Dashboard lights, p.14
Dashboard Lights, page 14
part #2 of Gunpowder Series
"I'm going to have them put a step-up right here. In this exact spot," Derek said chuckling.
"Why?"
"So, you can stand on it when I kiss you! So, I don't get a crook in my neck!"
"You must be planning to do a lot of kissing, mister!" Ruby laughed back. "Hey, while we are here, what about baby names? It seems appropriate to discuss here."
"Okay." Derek led Ruby over to where a couple five-gallon buckets sat upside down. Probably for the workers when taking a break. They each sat on one, Derek still holding Ruby's hand. "I know we started discussing this. So, what are you thinking?"
"Given your family having such a strong role in Gunpowder and its history, I am of the mind that selecting names from your ancestors is most appropriate. But not yours. The baby needs an identity separate from each of us."
"I agree. Easy enough." Derek thought for a moment before continuing. "Well, there's Dad, Norman Abram, and there's Grandpa, Claudius Walker. And his dad was Abram Isaac. That's as far as my memory goes. You'd have to ask Grandpa or go look them up in the library.'
Ruby contemplated. She moved her lips, but no words came out. As if she were mouthing name combinations. She stared through the bare trees, the valley below. Derek squeezed her hand. She tended to get away from him in her thoughts.
"Okay, so how does this sound: Claudius Abram Hunt?" Ruby asked. She was already set on the name. She'd been using it to herself.
"Claudius Abram Hunt." Derek repeated. "That's what you said the last time we were up here. Would you call him Claude, Claudius, Abe or Abram?"
"Claudius. Or Abram. But I think I really like Claudius. It is a strong name. Both are from the Bible. Claudius was a Roman emperor."
"I have no gripes with either of those names." Derek turned to her belly and said, "Baby boy one kick if you like the name 'Claudius Abram.' Two if you don't." Ruby looked down as he put his hand on the baby bump. "He apparently has no opinion..." Just then Ruby felt a movement that about took her breath. Derek's eyes grew wide at the same moment, his hand still in place.
"Did...?" he asked. She nodded, her eyes getting glossy.
"He kicked!" Tears streamed down her cheeks. As Derek turned his head toward her, tears formed in the corners of his eyes as his marvelous smile stretched wide on his face. His hand left her belly, and he gently pulled her head forward, engaging her in perhaps the best kiss she ever experienced.
***
The room was dark except for the streetlights peeking in around the edges of the window shades.
"I really enjoyed this afternoon, Derek," Ruby said as her head nestled in the crook of his arm. Her hand rested on his bare upper chest, and she played with the small tuft of hair that was desperately trying to command its place. It had not grown since the first time she saw it, offering her some relief that Derek might not end up a hairy man.
"I did, too. It was nice to see how things are beginning to unfold. Fall into place!" he replied.
"You do not seem as stressed," Ruby commented. She so enjoyed seeing him smile that afternoon, and his interactions with the baby—Claudius—far exceeded her hopes. Perhaps he was finally settling into the whole idea of a family.
"No, today was a better day. I'm learning I've to let go of some things. They seem to work out in time."
"They do," Ruby said.
"Thank you for putting up with me, my love." Derek said kissing the top of her head.
"So, you never asked why I was having breakfast with Jonah." Ruby had yet to tell Derek of the news.
"No. I just figured you were getting some driving time in," Derek replied.
"We were. But he called me last night saying he needed to talk with me," Ruby paused. Mixed feelings about the news still brewed within her. "He wanted to let me know that he had sent off Betsy's tooth and hair to have the DNA testing done."
"Really? When will the results come back?"
"They already did. That was what he wanted to tell me. Betsy is not my biological mother."
"Oh, jeez! I'm sorry, Ruby." Derek hugged her closer.
"I am not. I was thinking earlier today. I am rather glad I do not have biological ties to her. I know that sounds awful." Ruby did not like how it sounded when it came out.
"No, it's not awful. Betsy had her share of problems. It's good to know that is something you don't have to worry about," Derek replied. Ruby often wondered how much Derek truly understood about her former life, but then there were comments like these that hinted maybe he understood more than she thought.
