Intertwined

Chapter Two: Ruby Stone

Ruby closed her eyes and prayed. One day things would get better. She found herself sometimes wishing she had stayed married. Sometimes the bad days of her marriage felt like a luxury when compared against some of the best days of her new life. She went from a beautiful house in Brooklyn to a shelter on the other side of Brooklyn. Women on television and in her favorite books didn't end up in shelters. They didn't wake at the crack of dawn dressing kids and taking buses and trains all over the city dropping off kids and getting to a job they hated. They didn't leave one job and head to night school trying to get their GED. They didn't shop at goodwill. She could be free of all the struggle and the strain if she just took her ass back to her husband.

They had many fights over the years but the last fight was enough to make Ruby get away from him for good. She had suspected he was cheating with Carmine again. There was something about that woman that was like crack to Jerrod. When Ruby first met him Carmine was on the scene. She was a friend of the family. She was the girl next door. The girl that didn't want the boy next door until he had someone else. Jerrod assured her she was nothing more than a friend. Carmine did her best to get in good with Ruby. She even got Ruby her first singing job. It was singing backup for somebody nobody ever heard of but it paid and it was singing.

Looking back Ruby wished she had never started singing. She didn't finish school to go on the road with Alyssa. She was living the dream. Jerrod went to college to become a psychologist. They made the best of their time. The summer she turned 19 they got married. A year later she had Jerrod Jr. Life was going well. The night Jerrod graduated college was a major turning point. He was in a car accident with a dunk driver. Ruby put her singing on hold to take care of her husband. He became this angry man she didn't know. After a while she had to get back out there because they had bills to pay. Carmine volunteered to help him take care of Jr. Ruby came home a couple days early to find Jerrod sitting at their dining room table and Carmine on the table spread eagle getting ate like a buffet. He didn't even stop when she made her presence known. He blamed her for leaving him when he needed her most.

Ruby quit singing and took a secretarial job. The pay wasn't much but it kept her home. Jerrod was still difficult and very angry. He became verbally abusive. When she got pregnant she thought that would make things better but it appeared to make things worse. Jerrod began hanging out and drinking more. His angry words turned into acts of violence. He became rough and aggressive with her. He never outright hit her but she always feared it was coming. One day it did. That was the point she wanted out. He cried and begged her to stay. He confessed to being addicted to prescription drugs. He pleaded for help. She stayed through rehab and was glad. Things had gotten better.

Life had gone from a nightmare to a fairy tale. Jerrod was finished his master's degree, landed a great job and was remaining sober. He sent her on a girl's trip with her friends to Vegas. The flight was cancelled. Instead of staying at the hotel near the airport she decided to take the opportunity to spend another night with the love of her life. Once again she walked in on Jerrod and Carmine. She was crying while they fucked on the floor. He was promising to leave Ruby. He was professing his love for her. Ruby just stood there watching in shock. They were oblivious to her presence. Carmine told him if he loved her let her keep her baby. He agreed. Ruby couldn't take anymore. She left out just as quietly as she had come in.

Ruby went on her girl's trip like nothing was wrong. She came back home and did her best to pretend she didn't know anything. Jerrod was a master manipulator. She watched him like a hawk looking for the signs she had missed before. She never caught one. He seemed to be genuinely in love with her and their family. She didn't see any signs he was working towards breaking up with her. Life was going great besides knowing her husband was cheating. She was pregnant again. He was more attentive to her needs than he had ever been. To celebrate their love and marriage they were having a vow renewal ceremony and party.