A Turning Point
“Where have you been?”
“I was driving home from work.”
“Rody, your shift ended an hour ago.”
Oh. Had it really been that long?
“I was caught in traffic, Manon.”
“I’m sorry for getting angry.”
“It’s alright, Manon. You were just worried.”
Rody set the to-go box on the counter and walked over to Manon to give her a hug.
“Manon have you eaten?”
“Yes, dear.”
“I’m going to reheat these leftovers.”
“Alright. I’m going to bed. Goodnight, love.”
“Goodnight, Manon.”
As Rody waited patiently for his onion rolls to finish reheating, he got a text from Madea, one of the cooks.
‘Hey Rody! I’m srry I couldn’t come to work today, but I can come back tmrrw! I’m so excited to get back to the kitchen!’
Rody smiled softly at the text.
‘Glad to hear that! Hope to see you tmrrw!’
He set his phone down.
‘Ding!’
Rody got a fork from a drawer and dug into the onion rolls.
>A few minutes later...<
‘Damn, those were good,’ Rody thought as he cleaned up his meal. He started to walk back to his & Manon’s room, but realized he left a glass out and he needed to put it in the sink. As he moved to pick the glass up, he accidentally knocked it off of the counter with a loud crash. Rody knew he was in trouble with Manon, as he just broke one of the very expensive, two of a kind, glass cups she had bought for them.
<>
Augustine stood in the living room. He had spent so much time to build up his confidence and— he trusted that they wouldn’t hate him. ‘They’ being his foster family. He’s been bouncing around Nanaimo, where he currently resides, ever since his mom died thirteen years ago. They were T-boned by a car running a red light. She died due to blood loss, and he got out with a scar on his forehead and one trailing down his cheek and throat, stopping midway.
The doctors said he had been very lucky and that if he had moved slightly during the crash and extraction, he would’ve died.
“Well, Augustine, what did you have to tell us?”
“I— Uhm— I-I wanted to tell you all something. Something I’ve kept a secret since the day we met.”
Augustine blinked rapidly, preventing the tears that were threatening to fall from falling. He exhaled and shuddered.
He looked at his friend/older sister thingy and she nodded.
“I’m gay!”
The room went still. Six pairs of eyes landed on him, and the one thing they all had in common? The shocked expressions on their face. His foster mom, Grace, spoke first.
“Oh, Augustine! Thank you for telling us!”
She stood and walked over to him, arms open wide. He hugged her gently. Augustine glanced at his adoptive father, Joshua, and he regretted his actions immediately. He was disgusted. Is disgusted.
“Okay! Now that Augustine has made his announcement, it’s time to eat!”
“Of course, Love,” Joshua said through gritted teeth.
><
Dinner was, tense, to say the least.
One of his foster brothers, Alex, had fist-bumped him and hugged him, but he had yet to interact with the other brother. Alex and Liam were twins at 17, Madea was the oldest at 24, and Shelia is the youngest at 14.
Liam was seated next to his father, Alex was caddy-corner from him, Shelia was seated next to her mother, a space between her and Liam, and Madea was sitting a chair away on the other side of her father, next to Augustine. Augustine picked at his plate.
The silence was deafening. So deafening, in fact, that Augustine cleared his plate and put it in the sink and made a beeline to his room before anyone could stop him. He needed a way out. The anxiety that he just made everyone uncomfortable was too much. He needed out. He needed Winnie.
<>
“I’m sorry, Manon, I just, I-“
“You what Rody? What could you possibly have to say? I’m sorry? Like that’s going to fix it!”
“Manon I just wasn’t paying attention I’m sorry I- listen. I’m tired, you’re tired, so just let me clean this up and we can sleep, yeah?”
They had been at this for awhile. Rody guessed that Manon just had a long day and was tired.
“I guess,” Manon said as she stormed towards their shared bed.
Rody cleaned up the glass and properly disposed of it. He felt really bad, but he needed to get ready for bed, not wallow in his emotions.
<>
Madea knocked on Augustine’s door twice, but he didn’t answer. She huffed.
“Augustine, open the door please.”
No answer.
“Augustine if you don’t open this door, I’ll just come in.”
Still no answer!
“Augustine, I swea-“
Madea stopped dead in her tracks. He was asleep. It now suddenly made sense that he didn’t open the door.
She quietly shut the door.
<>
Augustine was woken up by the sound of someone opening the door. He didn’t open his eyes, but he could tell when the person had left.
Augustine left the bed, grabbed his jacket, quietly opened the door to his room and let it shut with a click. It was well past eight-thirty, so everyone was bound to be upstairs. He quietly tiptoed down the stairs and he was halfway to the front door-
“Where do you think you’re going?” Madea said quietly.
“I-I need a walk. That was stressful, and I just need to calm my nerves.”
“Be back by midnight and take your phone.”
“Who are you to be ordering me around?” Augustine teased.
“I’m just trying to make sure you’re not going to get kidnapped August.”
“...”
“.....Might I ask where you’re going and if you’re driving?”
Augustine glared at her but he stayed quiet.
“Are you going to that little boyfrie—“
“NOPE, no—no and no. I’m leaving, bye!”
Augustine opened the front door and walked out, shutting it behind him. He turned his phone off and started walking.