Some Things Never Change

Chapter 7

They took him to Lou’s house. She wondered who was banging on her door at such an early hour in the morning. So imagine her shock when she saw the guys all covered in blood. She panicked and wanted to call an ambulance and take Wayne to the hospital but Fat Boy and Powder impressed upon her the need for secrecy. The police would be called into investigate. They weren’t stupid and would find out what they had been involved in, and possibly arrest them all. The less people that knew the better. They assured her that he wasn’t grievously injured and there was nothing that a little bed rest wouldn’t cure.

She gave them the privacy to say their goodbyes to Wayne, after they placed him in her bed. She could see that they really cared for Wayne and wanted the best for him. She wished them a safe travel and sincerely hoped that they too would also turn away from a life of crime and violence.

With Sizzla and Crazy T gone, Powder and Fat Boy  had no reason to linger and were going to catch the next bus out of town to stay with their Grandparents in another state. They felt it was time to move on and start afresh and begged Lou not to give up on Wayne now that he needed help for he had never depended on a soul before. She meant the world to him and the fact that he had asked for her over his own mother, his own flesh and blood, proved his love to be true.

He finally opened his eyes. She had wondered if he had fallen into a coma or had internal bleeding she was so tempted to call an ambulance.

“How long have I been out?”

“You been asleep for a day, your body needed the rest. Let me take you to a hospital now that your friends are gone.”

“No need, I feel better already.”

“Wayne stop being stubborn.”

 “I swear I’m alright Lou. It is not as bad as it looks.”

“You know the Producer is gonna be mad that you set the project behind. They can’t use make up on your face until the swelling goes down.”

“I’m sure they’ll survive.” She detected a thread of sarcasm in his voice and it pissed her off.

“Why must you be so nonchalant about everything?”

“It’s not that I don’t care Lou but I’m not in a place to change anything about my circumstances. I hate feeling so helpless and dependent on you.”

“You should feel guilty. You lied to me Wayne and if you had only followed my foolish advice all of this could have been avoided. Now I’m going to have to lie for you and tell them that you’re very ill and will need a week off. That should give you enough time to recuperate and get your act together.”

“I’m sorry Lou for lying to you but I assure you I did it for us.”

“For us?”

“Yes. I didn’t want to leave the game empty handed, I want to make sure I could always provide for you in the future.”

“Just say you did it for yourself. You can be selfish when you’re ready. Don’t think you’re gonna get off the hook so easily.”

“Lou I said I’m sorry.” Wayne shouted.

“Don’t you dare come here and raise your voice at me. You’re not making this any easier and you won’t tell me what happened after you left my house.”

“I’m not ready to talk about it Lou but I will eventually.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful that you’re alive yet can’t help but feel angry and upset that the whole time you had been lying to me about having quit drug dealing.”

“I know Lou. I just need some more time.”

“So that you can get your lies straight next time around.”

“It’s not like that and you know it.”

“I don’t know anything! As a matter of a fact as soon as you’re feeling better I want you out of my house, out of my life. It’s over between us Wayne. I can’t deal with this stress, it’s just too much man. Your blatant deception and refusal to tell me things is the icing on this cake”

Lou didn’t even know if he heard her break up statement because he had drifted back to sleep under the pain reliever medication she had given him. She felt so frustrated with him and just wanted to scream her lungs out. Talking with him was like talking to a stubborn mule. She didn’t know what to do, Wayne needed help and he refused to talk to her. Maybe he would feel better talking to another male, whatever it was he needed to get it off his chest and stop harboring his feelings. She had called the director and broke down in loud sobs on the phone and asked him to come over to her house and intervene with Wayne. 

The director was already coming over to drop off the latest manuscripts for them as there was a change in script. So his meeting up with them would not be an inconvenience on his part. Her hands were literally shaking as she dialed Michael’s number, he was the director and like a father figure to her. He was always friendly and gave good advice. Her breathing slowed as she thought about how she had come so close to losing Wayne. How could he have lied to her like this, she had broken off relationships with men for less than this.

“Michael.” Lou said. She tried bravely to keep her voice low to not wake Wayne and keep the hysteria out of her voice.

“Hello Lou, is everything okay?” Michael replied with concern in his voice.

“I’m sorry Michael that we couldn’t make it to work today.”

“What happened? I’ve been calling your cell phones all day with no response it’s not like you guys to be unprofessional when you’re normally very dependable.”