by Mary Monroe
“Othella, you beginnin’ to worry me for real. You ... you just take it easy,” Ruby said, silently praying that they didn’t need a doctor, or a psychiatrist. She knew that they were in one of the most segregated areas of Florida. The hospitals didn’t admit black folks, and she didn’t know of any black doctors or anybody else they could turn to.
“I hope you and the baby are goin’ to be all right,” Ruby told her, worried and frightened. One thing she had not considered was one, or both, of them getting seriously ill or ... killed. After all they’d been through Ruby decided that they were lucky to still be alive. “All of this hard work and that blazin’ hot sun ain’t good for you. You really have to take it easy and slow down some.” Ruby stood by the side of the bed looking at Othella. She wondered why Othella was taking so long to respond. “You hear me? We don’t want you to have no defective baby, now do we?”
Othella stopped humming and gave Ruby a strange look. She didn’t look or seem sick at all now. Maybe she’d only just lost her mind....
“It don’t matter now. There won’t be no baby,” Othella sputtered. “And I’m real relieved.”
Ruby’s jaw dropped. She was clearly alarmed. “What? Did you do somethin’ to it? Did you swallow some of that Black Draught laxative to get rid of it?” she asked, giving Othella an accusatory look. “I thought you told me you’d never get rid of no baby!”
“Calm down, girl. I didn’t get rid of no baby. I wouldn’t never ever do nothin’ as unspeakable as killin’ my own baby.” Othella paused and let out a loud breath. Then her voice came out in a deep croak, “There wasn’t no baby to begin with.”
Ruby felt the blood drain from her face. She thought she was going to pass out. “What? All this time—”
“It was a false alarm. My monthly just came on while you was next door gettin’ them pain pills. I guess all of that activity in Miss Mo’reen’s house and my bad nerves threw my cycle off. And all of that backbreakin’ work in them fields didn’t help much.”
A tear rolled down the side of Ruby’s face like a marble. She had been looking forward to cuddling a new baby... . She sniffed and blinked hard to hold back any additional tears. “Oh. Well, maybe this is a good thing. Now that you ain’t pregnant, we can both start workin’ longer hours and more days in the fields until we get enough money to move on with. It don’t seem like we goin’ to be gettin’ married no time soon.” Ruby stopped talking when she realized there was a look on Othella’s face that she could not interpret. “What else is the matter with you? Why you starin’ at me with that strange look on your face? You can’t be smilin’ about not bein’ pregnant, when you thought all this time you was.”
“You know I wouldn’t smile about nothin’ like that!” Othella erupted. It was hard for her to control the tone and speed of her voice. She was giddy and excited, and it showed on her face now. This puzzled and disturbed Ruby even more. It took Othella a few moments to summon enough nerve to say what she had to say next, because she knew it was something that Ruby was not going to like. “I got somethin’ I need to tell you, and I already got a feelin’ you ain’t goin’ to like it... .”
“Just from the way you actin’ and soundin’, I already got that same feelin’ myself,” Ruby wheezed, folding her arms.
“See, I didn’t want to say nothin’ too soon, Mama Ruby. But the thing is ... uh, I done met me a man and now he wants to take care of me ... permanently.”
Ruby’s heart was beating with fear. Her stomach muscles tightened, and her head felt like it had just been mauled. Now she wished that she had gotten a few pain pills from that bearded lady for herself. She could not have been more upset if Othella had told her she had terminal cancer or some other deadly disease. She tried, but was unable to hide the way she felt.
“You ain’t got to look like the world’s comin’ to a end! You know that a husband is what I always wanted,” Othella told her.
“You ... found ... you ... a ... man?” Ruby barely managed, asking the question like it was more of an accusation, and in a way it was. “Do you mean to tell me that you went behind my back and hooked up with a man?”
Othella nodded. “I ain’t done nothin’ behind your back. From the get-go, I been lookin’ for Mr. Right. You always knew that!”
