Pothead Poltergeists
Stuck With Me
“No one else can see me either, as far as I know. You didn’t see me at first. I wonder why you can now.” Again, I was talking more to myself also than to him.
He gave a hollow shrug. Like he was going to give any advice on this subject. What the fuck was going on? is all he wanted to know. “So you came here to Berkeley and found me.”
“Yeah. Pretty much. Well, or Mike or Tre. You were the guys I know.”
“And you followed me?”
“Yeah, I found you in Rudy’s Café yesterday.” I don’t blush really, but if I did, I would be blushing like crazy right now. My face feels like it’s burning up.
“And you ended up in my car. This sort of explains a few things. I kept thinking I saw something or heard something. I don’t know. I thought it was bad wine from two nights ago or something.”
“I guess I am not as stealthy as I thought.”
“And you followed me here.”
“Sorry if it’s creepy, but yeah.”
“No, no it’s not that. Well, part of it I guess. This is just weird. Are there other ghosts walking around that we don’t all know about?” he decided to give up and just play along for now. This girl was clearly insane…that or he was hallucinating.
“I haven’t seen any.” I smiled a bit sitting beside him on the tan bedspreads. This time he did not flinch away. “I was sort of wondering about that. Maybe it just means I am not a full ghost or something.”
“Also, aren’t ghosts supposed to haunt something like a house or a hotel room?”
“That’s what I have always read, but it didn’t stop me now.”
“So, you’re haunting me or something?”
“No, not really. I just wanted to see you. Then I might go on to a few other people for awhile. I could see all of the greatest rockers if I wanted to now that I think of it,” I cocked my head thinking about this. Really, I could see anyone. Anyone at all who was alive today. Billie Joe, Mike and Tre were right here and so close by, but I could really go anywhere I wanted to.
I just have to catch a plane and go wherever I want to in the world. Wait, the universe! I could hop a space shuttle even. Oh, but that could be dangerous. What if I fall out the side and end up floating in some random direction for all of eternity, randomly bumping into rocks and being sucked onto another planet where I can’t get off because of gravity. I could run into extraterrestrial life. That would be pretty awesome. Or is that just stupid? No, no, I am happy right here.
“So, you could go anywhere or do anything, and you decided to come here to haunt me? I should be flattered,” he rolled his eyes. “But somehow, I’m not feeling very flattered.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that and give a shrug, “Neither am I.”
Billie seemed a hell of a lot more relaxed now at least. He reached over and touched my arm. He kind of played with my hand trying to figure this out. “I can see my hand through yours, but I can feel your hand like it’s real.”
“Well, it’s real to me.”
Then he looked up and jumped. “You’re not in the mirror,” he said breathlessly, “I must be fucking insane.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Phh, how would you know?” he sighed with his head in his hands.
“Because, a crazy person wouldn’t think he was crazy.”
Billie smiled at me, giving a sideways look. “Ok, true. What do I do now?”
“Well, I don’t know.” I shrugged. “I really just came to hang out. No plans. But now that you can see me, maybe it means something.”
“DAD!” we heard one of the boys calling from downstairs and then the clear ring of the doorbell echoing through the walls.
Billie bit his lip, “I’ll go pay the pizza guy.”
“Should I come or stay here?”
“Umm, come if you want to. Let’s see if the boys can see you. I would like to know if I am the only one who’s insane here.”
“Ok,” I bounced after him down the stairs and simply…observed. Billie paid the man while Joey got out the paper plates. Then they all sat on the couch because Mommy wasn’t home to say no, and they watched a random sitcom. Billie Joe kept looking my way so I sat down in a comfy armchair next to the main couch the three boys had taken over.
I love the random funny old reruns of sitcoms. I told you that. On channel 36. I just watch whatever I happen to catch. This episode was pretty funny. I think Billie thought so too because he seemed to forget I was there and kept laughing at innuendos that flew right over Jake’s head, though Joey got most of them. I couldn’t help bursting out laughing too and forgetting where I was and all. It was nice. It was really nice. I was just feeling like a real person again.
