Breathless

Chapter 19: Rubes - April 2

Fifteen minutes later, they were settled in the coffee shop in a little booth as they waited for their lunch. Mary turned towards Ruby.

"What on earth happened?"

"Esmerelda happened," Ruby grumbled.

"Esmerelda? Who is Esmerelda?"

"Owen's fiancé."

"What?" Mary gasped.

"I found her in my bed. With my husband. Eighteen months after I married him."

"Oh, Ruby! I am so sorry!"

Ruby just shrugged. "Guess I got what I deserved." She was still feeling bad for deserting Mary in high school.

"What?" Mary gasped. "You did not deserve that! You didn't cheat on him, did you?"

Repulsed, Ruby exclaimed, "No! Of course not!"

"So why would you say that you deserved to lose your husband to another woman?"

Ruby shrugged again. "I don't know."

Mary's hand suddenly came down on top of hers on the table. "Ruby, forget high school. I forgive you. Really." She peered closely at her friend. "How are you? Are you really doing okay? How long have you been divorced?"

"Two years."

"That is rough. You doing okay?"

"I was doing horrible. Until a few days ago."

"What happened a few days ago?"

"Someone left a rose on my sidewalk."

Perplexed, Mary frowned. "What?"

"Somebody has been leaving roses at my house for the past week or so. The first eight days, it was just one rose each day. On the eighth day, I got a poem too. But yesterday, he simply overwhelmed me."

"He?"

Ruby nodded. "According to the first poem, he's a he."

"But you don't know who he is?"

Ruby shook her head.

"How did he overwhelm you yesterday?"

"He left me six hundred roses on my swing."

"WHAT?" Mary's eyebrows could be seen hovering above the clouds. "SIX HUNDRED ROSES!"

Ruby had forgotten how outspoken – and downright loud – her friend could be. She smiled at her.

"Wow. That guy really has it bad for you."

Ruby's face fell. "I don't know why. And now I think I've scared him away."

"What do you mean? First...why wouldn't he like you?"

Ruby shrugged. "Owen doesn't like me anymore."

"Forget Owen. He's a jerk!"

"I've never really had any friends, Mary. Nobody but Owen. So I don't know who could possibly like me now."

"What do you mean you haven't had any friends? What about college friends? Or work friends?"

Ruby's head flew right then left. "No. I never had any friends in college. And none at work." But then she thought of Brenda. "Until yesterday anyway."

"Yesterday? Wait. Back up. First of all, it's absurd that a nice girl like you doesn't have friends. Owen really did a number on you, didn't he?"