Ruby swallowed hard. “I know, I know. And ... I’m happy for you, I guess. But how? Where and when did you meet a man?” Ruby gasped and her eyes widened. “Is he ... white? We ain’t had much contact with no eligible colored men since we joined this carnival.”
“I have ...”
“I guess so! The least you could have done was to let me know sooner. I think I had a right to know, so I could have been expectin’ this!”
“What? What do you mean by all of that? You ain’t my mama. I don’t have to tell you nothin’ that I don’t want to tell you.”
Ruby dropped her head and stared at the gummy trailer floor for a few seconds. When she looked up, she was not surprised to see Othella with her arms folded and a stiff, hostile look on her face. She didn’t want to lose her completely, so she decided to soften her attitude.
“What I mean is, where did you meet him? And, who is he?”
“He’s a travelin’ salesman. He works for some outfit based in Miami. He drives his station wagon from town to town, followin’ the carnivals and circuses to sell them stuff. I ran into him the day he was here sellin’ balloons, stuffed animals, and that cotton candy stuff to the man who buys all the rest of the carnival prizes. I didn’t want to say nothin’ to you, because I didn’t want to count my chickens too soon. Anyway, he came up to me in that dart throwin’ tent yesterday and he invited me to his church this comin’ Sunday. I told him that I would love to go. I could sure use some spiritual nourishment. Next thing I know, he’s talkin’ about how lonely he is and how he’s been lookin’ for a spouse all of his life. You should have seen the look on his face when I told him that I’d been lookin’ for a spouse all of my life, too.”
Ruby gave Othella a strange look.
“What ... I mean ... uh—what about me?” Ruby rasped, suddenly feeling even more fearful.
“What about you?”
“Did you tell him about me? Did you tell him I been lookin’ for a spouse, too? He got any men friends?”
“I don’t know. But I will find out as soon as I see him again. I’ll tell you now, though; I’ll do whatever he asks me to do if it’ll get me out of this damn carnival and them fields.”
Ruby had to force herself to remain composed, and it was not easy. She couldn’t stand the thought of a man replacing her in Othella’s life yet. And the last thing she had expected Othella to do was abandon her. She had hoped and prayed that they would find suitable mates at the same time.
“I hope ... you will be real happy,” Ruby managed, choking back a sob.
“I know I will be, Mama Ruby. And I hope you will be, too, some day.”
CHAPTER 52
THE VERY NEXT DAY, WHICH WAS A SATURDAY AND THE busiest day at the carnival and in the fields, Othella disappeared before Ruby got up.
Ruby didn’t know where Othella had gone to, nor did anybody she asked. However, the bearded woman next door told her the last thing she wanted to hear. “I seen Othella leavin’ with a man in a red suit early this mornin’. That balloon sellin’ man ...”
Later that evening after Ruby had dropped down on the bed and made herself as comfortable as she could under the circumstances, Othella moseyed into the trailer accompanied by a black man in a red suit. They were holding hands and grinning like fools.
“This here is Eugene Leroy Johnson, my husband,” Othella introduced, her face practically glowing. “Eugene, this here is Mama Ruby.”
HUSBAND!
Ruby was horrified. She had a hard time processing what she was seeing right before her burning eyes: Othella’s husband! She stared at this grinning intruder who Othella had slid into their lives like a slippery eel. She was temporarily unable to speak or move. The pain in her heart
was excruciating. After all that they’d been through together, she could not believe what was happening now. It was bad enough that Othella had kicked her out of her position and replaced her with a man. But for her to sneak off like a spy to marry him and not give her the opportunity to be with her during the ceremony was unspeakable! And if all of that wasn’t bad enough, she’d dumped Ruby for so little, literally. Eugene was barely over five feet tall, a whole head shorter than Othella. His short, chubby, block-shaped body had short chubby legs and arms like a baby bear. Had he been any shorter, he would have been a midget. And that was not all. He looked more like a bulldog than a man. He had a round jowly face, just like a bulldog! On top of all of that, the man was at least thirty years old. Had Othella lost what was left of her mind? Ruby wondered. Or did her no-neck groom have a magic wand between his legs?
