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She should’ve gotten the damn thing fixed a long time ago. Malcolm told her that it needed some work but she didn’t want to take any of his advice, especially since he couldn’t take any of hers. When she said that she thought they should try marriage counseling, he refused to work things out. Her response to that? Don’t let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya?
That serves her right for marrying the first guy she got in bed with. And it serves her right for thinking that she could go to this damn family reunion without him. Maybe God was trying to tell her something by having her trusty pick-up truck break down in the middle of nowhere.
She looked down at the engine, trying to make sense of all of the parts. But she wasn’t a mechanic. She didn’t know the first thing about cars.
“That stupid son of a gun was right,” Ruby muttered, slamming down the hood of her car. The sun had set awhile ago, and darkness was finally starting to set in. There weren’t any lights to light the roads, and with all the trees surrounding her she knew it would be a miracle if she got any type of service. While staying in her car, and waiting for somebody to drive by seemed like the smart thing to do, she’d be an idiot if she didn’t think that the chances of someone coming to her rescue this late at night were slim.
After grabbing her purse and locking up the car, Ruby began walking down the road, keeping to the sides just in case a car did decide to drift on by. The rocks on the ground prodded the bottom of her feet through her shoes. She had been driving for six hours straight, and she felt all six of those hours, especially in her feet.
Ruby regretted deciding to walk; only when she looked back, her car was no longer in sight so there was no use in turning back now. The family house, where everybody got together during reunions and holidays was on a secluded piece of land that was several miles away from where her car gave out. By the time she got there, not only was she going to look a hot mess but she knew her mother wasn’t going to refrain from saying anything about her hair, how tired she looked, and how Malcolm-less she was.
The marriage had only lasted for a good year and a half before they decided to sleep in separate beds. Then when living with each other became too much to bear, Malcolm moved in with one of his old frat buddies. They had been apart for more than two years now but nobody knew about it because they knew how to sell lies to people. They knew how to make it seem like their marriage wasn’t in shambles.
Malcolm handed her the divorce papers last week. Soon she wouldn’t even have to carry his last name. She did, however, wish she had him to carry her purse. The extra weight was making it harder for her to walk. Pain shot through her legs and back and she really just wanted to rest somewhere for an hour or two or three or four. Ruby wanted to get back in her car, and drive home. She wanted to not give a damn about what her mother thought if she didn’t show up. She was a grown ass woman who still did everything mother-dearest told her to do. How pathetic was that?
Ruby’s mother was the reason she got married to Malcolm in the first place. He was her first kiss, her first lover, her first everything. So when he proposed, even though she had doubts about taking their relationship to the next level, her mother was urging her to say yes. You’re not going to find another successful black man like him, Ruby. Snatch him up while you still can. You don’t want some white woman grabbing him up, do you?
Her mother swore up and down she wasn’t a racist but the woman hated white people almost as much as she hated missing her soaps. Everybody in the whole town heard it whenever she wasn’t home in time to watch the latest episode of General Hospital. And everybody also heard it when Ruby first brought a white boy home back in sixth grade. She was the ridicule of the entire neighborhood after that, and even though they didn’t do anything but hold hands, everybody still made a big deal out of it.
Of course, everything she did was a big deal. Her leaving her small town for college was a big deal. The fact that she didn’t want to be a teacher like her mother had been a big deal. Everyone always had something to say about her life, and she hated it. Part of her wanted to do something that would make people really talk. She had always been a good kid, maybe it was time for her to rebel a little.
Ruby was so deep into her thoughts that she almost didn’t see the headlights of a car light up the dark road. It drifted pass her, coming to a stop a few feet in front of her. When the door didn’t open, she wondered if she should approach it or just let the person behind the wheel decide she didn’t need their help and drive off. Though it would be nice not to walk the rest of the way to her mother’s place, she didn’t want to be hacked to pieces by a complete stranger. Maybe she watched way too many movies, but even in those the black girl didn’t make it out alive. She wasn’t going to be another Kelly Rowland.
She reached inside her purse for her pocket knife and held it firmly in her hand when the driver’s door pushed open. She saw a pair of boots first, and then a man eased himself out of the car. She couldn’t really make out his face but she could make out everything about him. He had broad shoulders, the kind that belonged to the boys who worked on the farms. Rippling bands of muscles wrapped around his arms, and he was taller than her by a few inches which was saying something because she was a lot taller than most people.
“You alright?” he asked, in a slow drawl.
She searched for something to say. “Just getting in a good walk. You know, enjoying the weather.”