"Are you upset?" he asked.
"No, not really. Strangely enough. I think Jonah was prepared for me to have a complete breakdown right there in the middle of Dairy Queen, but I did not. He seemed kind of thrown by that." She was quiet for a moment, then added, "I realized that deep down, I have known for a long time Betsy was not my biological mom. And, I realized this morning, that I am still no further in finding out who I am and where I come from than the day I arrived in Gunpowder. It is frustrating. And I probably will never know."
"Keep faith, Ruby. I'm going to tell you what you're always telling me: if it is meant for you to know, you will." He gave her another squeeze.
"You are right. God's timing is not always our timing," Ruby said. "I love you so much, Derek Claudius Hunt!"
"I love you, Ruby soon-to-be Hunt!" He kissed her good-night and rested his hand on baby Claudius. As sleep claimed Ruby, she reflected on how their deciding on a name followed by the baby's whomping kick finally made things real for Derek.
***
Once again, Ruby and Derek had their weekend early morning coffee together before he dashed off to open the McDonald's for the early breakfast crowd of Sunday morning churchgoers. Dressed in a clean, grease-smell-free uniform, Derek kissed Ruby at the back door, as she helped him slip his arms into his coat. He was walking to work today, so she handed him his hat.
"Oh, I meant to ask," Ruby began. "Do you think you could bring home some decaf coffee for me?"
"I never ever thought I would hear the word ‘decaf’ come from your lips," Derek kidded her.
"Well, you know. Sometimes you got to!" Ruby looked at the floor in shame. Yes, she was cheating on real coffee.
"You're really getting serious about this whole watch-what-you-put-in-your-body thing, aren't you?" Derek asked.
"Yes, sir! I take my baking job seriously!"
Derek looked at her with a confused expression.
"You know, they call it 'a bun in the oven'?" She laughed.
"Gotcha!" he replied.
"Oh, and I may not be here when you get home. Megan and I are going driving when she gets out of church!"
"Don't you two girls get into trouble!" He smiled as he gave her a peck on the forehead and then he was gone.
***
Ruby paced anxiously waiting for Megan. When Elise and Norman came through the back door, Ruby jumped. She had been listening for a car and was startled when the door opened without warning. Of course, living across from the church, they always walked. The church parking lot was small and could not accommodate many cars. In fact, most of the parishioners walked to services. Only those old or farthest away drove. Perhaps Megan was walking home to get her car.
"We didn't mean to startle you, darling!" Elise said.
"Oh, you are fine. I am just waiting on Megan. She is going to take me driving so I can log some hours," Ruby replied.
"Our Megan? I'm so glad you girls have become such good friends!" Elise said, helping Norman out of his coat. He headed upstairs to get ready to relieve Derek on the shift change.
"I adore Megan! I am so fortunate to have found a friend! We are similar in so many ways, but yet so different. It makes it interesting!" Ruby reflected on what she just said. Was that the real Ruby speaking? Or was she starting to communicate in the more aristocratically accepted way? She brushed it off. She always prided herself on speaking proper English. That was what she was doing.
"I hope you two have a wonderful time!" Elise dug into her purse, drawing out her wallet. She pulled a bill out and handed it to Ruby. A fifty. "You two go have a lovely lunch on me! I never get to do anything for Megan! Be sure to give her my love!"
Ruby thanked Elise for her generosity, taking the bill. She watched Elise head upstairs, most likely to change. Ruby felt awkward. She never held a fifty-dollar bill before, and she wondered where on earth she and Megan could spend that much on lunch! Certainly not in Gunpowder.
The knock on the back door made Ruby jump! She turned to see Megan in the window, waving a mittened hand. Ruby opened the door for the exuberantly happy woman.
"Hello! Ruby!" Megan's hands flew out. Ruby always had to remind herself that Megan spoke using her hands. Both hands. If words were flowing from Megan's mouth, her hands were accentuating every word. Ruby suddenly thought, how can Megan drive and talk at the same time? She laughed silently to herself. She was about to find out!