“Mama Ruby, I done heard all about you, and I want to let you know right off that I ain’t goin’ to come between you and Othella,” Eugene sputtered. At least he had nice white teeth and fresh-smelling breath. Ruby came out of her self-induced trance when Eugene hugged her and rubbed his hand up and down her back, making her cringe. “Gimme some sugar!” Before she could stop him, he hauled off and kissed her cheek, making her cringe even more. She couldn’t understand why she hadn’t fainted by now.
“It’s ... uh ... nice to meet you, too,” Ruby told him in a shaky voice, her eyes rolling to the side to look at Othella. She was disappointed to see that Othella looked like she was in a dream world. Ruby couldn’t remember the last time she saw such a glassy-eyed, ecstatic look on Othella’s face. And since she wanted the same thing for herself, she felt a twinge of guilt for not immediately embracing Othella’s actions.
“Mama Ruby, Eugene is the man I been waitin’ on all of my life.” Othella swooned, winking at Ruby.
“Well, you ain’t got to wait no more,” Ruby responded, finally forcing a weak smile. “I hope ... I hope you both will be happy.” She had to stop talking because she didn’t want to say the wrong thing. She really did wish them well. Now all she wanted to know was: what was in this sudden turn of events for her?
“And Eugene’s got plenty of single men friends,” Othella added with another wink. “Single men with money and nice enough houses, lookin’ to settle down.”
Othella’s statements got Ruby’s undivided attention. Her thoughts immediately shot off in another direction. Maybe there was something in this sudden turn of events for her, too!
“Oh? Is that a fact?” she asked, scratching the side of her face, wondering if she was desperate enough to settle for a man as homely as Eugene, or even worse.
“That’s a fact, sugar. And I want you to know right off the bat that one of my best single buddies done already put in a bid for you,” Eugene told her, looking at Othella before he spoke again. Then he looked at Ruby and gave her an ear to ear grin. “My boy, his name is Roy, he went to town with us and witnessed our blessed event. Me and my sugar pie told him all about you, so he’s itchin’ to meet you. He would have come with us today to meet you, but he had to visit a sick cousin. I hope you still available.”
“And interested,” Othella said quickly.
“Oh yes! I’m available and interested. Real available and real interested,” Ruby blurted, talking so fast she almost choked on her words.
“Roy is self-employed and he rents a real nice house right down the street from a colored man that use to be a lawyer. And it’s real close to the house where Eugene lives. Roy done made it clear that he’s ready to get married real soon,” Othella added.
That made Ruby smile like she had not smiled in months. A home, security, and a companion meant a lot to her. If there was anything to justify marrying an ugly man, that was it. She didn’t care if this Roy was a naked ape. If he was willing to take care of her and give her the family she needed, that was enough for her.
“I can’t wait to meet Roy,” Ruby squealed. She licked her lips not because they were dry, but because what she had just heard about this Roy made her salivate.
Othella stopped working in the fields, and she quit her job at the carnival and moved in with Eugene that same night. It was difficult for her to leave Ruby behind to have to deal with that elephant shit by herself, and that racist-ass Mr. Miller, but she did. However, from the next day on, Ruby spent so much time at the house Othella shared with Eugene that his neighbors thought that she had moved in with him, too.
Roy Montgomery couldn’t find time to meet Ruby right away because, as Eugene explained, “He’s visitin’ some sick relatives in Key West.” She was disappointed, but the fact that she had to wait a while made her that much more anxious to get her hands on him. She was already head over heels in love with the man, and she hadn’t even seen a photograph of him. When she asked Eugene what his friend looked like, the description he offered was so vague it did her no good at all. “He ain’t the best lookin’ man I know, and he ain’t the ugliest,” he said. That could have meant just about anything, so as soon as Ruby got Othella alone, she asked her.
“Well, for one thing, he’s light skinned like you prefer your men,” Othella told her.
“Pffft!” Ruby rotated her neck and snapped her fingers. “I was color struck when I was young, but I ain’t that shallow no more. I just want me a decent man now, and I don’t care if he’s purple. Other than light skin, what else can you can tell me about Roy’s looks?”