“You sure about that?” he asked.
“Positive. Thank you for your concern, sir.”
“Well, I saw a car back there parked on the side of the road, and now I see you walking. I’d bet my life that pick-up belonged to you.”
I smirked. “Is it that serious for you to bet your life on it?”
“Yes ma’am,” he replied, nodding. “Especially when I’m one hundred percent sure that I’m right.”
“What if you’re not?”
“You only have to look me in the eye and say that pick-up didn’t belong to you. Then I’ll be on my way.”
“That’s it? You won’t even offer me a ride?”
He chuckled. The sound deep, like it came from his soul. “No ma’am. If you out here walking for fun at this time of night, then excuse me for sayin’ but I think you might have a few marbles missing. You might try to kill me the moment I let you in my car.”
“You have point,” Ruby said, laughing.
“So how about it?”
Ruby was going to ask what he was talking about but then she remembered. She was supposed to look him in the eye and tell him that the pick-up didn’t belong to her. Right. This meant that she had to walk up to him; get close to him. She still didn’t know if he was to be trusted. Killers could be charming. That’s normally how they lured people in. He moved to the front of his car, stepping into the light coming from his headlights.
He was wearing an old blue t-shirt that clung to him in all the right places. She could tell he worked out, and that he liked to paint, too. Though the flecks of red all over him could be blood…
The man must’ve caught on to what she was looking at because he laughed. Ruby was starting to like the sound. She wouldn’t admit it to him, though. A complete stranger.
“This isn’t what it looks like I swear. I was helping a buddy paint his house.”
“How do I know you didn’t kill your buddy instead?”
“Well, you’re just going to have to trust me on this one. Now come over here and let me get a good look at you.”
Ruby moved her thumb across the surface of her pocket knife. She really didn’t have anything to lose. If he tried anything, she had her pocket knife and a few self-defense classes under her belt. He had weight and muscle on him but she had speed. She ran track in high school, and though she hadn’t ran in years, she didn’t doubt that with the right amount of adrenaline she could get the hell out of Dodge.
Somehow she managed to close the distance between them. Up close she could tell he was more than just a nice body, but he was really easy on the eyes. Sparkling green eyes, and brown hair that framed his chiseled face. He had a bit of five o’clock shadow that made him look even more attractive to her. Ruby could feel her cheeks flushing. She couldn’t believe she was thinking about how good-looking he was in a time like this.
“Now, tell me, is that your pick-up back there?”
“No,” she said but stuttered a little. This made the man smile at her and oh Lord did he have a smile. He had a dimple too. If that didn’t send her heart into cardiac arrest, she didn’t know what would.
“I could have somebody come get it in the morning, if you’d like.”
She sighed, “Well I guess there isn’t any reason to lie to you anymore, is there?”
“No ma’am.” He stuck out his hand. “I’m Alexander by the way but all my friends call me Xander.”
“Do you consider me as one of your friends?” Ruby didn’t know why she was flirting with him but he didn’t seem to mind. She shook his hand, the contact sending a jolt of electricity through her veins.
“I normally don’t let every pretty lady I meet be my friend but I’m not against making exceptions.” Ruby could feel her cheeks flushing. She thanked God for being dark-skinned. “Now what do your friends call you?”
“Ruby,” she replied. “It’s not short for anything but I like it.”
“I like it, too.”
Several years went by before she realized that he didn’t let her hand go just yet. She gently pulled it away, and took a step back, still debating if she should slip her knife into her pocket before he could notice that her other hand was clenched so tight or run for the hills just in case this gorgeous Adonis of a man was a Ted Bundy in the making.
“Well it’s getting late,” Xander said, kicking at a few rocks on the ground. “Where do you need to go?”
She hesitated for a few moments. He smiled, softly. “I’m not going to hurt you darlin’. I swear on my mama’s grave. You can trust me. If I try anything, you can take that pocket knife of yours and do a number on me.”
“How’d you…”
“I figured it was either that or pepper spray. Your hand is clenched extremely tight. Look, it’s your call. I don’t want to push this on you but I’d worry about anyone who was walking out here alone at night. It’s not safe.”
Ruby thought about it for a moment. She really didn’t want to walk the rest of the way and she could only imagine her mother’s face when she showed up with Xander instead of Malcolm. She’d let her think that she was seeing him now before she told her the truth. The look on her face is going to be priceless, she thought.
“I’m going to assume that smile is a yes.”
“Then you’re assumptions are right.”
Chapter End Notes:
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