"I am ready. Let me just get my coat on!" Ruby slipped on her coat and pulled her pom-pom hat over her black curls. She tucked the fifty in her coat pocket as the two exited the house.
Megan's car was parked in the driveway. It was a white sedan with red pin-striping down the sides. Very sporty for a four-door. Ruby walked to the passenger side.
"No-no, girl! You're getting in the driver's seat!" Megan instructed, pointing Ruby to the other side of the car. "You're getting the most out of this lesson!"
"Are you really wanting to trust your life and car to me?" Ruby asked, laughing.
"I'm not one bit worried!" Megan's smiled at her friend. "Besides, if you crash it, it gives me a good excuse to get a new car!"
"What kind of car is this?" Ruby asked.
"It is a 2007 Pontiac G6. I've had her since I was in high school, and she was my sister's car first. But she's the most reliable machine ever, and I can't justify another car as long as she's still in her glory!" Megan spoke of her car as a proud mama.
Ruby adjusted the driver's seat for her short frame and pulled the seatbelt and fastened it. Again, she had to move the shoulder strap adjustment down so the strap did not dig into her neck. She put both hands on the steering wheel and took a deep breath. Megan held out the car key. Ruby took the key and smiled at her friend.
"You'll be fine!" Megan read Ruby's mind.
"Okay. Well, here we go!" Ruby turned the key in the ignition and the engine hummed. The first thing she did was orient herself with the various controls, lights, wipers, blinkers, gear shifts and gauges. And then she froze. Ruby's eyes fixed on the dashboard. All the dashboard dials, gauges and indicators glowed in red. A vision flashed in her mind. For an instant she was in another car. It was dark. Except for the glow of the red dashboard lights. Ruby's heart skipped several beats.
"Ruby? Are you okay?" Megan asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost! Are you breathing?"
Ruby was not. She had quit breathing. Every ounce of her being focused on the dashboard. What little color there was to Ruby's face drained, leaving a pasty white complexion.
"Uh, yeah." Ruby managed to say after taking a few breaths. "I am sorry. The red. The dashboard. It is red."
"Yes. Did it scare you?" Megan asked. She placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"Yes. Yes, I am fine. It just reminded me of something. From a long time ago," Ruby replied. "I will be fine. It is so unusual."
Ruby took a minute to re-oxygenate, and then put her foot on the brake and put the car in reverse. She assured Megan once again she was fine.
"So, where are we going?" she asked Megan.
"I'm thinking we're going to bust out of this town and head to Morehead!"
"Megan, I cannot go out on the highway! I do not even have a real permit!"
"Oh, sure you can. Do you know how many times I drove there and other places without a license? Besides, your dad is the police chief!"
"Not in Morehead!" Ruby protested.
"Go on! You'll be fine!"
Ruby reluctantly took her foot off the brake and turned to back out of the driveway. Once she determined the street was clear, she backed onto the road and put the gear in drive. And off they headed around the courthouse square towards Bridge Street. Ruby stopped at the three-way intersection and put on the left turn signal.
"Are you sure you want me to do this?" she asked.
"Absolutely. This will give you confidence!" Megan was determined to have Ruby out on the highway.
Ruby turned left when the light changed to green and headed over the bridge and around the curve, leaving Gunpowder behind. It felt strange. She remembered the dark night she walked the road going into Gunpowder. It seemed to take forever. But in a minute or two, the car reached the highway, and she guided it towards Morehead.
The two-lane highway was not too busy. A few cars and an eighteen-wheeler passed headed the opposite direction. As they tooled along, Megan gave Ruby tips. Ruby concentrated on staying within the speed limit, getting nervous a time or two when a car came up behind them rather quickly. Megan reminded her to breathe.
"Just let them pass you if they're in such a hurry. You can lightly tap your brake to let them know you're not going to go any faster. They'll either back off or figure it out!" Ruby did just that. Each time, the bumper hugger pulled out into the other lane and zoomed past them.
"It seems that I may be the only one driving the actual speed limit!" Ruby chuckled.