He gave a hollow shrug. Like he was going to give any advice on this subject. What the fuck was going on? is all he wanted to know. “So you came here to Berkeley and found me.”
“Yeah. Pretty much. Well, or Mike or Tre. You were the guys I know.”
“And you followed me?”
“Yeah, I found you in Rudy’s Café yesterday.” I don’t blush really, but if I did, I would be blushing like crazy right now. My face feels like it’s burning up.
“And you ended up in my car. This sort of explains a few things. I kept thinking I saw something or heard something. I don’t know. I thought it was bad wine from two nights ago or something.”
“I guess I am not as stealthy as I thought.”
“And you followed me here.”
“Sorry if it’s creepy, but yeah.”
“No, no it’s not that. Well, part of it I guess. This is just weird. Are there other ghosts walking around that we don’t all know about?” he decided to give up and just play along for now. This girl was clearly insane…that or he was hallucinating.
“I haven’t seen any.” I smiled a bit sitting beside him on the tan bedspreads. This time he did not flinch away. “I was sort of wondering about that. Maybe it just means I am not a full ghost or something.”
“Also, aren’t ghosts supposed to haunt something like a house or a hotel room?”
“That’s what I have always read, but it didn’t stop me now.”
“So, you’re haunting me or something?”
“No, not really. I just wanted to see you. Then I might go on to a few other people for awhile. I could see all of the greatest rockers if I wanted to now that I think of it,” I cocked my head thinking about this. Really, I could see anyone. Anyone at all who was alive today. Billie Joe, Mike and Tre were right here and so close by, but I could really go anywhere I wanted to.
I just have to catch a plane and go wherever I want to in the world. Wait, the universe! I could hop a space shuttle even. Oh, but that could be dangerous. What if I fall out the side and end up floating in some random direction for all of eternity, randomly bumping into rocks and being sucked onto another planet where I can’t get off because of gravity. I could run into extraterrestrial life. That would be pretty awesome. Or is that just stupid? No, no, I am happy right here.
“So, you could go anywhere or do anything, and you decided to come here to haunt me? I should be flattered,” he rolled his eyes. “But somehow, I’m not feeling very flattered.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that and give a shrug, “Neither am I.”
Billie seemed a hell of a lot more relaxed now at least. He reached over and touched my arm. He kind of played with my hand trying to figure this out. “I can see my hand through yours, but I can feel your hand like it’s real.”
“Well, it’s real to me.”
Then he looked up and jumped. “You’re not in the mirror,” he said breathlessly, “I must be fucking insane.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Phh, how would you know?” he sighed with his head in his hands.
“Because, a crazy person wouldn’t think he was crazy.”
Billie smiled at me, giving a sideways look. “Ok, true. What do I do now?”
“Well, I don’t know.” I shrugged. “I really just came to hang out. No plans. But now that you can see me, maybe it means something.”
“DAD!” we heard one of the boys calling from downstairs and then the clear ring of the doorbell echoing through the walls.
Billie bit his lip, “I’ll go pay the pizza guy.”
“Should I come or stay here?”
“Umm, come if you want to. Let’s see if the boys can see you. I would like to know if I am the only one who’s insane here.”
“Ok,” I bounced after him down the stairs and simply…observed. Billie paid the man while Joey got out the paper plates. Then they all sat on the couch because Mommy wasn’t home to say no, and they watched a random sitcom. Billie Joe kept looking my way so I sat down in a comfy armchair next to the main couch the three boys had taken over.
I love the random funny old reruns of sitcoms. I told you that. On channel 36. I just watch whatever I happen to catch. This episode was pretty funny. I think Billie thought so too because he seemed to forget I was there and kept laughing at innuendos that flew right over Jake’s head, though Joey got most of them. I couldn’t help bursting out laughing too and forgetting where I was and all. It was nice. It was really nice. I was just feeling like a real person again.