre inquired.

Before Billie closed his mouth tightly, his lips began to tremor. He sat there for a few moments quietly, then got up, turned his back to his friends and placed his hand over his mouth.

"Billie, I know this is hard," Mike said. "I'm as shocked as you are."

Billie began pacing around the general area of the stone bench and without warning, he kicked over angel-design bird fountain and began beating the crap out of the side of the gazebo.

"Billie!" Tre shrieked as he sat up quickly.

"Leave him alone!" Mike cried as he grabbed Tre's arm back.

Tre stopped and clamped his mouth shut tightly. He just stared on at Billie in a daze as he continued to wreak havoc on the gazebo. Billie went for awhile at it, but slowly began to wear and he sat down on the grass.

"Billie Joe..." Mike said, slowly. He sat up from the bench quietly to tiptoe over to the gazebo.

Billie placed his index finger in his mouth horizontally and bit down on it hard to contain tears. He looked down at the grass, seeping beneath his shoes and then finally let it all out.

"GOD DAMN IT! FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!!" Billie screamed.

"Billie, I'm so sorry man!" Mike said as he stooped down onto the ground at his friend's side.

Tre stood back momentarily and was inexplicably hit with something he hadn't realized until this very moment. He felt like Billie Joe's inferior. His lesser friend. While Mike had been his pal since they were young kids, Tre had basically only been there for him through adulthood. It was something that had been in his subconscious for years and was just now surfacing as something he would have to accept and move on from.

"Don't worry Billie," Tre said as he stepped away from the stone bench and over to the gazebo where he found a spot on the grass next to his wife's cousin. His brother. His friend.

"Oh fuck..." Billie whimpered.

"It's okay man," Tre said, rubbing Billie's back with care. "This was bound to happen. It was bound to."

"Tre shut up," Billie said. "That's it. I can't do this anymore."

"Okay," Tre replied.

"Billie," Mike said, grabbing his friend by the shoulders as he tried to squirm away stubbornly. "Billie, calm down! Calm down, listen to me. Listen to me! You need to not let this distract you. You cannot let this distract you. Not right now. We've got too much to do. We've got our album to think about, buddy. Ollie wouldn't want you to back down because of her."

"Mike's right Billie. He is, you know. Your mom has always been your biggest fan," Tre stated.

"You guys aren't helping me. My mother's my biggest fan? Guess what? SHE'S FUCKING DEAD!" Billie shot out as he stood up and started back for Tre's car.

"Billie," Mike and Tre said in unison with one another as they both stood up and made haste after him.

"Maybe if I wasn't so busy with this album crap all the fucking time, I'd have had time to go visit her when I fucking knew she was sick!" Billie called back. "Maybe I'd have time to spend with my wife and children, who by the way are adults now because so much crappy ass fucking time has gone by!"

"Bill, that's crap talk!" Mike shouted.

"No it fucking isn't! You know it's all fucking true!" Billie screamed and he stopped to turn around and face his taller friend.

"How is it true Billie?" Mike questioned.

"Because you don't even fucking know your own kids. Ryan, Mike?"

"I'm not going to discuss this. I'm trying to be fucking nice to you right now and you're gonna pull a low blow on me like that?" Mike retorted.

"What the fuck are you guys talking about?" Tre said, hyping his fine eyebrows.

Billie shook his head and began to cry harder, "Nothing! Nothing! Nothing! Oh god, I'm so sorry man. I didn't mean that."

Mike bit his lip and stared at the hysterical and distraught frontman of his band. He knew his friend was only venting but the sly mentions of his affair with Rose all the time in front of Tre were beginning to get a little bit sickening. It was already quite obvious to Mike that Billie was aware of Ryan being their love child and it seemed cold-hearted considering he knew that the stress from that was what caused Mike to have a stroke.

Billie opened his eyes as wide as they would go, and he could do only but stare at Mike.

"That's it. I'm going back to Oakland," Mike said, shaking his head at his smaller friend and shrugging his shoulders. He started off for the resorts parking lot but stopped to speak a final word, "I'm assuming you're not hanging around much longer either?"

Billie shook his head in response.

Tre looked at Mike and grinned before turning to Billie. "You know what? I've been trying to have a private conversation with you for over a month Billie," Tre explained. "But it seems I can't get you alone whether it's in person or on the phone. And I....I just don't know what to think anymore. I'm so god damned confused."

"I'm going home," Billie sniffled at Tre, "if you want to take me now, we'll ditch my car at the studio. We can talk about whatever. Like my mother being fucking dead and me talking about your problems."

"Sure, that sounds dandy to me," Tre said. "We're going to have a real pretty little conversation..."