Chapter 22: Chapter 22

"Is it weird being back where you grew up?" I ask Uncle Tobias before shovelling a bunch of fries into my mouth. There's no point in eating just one . . . It's either six plus or nothing. I chow down on them before washing it down with a noisy slurp of my strawberry milkshake. Beside me, Woody eyes me up, humour glinting away in his eyes.

"Remind yourself to breathe in between those bites Ruby."

"Shut up Cowboy." I respond instantly, rolling my eyes at him. I turn my attention back to Uncle Tobias and upon noticing my scrutinising look, he puts down his food.

"Sort of. I left this place for a reason, it has nothing but bad memories for me."

"Why is that?" I ask him. He drops his head and sighs heavily, having some sort of internal battle with himself. After several moments of silence, he raises his head to look directly at Woody and I. There's a shift in the atmosphere in the room and I sit up straighter.

"The only reason I'm going to tell you both the truth is because I'd rather you hear it come from me. Now that we're back here, you're going to hear some things and I'd rather you knew the entire truth."

I stop eating and pause, unable to believe I'm finally going to hear the secret Uncle Tobias has kept away from me for so long. I warily glance at Woody from my side and he is also frozen in place, his attention fixed solely on Tobias. The both of them stare at each other, dark eyes burning with a curious flame that grows as the seconds pass.

"Do you want to speak privately first Woody?" Uncle Tobias finally says. Woody breathes in a sharp breath, his eyes flickering over to me. I give him a small smile despite dying to know the back story behind Woody and Tobias. Even I had figured out he wasn't just some kid that Uncle Tobias saved off the streets. . . There's definitely more to the story than that. However I had to respect that this is Woody's truth and he may want to know it privately.

To my surprise, Woody responds —

"No, she can stay."

I snap my head to face him and he's averting his eyes away. Eventually he looks up at me from under his dark lashes and the brown in his eyes deepens. For a second or two, I'm transfixed by the look in his eyes . . . It's trusting.

"Are you sure?" Uncle Tobias breathes out, his face twisting in discomfort. He shuffles around awkwardly in his seat, running a hand through his hair.

"I'm sure. Can I ask you a question?" Woody says firmly, his eyes off me and trained on Tobias instead.

"Yes."

"Why me? Out of everyone on the streets, why did you choose to help me that night?" Woody says confidently, almost as if he's rehearsed the question over and over again in his mind. I tell myself that he probably has but this will be the first time he gets an answer to that question.

"I was looking for you specifically." Uncle Tobias says quietly. He bites down on his lower lip before standing up and pulling his chair closer towards us. He doesn't stop until he's sat directly in front of Woody, their faces inches apart.

"Give me your hand buddy." Uncle Tobias murmurs, his head hung low. I feel like I shouldn't be here, shouldn't be experiencing this moment between them but I'm frozen in place, my mouth dry as I watch in complete silence. Woody doesn't hesitate before he puts his hand forward. Uncle Tobias takes hold of it firmly, placing his second hand over the top of Woody's closed fist.

From the outside, they resemble father and son and I can't help but think that's what they are to one another. . . family.

"When you were two years old, you were placed in foster care. Do you remember that?" Uncle Tobias starts, searching Woody's eyes. He shakes his head, his body tense as he listens intently.

"No." He whispers, his voice hoarse.

"That's okay, you were pretty young. Your biological parents didn't look after you properly and because of that, you were placed in foster care."

I blink several times, sympathy filling my heart for Woody.

"How do you know?" Woody asks sharply. Uncle Tobias breathes deeply, glancing upwards at the ceiling whilst keeping a tight hold of Woody's hand. His dark eyes fill with unshed tears and he attempts to blink them back.

"Tobias? How do you know that?" Woody repeats, his voice trembling.

"I adopted you. Your name was Jason Monroe." Tobias responds, pain travelling through his words. My eyes widen at the information but I remain silent. At the mention of Woody's real name, he begins trembling, his body physically shaking.

"You're lying."

