What did she want from me? Could it be more than an invitation to get clean? The familiar ping of being a savior overtook me. I couldn’t stop moving like that as much as I could stop myself from taking my next breath.
“I’ll be there soon.”
After Ruby left,I gathered my tools and carefully left the dark basement. The winds outside shook the frame of the house,reminding me to check the door seals before going upstairs. Shadows met my eyes as the reflection of the bright snow illuminated fixtures in the kitchen and furniture in the living room. I opened the drapes on the kitchen window and took in the wintry wonderland outside.
This storm moved quicker than anyone predicted. The wind that swirled blinding snow high and fast would make visibility impossible for anyone on the roads. I hoped everyone was home by now. The last thing our town needed before the holiday was deaths.
A mix of Ruby’s sweet fragrance and her apple cinnamon candle lingered in the air as I moved to the stairway leading to the second floor. I dropped my toolbox to the left of the stairway and carefully rested my weight on each step. Although the creaking of these stairs wasn’t as loud as the basement, they needed attention too.
I carefully placed my socked foot on each step. One. Two. Three. I counted until I reached the thirteenth one. I made a mental note that the third step from the top was loose.
This job at Ruby’s was much bigger than I estimated. I could work every day for a month, and this house would still need lots of TLC.
Subtle light met my eyes from the door Ruby directed me to. As I approached it, gradual warmth met me. Once inside, my eyes adjusted to the darkness again as a fire filled the small fireplace.
“It’s cozy in here.”
Ruby lay horizontally on a long love seat with a beige chenille throw covering her body from the waist down. She was picture perfect as the light from the fire flickered and cast shadows on her serene face.
“Join me before you shower. I’ve already laid everything out that you’ll need.” She gestured toward the closed door to her right.
Her soft voice lassoed me and drew me to her like a magnet. She wasn’t overly suggestive and caressed a part of my soul that yearned for softness. That gentleness pricked my heart, reminding me that I hadn’t received this kind of attention from an attractive woman in years, hell, maybe ever.
I lifted a matching large brown chenille throw from the back of her couch before sitting and covering my lap with it. I scooted closer to Ruby, whose eyes landed on my chest for the umpteenth time. Although we were only a few feet apart, the body heat we shared was intimate, too much so for people who weren’t in a relationship, yet I didn’t resist extending my long arm and placing my hands on Ruby’s leg over her soft throw.
“Do you want to talk? I’d love to pick up where we left off.”
Ruby shifted her body away from me, closer to the other end of the couch. She lifted her elbow to the couch’s arm and propped her head on her closed fist, tilting her head at an angle that made me want to stroke her rosy cheek. As my eyes searched her face, her features remained calm. She pursed her lips tightly in a gesture that wasn’t overly appealing or offensive.
I waited for her to make the next move. She straightened her body, pulled the throw tighter over her chest, and took a big breath.
“My daughter’s name was LaRue. She was born on Christmas Day. She and Aspen would have been around the same age.” Ruby’s eyes drooped.
She hunched her shoulders and shifted her legs and torso until her body was almost in a ball. Her cold demeanor made sense to me now. Christmas reminded her of what she lost.
“Larenz lives in Atlanta with his wife and family,” she whispered so softly I barely heard her.
“Your ex remarried?”
Ruby shook her head.
“He was married when we got married.”
What in the world?Ruby didn’t look like a woman who would break up a marriage. As I tried to find the right words to ask, she leaned my way and reached for my hand before squeezing it tightly.
“I promise I didn’t know he had another family when we married.” Her voice cracked.
I nodded and placed my free hand over hers. I knew her look well. She was vulnerable and needy. Within seconds, she’d transformed into a hurt little girl before my eyes.
“We elopedin Vegas and lived in a condo in Atlanta. I got pregnant on my honeymoon. My baby was born on Christmas and died from meningitis ten days later. At LaRue’s funeral, Larenz’s wife showed up with their three children in tow. She popped her evil ass up and told everyone in attendance that my husband’s real kids were sitting in the pews and that his illegitimate bastard was dead in that casket.”
“Damn. I’m so sorry.”
She jerked up and straightened her spine.
“That bitch was lucky. I got up to slap the shit out of her, but my brother got to me first. She still had her children withmyman, yet she showed her Black ass at my baby’s service. If I had a gun that day, I promise on everything real and true that I would have shot her right between the eyes.” Ruby formed a gun with her index finger and thumb and pointed toward the fireplace as if shooting a bullet.
The bitterness in Ruby’s voice sent a chill down my spine, but I understood her. Children were precious gifts from God. If anyone didn’t respect my Aspen, I’d be livid too.
