character :: Julius
If you were to ask Julius what life was like growing up, he'd say 'boring' which might be true...if he weren't living in Roscoe Village, a downtown community in the bustling Chicago. But for Julius, life has always been boring, lonely and just plain unfulfilling. His mother and father were two young lovebirds, forced together by their unplanned pregnancy (Julius) and their need for each other's support, both emotionally and financially. Julius' mother, Melissa, worked as a cashier at a small restaurant downtown whereas his father, Presley, worked at his mother and father's antique shop, in between selling his 'artwork' for a pittance that left the family hungry on more than one occassion.
Julius spends most of his days around his father and his grandparents, what with his mother working overtime to make ends meet, and although he isn't spoiled rotten, he's loved and life seems good. But for Melissa, things had never been well: the stresses of life had gotten to her and eaten away until there was nothing left but a shell, a ball of worry and misery. This led her to sleeping difficulties, made better with large doses of sleeping medication, and various drugs that she took to mask the pain but the cocktail of pills would prove to be her downfall when her husband, Presley, found his wife dead in her bed of an accidental overdose. Presley struggled to explain the loss to his young son of only six, who didn't quite grasp the seriousness of the situation, leaving Presley to mourn in silence and solitude.
But it would prove to be too much for Presley as well.
Eight months after the loss of his wife, Presley pulls the trigger and takes his own life, leaving Julius as an orphan...until Presley's parents make the decision to take him in. And this is how Julius remembers his life, with his grandparents acting as his parents. School is easy for Julius, who prefers spending his time with his nose in a book rather than interacting with the other students, except when he's in his theater class. It's here that he cultivates a love of acting and presents to his grandparents that he'd like to be a Broadway and as soon as he receives a scholarship, he'll be whisked away to college and a new life...but this is nothing more than a fantasy.
Julius, although passionate about his acting, isn't talented enough to receive a scholarship and in fact, he receives no more than a couple of generic letters for local colleges inviting him to go. And with no money of his own, Julius winds up skipping college and instead, goes straight into working...at the very antique shop his father used to work for. Business is slow, life is monotonous and day in and day out, it's all the same...until a handsome Southern man that Julius has never seen before ambles in and steals Julius heart. For months, Julius befriends the newcomer and tries to make his feelings known but the man is either not interested or just too oblivious to see what's happening so Julius makes his move: his kisses his new friend and although Julius can feel the fireworks in his heart, he isn't sure that Royce feels the same. Several weeks later, Royce explains that he's going away for a while to visit family. Julius begs and pleads Royce to return soon, feeling they had a love connection and Royce, seeing the desperation in the lonely boy's eyes, agrees.
for six long years
And yet, I still love you...
What is wrong with me?
And for four long years, Julius waits for his return. Each time the door chimes in the antique store, Julius leaps up from his chair to get a glimpse of the customer, silently hoping, praying, that it's him but it never is. Bitterness becomes an all too familiar taste in his mouth as he seeks comfort elsewhere, such as in the arms of a pretenious, rich bastard who won't allow Julius to learn the the first thing about him...but at least he keeps Julius' mind busy. All the while, his mind returns to his first love. Another two years pass by the time Julius hears the door chime ring and he's no longer rushing to answer it - instead, he answers with a 'Good morning, let me know if you have any questions' only to see Royce standing there as if six years hadn't passed between the two. Royce apologizes for being gone for so long, admitting that, at the urge of his family, he had gotten married to a woman in Kansas and worked at a mechanic shop in the meantime, until an accident with a fork lift caused him to be hospitalized and left him with some brain damage. He explains that his first thoughts are of Julius so he comes running back but Julius isn't so sure he's ready to welcome him back with open arms. He's still angry, heartbroken and shocked by Royce's return but whatever. What else does Julius have to lose?
