The Notorious R(uth) B(arakat) G(rimaldi)

Chapter 32: Figuring Stuff Out

Ruthie caught up with Elliott on the sidewalk in front of his house, reaching out to snag the back of his hoodie as he quickly strode away.

"Elliott, stop, please! Sam is following you, and she's carrying the baby, please!" she implored.

Her words got him to stop, and he turned around.

Samairah had almost caught up to him, holding little Liam, who was staring around at the sudden change in scenery. Elliot's grandparents stood framed in the doorway of their house, looking concerned.

"Elliott, please come back, so we can talk?" His grandma's voice sounded frail and old, which, Ruthie reflected, she was, bus trips and bingo nights aside.

"I can't right now, I really can't," Elliott said, raising his voice so they'd hear him. "I'm going to Ruthie's for a while."

They nodded, went inside and closed the door, leaving the three of them and baby Liam standing out in the damp, February day.

"Let's all go to my house," Ruthie said, sending her Pop a quick text. "We can regroup and calm down a little, okay?"

Sam nodded, and so, after a few heartbeats, did Elliott.

"Let's take my car, okay?" Sam suggested. "I'd rather not leave it here."

Ruthie nodded and ran in to get the car seat from the living room. When she returned with it, however, Elliott was gone.

"He said he wanted to walk," Sam told her. "Needed to clear his head."

They buckled the baby in and Ruthie gave directions for the few blocks to her house. They didn't see Elliott along the way, so he was really getting out there and clearing his head, Ruthie decided, which wasn't a bad thing at all.

Poor Elliott.

Everything he believed for the past eight months was completely false. In fact, she reflected, given what they knew about Sam, probably everything he'd assumed to be the truth about her was false also. So that would mean that he'd been laboring under a misapprehension, if not living an outright lie, since he was thirteen.

Sam was no gold digger; Ruthie could tell, just in the short time she'd been with her. Her clothing was modest and inexpensive, as was her rental car. Her bag and shoes were the accessories of a frugal person. Only Liam was dressed in what could be considered "nice" things, and they were more just cute and clean than anything.

Pop was standing on their porch when they arrived, waiting for them, smiling a welcome, lest Sam think she was unwanted or that the visit was too abrupt.

God bless Pop. Ruthie hugged him with gratitude and affection when they got to the porch.

"Pop, this is Elliott's stepmother, Samairah Banks," Ruthie said with a smile as she let him go.

"Welcome to our home, Samairah," Pop said, smiling the smile that made straight women everywhere wish he were straight too. "Who's the little man?" he asked, taking the car seat from her and leading them inside. "And where's Elliott?"

"This is Liam, Elliott's half-brother. And Elliott wanted to walk a little, get some air," Ruthie explained.

Pop just nodded.

They all got comfortable in the family room, where Pop had built a fire to take the edge off the chill. Ruthie and Sam sat, while Pop disappeared into the kitchen. Amal Clooney and Clarence Darrow were very interested in the baby, and Ruthie began to call them away when Sam interrupted her.

"No, it's fine," she told her. "The fastest way to get them to stop is to just let them sniff and explore, you know? He's a little creature, like them, of course they're going to be interested.