Chapter 29

A brilliant strobe of lightning flashed across the sky, which was almost immediately followed by a deep roaring crack of thunder. The skies opened, pouring its full fury on the lone rider who crouched low in the saddle of his pony. The rain hit the ground with a forceful impact causing little clouds of dirt to rise in the air. But Wade would not be deterred. He was not going to stay in the same house with Rhett Butler. He was so tired of watching the pain that his mother went through. And so without realizing the path he was following, he fled Atlanta on the same path that his mother had fled a decade before. Although this time nature provided the fire with lightning and the thunder was not the thunder of cannons, but the pulse of nature itself.

His mind raced as he rode low in the saddle, clinging to the horse. He knew he was wrong to run; a real man would stand and fight. He was a coward in this retreat. And he knew and accepted it. It wasn't exactly that he wanted to spend time with Aunt Suellen and her brats. They were terribly annoying. But at the moment it was the only place he could think of going. Instinctively when threatened Tara was the place he turned to in the same way that his mother did. He didn't know what he would do when he got there, but he knew that he could do it. And his anger was the driving force as he rode through the pouring rain.

The horse beneath him seemed to understand the urgency in its riders mind. And the horse rushed in perfect harmony with Wade on the meandering path that Wade knew would come out almost exactly at the entrance to Tara. This was the way to safety. This was the way to disappear from the dysfunction that was Rhett and Scarlett Butler.


Scarlett ordered a search of the massive house. There were numerous nooks and crannies and hide holes that Wade could have chosen to hide in. But he was in none of them. And Scarlett was getting more worried with every passing moment. Rhett tried to soothe her and dismiss her worries. "I ran away when I was Wade's age. I was just fine. It took me weeks to come home. And then I only came home for my mother's benefit."

This did not placate her. "Well I am not the kind of mother that your mother was. Why would he even want to come home to me. I've been at times an awful mother." Scarlett was growing hysterical as she reflected over the span of Wade's life.

"Scarlett, you did all you could." Rhett soothed.

"No I didn't. You've said it yourself, I was a horrible mother to them. They were afraid of me. My own children were afraid of me." Scarlett sobbed.

Rhett worked in vain to calm her. "You aren't a bad mother, I was terribly wrong to ever say that. Please Scarlett. You love your children."

In fact it was a much smaller hand that stopped her hysterics. "Momma," Ella consoled. "Please don't cry. I hate seeing you cry."

Ella's small sweet voice broke through to Scarlett. Who in turn leaned down and pulled the child into a tight embrace. "Baby," she whispered. "I love you so much. I know I don't tell you that enough. But I do love you with everything in me."

Ella patted Scarlett's cheek. "Momma, I know." Which were the sweetest words that Scarlett could hear at that moment. Her child knew that she loved her. Her child knew. That chorus rang over and over in her head. And somehow it shook Scarlett from the guilt ridden haze that had just shrouded her. And with the breaking of the haze, her mind grew clear and analytical.

Now with the hysteria broken, Scarlett began trying to think where Wade might go in his anger. If Melanie were still alive, Scarlett was certain that he could have been found at the Wilkes. Or even if Wade and Ashley were still in town, their home would be the first place to check. Scarlett ran over a list of Wade's friends who might welcome him in refuge, but none seemed to be significant other than Beau. There was also Aunt Pitty's home. But somehow, Scarlett could not imagine Wade going there as his refuge. Although he looked like his father, he had too much of his mother's blood and personality to manage to deal with PittyPat's fussing for very long.

And finally Scarlett's mind determined that as her son, Wade might very well attempt to go to Tara. Rhett agreed that Tara was a logical destination. And then Dilcey's son, who was learning to be a horse trainer, came running into the Parlor where Scarlett, Rhett and Ella waited. "Wade's horse is missing. It's been missing since before that big storm. I just thought he was going for a ride. I didn't know there was nothing wrong."

Rhett handed the boy a crisp 10 dollar bill. "Thank you for bringing us the information. Can you please saddle a horse for me? We think Wade might have gone to Tara."

The young boy nodded. "Master Wade was asking about if there were any nice paths to ride on around Tara, " he confided.

Rhett and Scarlett glanced at each other in understanding. And so it was confirmed that Tara was Wade's destination for refuge.


Wade was soaked to the skin when he and his exhausted horse arrived in the stables at Tara. Water dripped from his clothes, and the rain had plastered his hair to his skull. He had started his journey with a hat, but it had been blown away somewhere between Rough and Ready and Jonesboro. The rough hewn logs that served as walls blocked the wind and moist air from the two. But it was nothing but a stable, and it was not warm.

Wade was bone weary. He hadn't even thought to grab food from the kitchen before he had run to the stables at home. And now the hunger gnawed at him. But he was too tired to even face the task of lifting food from the pantry in the house. So Wade carefully groomed the horse as he had been rigorously taught to do. Even his exhaustion did not stop the lessons ingrained since childhood.

And then he climbed the ladder to the loft and curled up in a ball, and allowed sleep to over take him. Surely no one would think to look for him here. Surely no one would find him. But he was cold and damp and he hoped that he didn't catch a spring cold from his perilous journey from town. But even Sherman's army could not stop Wade from slipping into an exhausted sleep.