bonocrazy88
New Yorker
Part 2 of the Irish Experience
A strange panicky feeling ran through me. I stood quickly. I was lightheaded and I instinctively put my hand on my head to steady myself.
Ali realized that Bono had come in and went in to greet him. She came back with her husband by her side. Instead of looking down, I looked Bono right in the eyes. It was he who looked away. Ali left us and we stood, not speaking for a few moments. Finally Bono came over and fell onto the couch. He patted the seat next to him. I hesitated, and then figured he wouldn?t do anything to me in his own house. I sat and turned to face him.
?I am sorry, Jennifer,? Bono spoke quietly. ?I was drunk?I didn?t know what I was doing,? He shook his head as if wanting to start over. ?Well, that?s no excuse. I would?ve never?I mean?if I knew you were just?what? Fourteen??
I nodded.
He continued, ?I am not a pedophile. I have a daughter your age. I have never thought of you in that way?sexually.?
I began to get mad. ?What do you mean, you never thought of me that way? You called me and asked if we could meet! You got into the bathtub with me, for God?s sake!? I stood. ?I mean, I know being drunk makes you do stupid stuff, but it doesn?t change your personality! I have been around drunken people! My dad is in the Army, for God?s sake!? Bono chuckled at that last remark and I frowned. ?You just want to save your own ass now,?
?No?? Bono began, but I interrupted him.
?You are married. You were still trying to cheat on Ali, no matter how old I am?fourteen or not?? I was flustered.
Bono put his hands on my shoulders, but I quickly pushed them away. ?Don?t touch me,? I muttered, lividly. Bono pulled his hands away.
?I am so sorry,? He tried again to apologize.
?But, you?re a different person than I thought you were,?
?No?really I?m not,?
?Yes, you are. And you really should be apologizing to Ali, not me,?
Bono nodded. ?Yes, I will do that. But I would never cheat on Ali,? He looked as if he was just trying to convince himself. ?I was never going to?I wasn?t going to?? He sat back, sighing heavily. ?I would have never had sex with you,? He finally blurted.
?Oh? So what were you going to do to me in the bathtub then, read me a story? And why did you call me that night??
?Because I knew you really liked me, and I wanted you to have something to remember,?
?You used my admiration of you to get me to?to what?? I stood, disgusted. ?You wanted me to?? I began to feel sick at my stomach. I placed my hand on the couch to steady myself. Bono reached his hand out to me, and I grabbed it.
He led me to the bathroom and I closed the door and locked it. I sat on the toilet seat, regaining my thoughts. My head was spinning and I was so confused. I didn?t know whether to forgive Bono, or not. There was so much going through my head that I almost didn?t hear the knock on the door.
?Are you alright?? It was Ali?s voice. I stood and opened the door.
?Yes,? I answered upon opening the door. Ali took her arm around my shoulder and brought me to the kitchen table, where Bono was sitting. I sat and watched Ali, who sat across from her husband. She took both his hands in hers. I wondered silently where the children were. Ali began to speak.
?What is it that you wanted to say?? She had her full attention on Bono, and I suddenly felt very out of place.
I shouldn?t be here. I thought. Ali must have sensed what I was thinking, because she looked towards me.
?You need to be here too,? she said gently.
Bono shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. He began to tell Ali the story, the entire story. I stared as tears began to fall silently from both their eyes. Their hands were locked the whole time, even when Bono told his wife what he had done. I wouldn?t have wanted to touch him then, but Ali?s hands stayed with his.
When he was finished, Ali nodded and leaned across the table. She kissed Bono on the lips. I looked down. She had forgiven him?and so unconditionally. I wanted so badly to be like her?to forgive and forget so easily.
Now Ali was walking around the table to embrace her lover. She held him for a long while and then pulled him away from her to look at him.
?I love you,? She whispered. I heard it and a single tear fell from my face. Ali smiled delicately. She left the room holding Bono?s hand and I didn?t have to be a genius to know what they were going to do. They were going to make-up. I smiled to myself as I picked up the phone and dialed a long distance number.
?Hello, Mom? Have I got a story to tell you??
I hope you enjoyed the story. It ended on a good note I think. Well, the Irish Experience would have a trilogy, but I have decided against it?I mean?what more is there to say? I hope I didn?t cross the line with the context? *crosses fingers*, but I had to do something to make it interesting?