"I promise you, everything I'm about to tell you is the god's honest truth." Tobias responds quickly, tears falling down his cheeks. It hurts to see him so upset and see the pain buried deep inside him come up to the surface.

"It wasn't just me, there was Trish too." Uncle Tobias explains further.

"Who's Trish?" Woody breathes out, his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion and hurt.

"She was the love of my life. Trisha Louise Lockwood, the most beautiful and purest soul I've ever met." He replies, dropping his head. Tears continue to stream down his cheeks and he releases a small whimper, the sound filled with raw pain. I watch as Woody lifts Tobias' head with his free hand before wiping away the tears drowning his face.

"Carry on." Woody murmurs.

"Trish fell in love with you and when she introduced me to you, so did I. You were completely innocent, a little boy who deserved every ounce of love in the world. We took you home with us and that was the start of our little family. You completed the missing puzzle of our relationship Woody." Tobias says, voice thick with emotion.

"I don't remember you." Woody shakes his head, refusing to believe. Tobias shuffles backwards slightly, sitting up straight.

"I used to put you on my shoulders and we'd play Horses and Cowboys. You were obsessed with your Cowboy doll." Uncle Tobias says desperately, wanting Woody to believe.

"The Woody doll?"

"Yes." Tobias says, nodding his head. Woody's features crumple up and he suddenly yanks his hand out of Tobias' hold, clutching it to his chest.

"I remember you." He says, hurt and pain filling his voice. He shakes his head, tears filling his dark eyes.

"You left me. You both left me! I loved living with you and suddenly you were gone." Woody cries out. Uncle Tobias shakes his head furiously —

"It wasn't like that! I swear."

"You decided you didn't want me anymore, is that it? You left me to be thrown into the care system like a piece of trash! You and Trish did that to me?!" Woody yells, standing to his feet. I watch in complete shock as Uncle Tobias follows him, trying to keep him in place. Woody trashes around in his hold before shoving him away. Tobias falls backwards, landing on the floor.

"You left me!" Woody says angrily, his finger pointed down at Tobias. His chest rises and falls heavily, the pain clear as day in his eyes.

"She died!" Tobias yells back, sitting up and resting his head in his hands. Woody pauses for a moment, the only sound in the room coming from his heavy breathing. He resembles an angry bull, struggling to contain his pent up rage.

"What?"

"She died. She was murdered." Uncle Tobias repeats, his voice cracking. It suddenly dawns on me why Tobias has never had a girlfriend or talked about love or even smiled with genuine happiness. . . His own happiness was taken from him.

"How?" Woody asks, his voice softening ever so slightly.

"She was on her way to pick you up from daycare. She took Ivory's car and she was followed by two men who were involved in the drug trade. They mistook her for Ivory and shot her cold in the middle of the road. I found her but it was too late." Uncle Tobias says, his words muffled from his hands. His body begins to shake with uncontrollable sobs and I'm suddenly falling by his side. I wrap my arms around his frame, silent tears streaming down my own cheeks from seeing him so broken. He clings onto me like a child and I hold him tighter.

Trish was Uncle Tobias' forever.

Because of Auntie Ivory being involved in the drug business, Trish was wrongfully murdered?

It suddenly made sense why Tobias hated Auntie Ivory for so many years. I can't begin to imagine the pain and heartache he's dealt with since then.

"I'm so sorry Uncle Tobias." I whisper, tears invading my mouth. He doesn't respond but buries his head into my shoulder, his body continuing to tremble.

"I was broken Woody. I couldn't take care of myself so I couldn't take care of you either. I made the biggest mistake putting you in the care system but I spent years trying to find you to make it right. Trish would have wanted us to stick together." He whispers quietly. I glance up at Woody who's still frozen in place, his hand hovering in the air.

"Woody?" I whisper, wanting to snap him out of the daze he's trapped in. He doesn't respond but moments later, he suddenly lunges for the door. I watch as he leaves, slamming it shut behind him. The entire room shakes with the force.

Uncle Tobias and I remain on the floor and for the first time in years, I don't have any questions because now . . . it all makes sense.