"Probably! I know I would be doing at least 60 or 65!" Megan said. "But do as I say and not as I do!"
As they approached Morehead, Megan gave Ruby more instructions for navigating the shopping center traffic and the stop lights. While stopped at one light, Ruby realized she gripped the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles were pure white. She tried to loosen up a bit, flexing her fingers. When the light a turned green, she waited until the cars in front of her began moving, and then she adjusted her pace to allow for proper spacing and braking distance.
"You're doing amazing, Ruby!" Megan encouraged her. "We'll go to the next light, and then take a right into that shopping center. We can stop at the Mexican restaurant! You probably need a break!" Ruby agreed. And she needed to pee.
Once they were situated in a booth, the waiter brought them chips and salsa and took their drink orders. Ruby was at a loss of what to order. She was familiar with tacos and fajitas, but most of the menu items were foreign to her. Megan suggested Ruby try the 'Pollo Don Señor,' one of her personal favorites. Grilled chicken smothered in a white cheese sauce, served with refried beans, tortillas, and lettuce with guacamole and Pico de Gallo. Ruby's interest was piqued. Ruby sampled a chip dipped in salsa, hesitant as to the heat of the salsa. The saltiness of the chip mingled with the sweet zesty tomatoes on her lips and tongue as she crunched the chip. As they waited for their orders, Ruby began to tell Megan about breakfast with Jonah the morning before.
"So, if she wasn't your biological mother, how did she end up with you?" Megan asked.
"I am not sure, but I have an idea." Ruby recounted the dream she had about the ring and the two women.
"So, you think your biological mother gave you and the ring to Betsy?"
"That is what I am thinking. But I have no idea how I will ever confirm that. Betsy is gone, and I have no clue where to even begin to look for my biological mother," Ruby said. "Actually, I suspect she is not alive. Why else would she hand over both a baby and a ring that was to be given to me when I got older? That sounds like she knew she would not see me again."
"True."
The waiter approached the table with two dishes held by potholders and several other dishes precariously lined up his arm. As he arranged the dishes on the table, he inquired whether the women needed drink refills, and then was gone.
"Ruby, I know you had your DNA tested by the hospital for Jonah, but have you considered getting one of those ‘Ancestry’ or ‘23 and Me’ DNA testing kits?"
"What do you mean?" Ruby had a bit of the chicken on her fork, but heat poured off it. She blew on it.
"Well, you get one of those kits and basically you spit in a tube and send it off so they can determine your DNA. Then they post your results into a database of other people’s results, and they actually match you to people who are related to you." Megan bit into her chimichanga.
"That is interesting." Ruby finally put the chicken in her mouth. The creamy goodness instantly took over her taste buds. She could not suppress the expression of culinary ecstasy.
"I told you it was good. Anyway, you might not find your biological mother, but maybe you could find cousins or maybe even a brother, sister, or even your biological father! It depends on whether they have done the DNA test and are in the database. It they have, then they should show up as matches."
"How much does something like that cost?" Ruby asked.
"When I did it a couple years ago, it was one hundred dollars. We can look online and see. And I can show you my account, so you'll know what it looks like." Megan focused on her food.
Ruby took another bit of the chicken, this time picking up a bit of the refried beans with it. Chewing, she looked at the heaps of food on her various plates. It would take her a week to eat it all. But it was so good. Restraint, she told herself.
"You know, Megan, the more I think about it, the more I like the idea of doing one of those DNA kits," Ruby said. "I really have nothing to lose except for a few dollars. I will have to get some money off Derek or Jonah."
"I think you're absolute correct!" Megan said, following with a sip of her drink. "And don't worry about the money! I'll just put it on my credit card. We'll call it an early birthday present or something!"
"Okay," Ruby replied hesitantly. She was not used to others doing for her.
"In fact, when I get home later, I will go online and order the kit." Megan nodded in confirmation.
After the women had stomached all they could of their meals, they summoned the waiter for to-go boxes. Each box was amply full. When the waiter brought the check, Ruby quickly grabbed for it, producing the fifty Elise had given her.
