CHAPTER 8: RUE
12:12am – Sunday, October 9th/2006
Wade looks at the time. The clock in his car reads '12:12am'
"I tried, William. I tried." Wade whimpers to himself, staring in the rearview mirror. He starts his car and leaves the parking lot.
On his way home, he says to himself, "Just give me a sign, brother. Tell me what to do." He continues driving down the empty road toward his house. "I just... don't know what to do..." Wade pulls over and cries on his steering wheel. His cell phone rings, and he pulls it out of his pocket. It's Julia. Wade turns the phone off and looks out the car window. Staring into the cloudy sky, he finds no help in his thoughts. Finally, he turns the car back on and drives home.
When he arrives, Julia is standing on the porch waiting for him. He pulls in and shuts the car off. When he opens the car door, she says, "Where the hell have you been?"
"Get off my back, Julia." Wade tries to walk past her, but she sternly stands in front of his way. "Tell me where the fuck you were." She says, furiously staring into his eyes. "I was at the casino, okay?"
"The fucking casino? Again? Wade, we don't have money right now for you to be gambling at the fucking-" Wade interrupts, "I KNOW, JULIA!" She says, "YOU KNOW? THEN WHY THE FUCK WERE YOU THERE?" Wade tries to move her out of the way to get into the house. She denies his entrance and says, "No, tell me the fucking truth, or you're not coming back in here ever again."
"The truth? That is the fucking truth, Julia. TRUTH IS, MY BROTHER IS DEAD, AND WE'RE BROKE. How the FUCK am I suppose to pay for his funeral?" Julia says, "YOU SPENT ALL OF OUR SAVINGS AT THE CASINO BEFORE HE DIED, WADE. THAT IS YOUR FAULT." Wade turns around in a rage and clenches his fist. Julia says, "What? Are you going to hit me? Is that your fuckin solution? Are you gonna hit me, Wade? Are ya?" Julia grabs Wade by the shoulder, and Wade reacts by punching her in the side of the face.
Julia is thrown back into the door. Wade says, "Julia, I'm sorry." He walks over to help her up, and she pushes him back and says, "It's over. Get the fuck out of here." Wade begs, "Julia, no. Please, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to"
"You didn't mean to? Okay, well, I didn't mean to do this." Julia grabs the screen door and slams it against Wade's head. Wade is taken aback, and Julia walks into the house and locks the door. Wade walks to the door and says, "I have a fucking key, Julia. You can't keep me out of here." Wade unlocks the door and goes inside. He closes the door and walks into the bedroom.
Julia is lying down beside Rayne, who is fast asleep in her pyjamas. She whispers, "Shh... You wake her up, and I'll call the fucking cops." Wade whispers back, "I'm sorry. Please, just-"
"Just get the fuck out of here."
Wade asks, "Where am I going to-"
"Just leave." Julia says, cuddling into Rayne. Wade steps back into the living room and walks over to the couch. He lays down and closes his eyes. In a few minutes, Julia enters the living room and whispers, "I'm sorry, Wade. I understand you're just trying to help. But it's not helping. We're going to have to claim bankruptcy if you keep this up. So, just stop. I'll figure it out. Okay?" Wade pulls up the blanket at the end of the couch and nods. Then, she says, "And don't fucking hit me, EVER again." Julia walks back into the bedroom.
Wade can't fall asleep. He tosses and turns for hours, thinking about everything. Finally, he gets up and walks upstairs to see Tao asleep in his bed. He turns his TV off and kisses him on the forehead. He whispers, "I love you, buddy. I'm sorry." He walks back downstairs and sees Julia and Rayne lying in bed, sleeping. He walks into the kitchen and grabs a garbage bag from under the sink. Wade goes back into the bedroom and fills it with his clothes. He hovers over top of them sleeping and whispers with sadness in his tone, "I'm sorry, guys. I failed you. I love you very much. I'm leaving now..." Wade walks into the kitchen and puts on his shoes. He takes a deep breath and walks to his car. When he starts it, he sees a light come on in the living room. He quickly reverses out of the driveway and speeds down the road.
4:44am – Sunday, October 9th/2016