“Looks ain’t everything, Mama Ruby,” Othella said defensively. “At least not to me ...”
“I figured that out.”
“If you are concerned about givin’ birth to baboons, I wouldn’t worry about that if I was you. All babies is beautiful. Didn’t you tell me that yourself?”
“I did, and it’s true. Any gift from God is beautiful. Othella, I wouldn’t care if I did give birth to babies that looked like baboons. And to be honest with you, all I’m really interested in now is a man who treats me good and takes care of me. Even if he looks worse than Eugene—” Ruby stopped and covered her mouth with her hand.
“I know the man I married is ugly, but I don’t care. He’s beautiful on the inside.”
“I didn’t say Eugene was ugly!”
“You didn’t have to.”
“Anyway, if Roy looks like a cross-eyed, sway-back mule, I don’t care at this point. In the dark, men all feel the same to me anyway.”
“Well, like I said, Roy is light skinned. He’s a bootlegger, but that don’t matter because he goes to church every Sunday.”
“And he just bought a house full of fancy new furniture,” Eugene added, leaving the bathroom and coming back into the kitchen of the small shabby house he rented. “Roy’s one of the few colored folks I know that’s doin’ real good these days. He don’t have to put up with none of the Man’s bullshit, like punchin’ a time clock or payin’ taxes.”
Othella and Eugene didn’t have to say much more to get Ruby more interested in Roy. She was ready to follow him to another planet, sight unseen.
What Eugene didn’t mention, and what Othella didn’t know, was that Roy Montgomery was a notorious womanizer—and was with another woman as they sat telling Ruby more about him. Roy had already been married to five different women, he currently had three lady friends, and a few exes that he still spent time with.
There was one more very important thing about Roy that Eugene didn’t bother to mention: he had a violent streak and had spent time in jail for beating his wives.
Unfortunately, Ruby would find out all of that on her own.
Roy Ernest Montgomery was the kind of man who loved women more than he loved life. He didn’t care what type of woman she was, what age group she was in, or even what race she was. The day that Eugene told him about Ruby and how anxious she was to meet him, Roy thought that he had hit a jackpot.
“I love all women, but I especially love big women because there is so much of them to love. I love young women because they got so many years ahead of them to be women,” he told Eugene. Even
though he was laughing, he was serious and meant every word he said. He loved women, and the only problem with that was, he loved too many at the same time. “I can’t wait to find enough time so I can fit Mama Ruby on my schedule!”
“Well, you better hurry up and find the time to fit this one on your schedule. She ain’t the kind to wait around. Even though Mama Ruby wouldn’t win no beauty contests, she’s a nice young girl so somebody would love to marry her.” Eugene held his breath as he awaited his friend’s response.
“Brother, you wouldn’t win no beauty contests neither, and that didn’t stop Othella from marryin’ you,” Roy teased.
Othella was as anxious as Ruby was for her to get herself a husband. Though Othella loved her friend, she didn’t like the fact that she spent so much time with her and Eugene at their house. Ruby slept on the roll-away bed in their spare bedroom several days out of the week and showed up for dinner almost every day. Ruby’s presence put a serious block on Othella and Eugene’s lovemaking activities.
Eugene had made several attempts to get Roy to his house to meet Ruby, but each time Roy had to cancel. Even when Eugene offered to bring Ruby to his house, Roy still came up with excuses, usually with names like Martha Ann, Lucy Jean, and Bobby Mae.
Othella finally ran out of patience with Ruby breathing down her neck in her house, hours at a time, every single day now. She went to Roy’s house and told him that if he didn’t find time to meet Ruby, she was going to introduce her to one of his rivals. That got his attention right away. He instructed Othella to arrange a “blind date” for him and Ruby at the backyard cookout that she had been planning for that upcoming Saturday afternoon.
“Now if you don’t like him, make out like you do until he leaves. I don’t want my first cookout to be a disaster,” Othella told Ruby as they prepared the potato salad and baked beans that would be served with the barbequed ribs and chicken.