A strange panicky feeling ran through me. I stood quickly. I was lightheaded and I instinctively put my hand on my head to steady myself.
Ali realized that Bono had come in and went in to greet him. She came back with her husband by her side. Instead of looking down, I looked Bono right in the eyes. It was he who looked away. Ali left us and we stood, not speaking for a few moments. Finally Bono came over and fell onto the couch. He patted the seat next to him. I hesitated, and then figured he wouldn?t do anything to me in his own house. I sat and turned to face him.
?I am sorry, Jennifer,? Bono spoke quietly. ?I was drunk?I didn?t know what I was doing,? He shook his head as if wanting to start over. ?Well, that?s no excuse. I would?ve never?I mean?if I knew you were just?what? Fourteen??
I nodded.
He continued, ?I am not a pedophile. I have a daughter your age. I have never thought of you in that way?sexually.?
I began to get mad. ?What do you mean, you never thought of me that way? You called me and asked if we could meet! You got into the bathtub with me, for God?s sake!? I stood. ?I mean, I know being drunk makes you do stupid stuff, but it doesn?t change your personality! I have been around drunken people! My dad is in the Army, for God?s sake!? Bono chuckled at that last remark and I frowned. ?You just want to save your own ass now,?
?No?? Bono began, but I interrupted him.
?You are married. You were still trying to cheat on Ali, no matter how old I am?fourteen or not?? I was flustered.
Bono put his hands on my shoulders, but I quickly pushed them away. ?Don?t touch me,? I muttered, lividly. Bono pulled his hands away.
?I am so sorry,? He tried again to apologize.
?But, you?re a different person than I thought you were,?
?No?really I?m not,?
?Yes, you are. And you really should be apologizing to Ali, not me,?
Bono nodded. ?Yes, I will do that. But I would never cheat on Ali,? He looked as if he was just trying to convince himself. ?I was never going to?I wasn?t going to?? He sat back, sighing heavily. ?I would have never had sex with you,? He finally blurted.
?Oh? So what were you going to do to me in the bathtub then, read me a story? And why did you call me that night??
?Because I knew you really liked me, and I wanted you to have something to remember,?
?You used my admiration of you to get me to?to what?? I stood, disgusted. ?You wanted me to?? I began to feel sick at my stomach. I placed my hand on the couch to steady myself. Bono reached his hand out to me, and I grabbed it.
He led me to the bathroom and I closed the door and locked it. I sat on the toilet seat, regaining my thoughts. My head was spinning and I was so confused. I didn?t know whether to forgive Bono, or not. There was so much going through my head that I almost didn?t hear the knock on the door.
?Are you alright?? It was Ali?s voice. I stood and opened the door.
?Yes,? I answered upon opening the door. Ali took her arm around my shoulder and brought me to the kitchen table, where Bono was sitting. I sat and watched Ali, who sat across from her husband. She took both his hands in hers. I wondered silently where the children were. Ali began to speak.
?What is it that you wanted to say?? She had her full attention on Bono, and I suddenly felt very out of place.
I shouldn?t be here. I thought. Ali must have sensed what I was thinking, because she looked towards me.
?You need to be here too,? she said gently.
Bono shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. He began to tell Ali the story, the entire story. I stared as tears began to fall silently from both their eyes. Their hands were locked the whole time, even when Bono told his wife what he had done. I wouldn?t have wanted to touch him then, but Ali?s hands stayed with his.
When he was finished, Ali nodded and leaned across the table. She kissed Bono on the lips. I looked down. She had forgiven him?and so unconditionally. I wanted so badly to be like her?to forgive and forget so easily.
Now Ali was walking around the table to embrace her lover. She held him for a long while and then pulled him away from her to look at him.
?I love you,? She whispered. I heard it and a single tear fell from my face. Ali smiled delicately. She left the room holding Bono?s hand and I didn?t have to be a genius to know what they were going to do. They were going to make-up. I smiled to myself as I picked up the phone and dialed a long distance number.
?Hello, Mom? Have I got a story to tell you??
I hope you enjoyed the story. It ended on a good note I think. Well, the Irish Experience would have a trilogy, but I have decided against it?I mean?what more is there to say? I hope I didn?t cross the line with the context? *crosses fingers*, but I had to do something to make it interesting?
