Chapter Twelve: Yu’s Perfect Day:

Yu came back to my house five years ago. I was rather surprised and happy to see him. He looked so tired. I hugged him, but he didn’t hug me back. He just wanted to sleep. I let him do so in my room. Yu slept for days and days.

“Is he okay up there?” Dotty asked. I lightly pushed her away in response. When Yu finally woke up, he didn’t really speak at all. He would eat his meals with us and mostly stay in his room. The others in the house didn’t know how to help him.

“He’s just like when Josie used to live here,” Andy whispered.

“What can we do?” Dotty asked.

“I don’t know yet,” I said. Then one day, Yu found me in Daddy’s office. I turned around when he knocked on the door.

“Yes?” I asked. Yu looked at me with tired eyes.

“Oh, it’s you,” I said.

“Do you have a moment?” he asked.

“Sure,” I said.

“Care to walk with me?” he asked.

“Alright,” I said. We ended up on a walk around the hometown I loved dearly. I was happy to have him by my side again. It felt like the old days again. I leaned in close to his chest.

“I missed you,” I whispered. He pulled me in closer to him. I looked up to see his face. Yu had grown more handsome since the last time I saw him. I didn’t want to see him sad anymore. When we were kids, he looked so sad before. He told me that it had something to do with his family. I read in the newspaper that his grandmother died days before Yu came back again.

“What will you do now?” I asked. Yu shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I haven’t given it much thought.”

“You can come and stay with me,” I said. “My home is your home.” He shook his head.

“Oh no, I couldn’t,” he said. I held him closer to me.

“Please?” I asked. Yu smiled and shook his head.

“I don’t get it,” he said.

“Get what?” I asked. He patted me on the head.

“Why are you so good to me?” Yu asked. My eyes moved to our feet.

“Because,” I answered. “You are my boy.” He gave me a little smile.

“Yes,” he replied. “I am your boy.” We stayed out until about sundown. As we headed home, we happened to pass by an old-looking house at the end of the dusty road. Yu froze, trembling. I looked up at him, confused.

“Yu?” I asked. I had never seen him look so mad before in my life. He ran up to the house and started throwing stones at it. I watched him as he screamed his pain with each stone that he threw.

“I hate it!” he shouted. “I hate it! I hate it! I hate it!” When one of the stones broke the vacant window, he sank to his knees trembling. I walked over to him and held him. I guess sometimes there aren’t enough rocks.

That evening, we came home. Yu walked up the stairs to his room. I stood at the bottom with my arms open to him.

“Yu, will you marry me?” I asked. He paused and turned to me. He kept walking up the stairs.

“I’ll be a good wife for you,” I said.

“I know you would,” Yu said. “But I would make a bad husband.”

“Yu…” I said. He turned around on the stairs.

“You don’t get it,” he said. “Look at me. I am so fucked up. My parents didn’t care about me. My dad practically used me while my mom slept around with every man that crossed her path. Grandma didn’t care about me either. My life has been filled with failure. I am just a train wreck. Why would you want someone like me for a husband?” I put my hand to my chest.

“But I love you,” I said. Yu lowered his head.

“That’s the part that hurts the most,” he said. I watched him disappear up the stairs. I wished that I could make him smile again. After cleaning up for a bit, I went to my own room for bed.

In the middle of the night, Yu came into my room. He crawled on top of my bed and held me close to his strong body.

“I love you, Sappoto,” he whispered. He kissed me while he slid off my nightgown. I about jumped as he slid his tongue into my mouth. Yu slid off his shirt and grabbed me by my shoulders. I didn’t know what he was doing at the time, but I let him do just to make him happy again. I only closed my eyes and held him close to me.

By the time I woke up the next morning, he was gone again.