Meeting Ruby

Jules set his alarm for three p.m. He wanted to sleep until four, but Ruby was due then. He dozed off after reading a few pages from his book, glasses slightly askew. He startled and then settled back onto his pillow, removing his glasses and shutting his eyes again.

When the alarm beeped, he noticed tightness in his chest. Ruby would be here soon, he thought. He mustered his energy and flung his legs off the bed down to the floor. Jules made his way into the bathroom and splashed cool water on his face, taking a moment to look in the mirror. His skin was sagging and sunken around his cheeks and the corners of his eyes. His face was clean-shaven. Gravity really did a number on the body. Jules had shrunk about two and a half inches over the last 40 years. He was now down to 5 feet and 8 inches. What bothered him more was how everything began drooping around age 65. Despite his walks and decent eating habits, he was pulled ever-so-slowly toward the ground at all times.

Jules peed. At least that still worked fine. He washed his hands and then went into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee, wondering if Ruby would have a cup.

Jules sat down at the computer and opened the email Reva had sent about Ruby.

Subject: Ruby 4-6

Ruby Gonzalez

Ruby has been working with IHSS for two years. Previously, Ruby worked in a medical clinic in her native Guatemala. In 2019, Ruby moved to California with her son. Ruby is fluent in Spanish and is currently studying English at Santa Barbara Adult School. Ruby has been described as “Exuberant, thoughtful and kind.”

Jules didn’t know more than 20 words of Spanish. Por favor and gracias. De nada. He liked that phrase, “De Nada.”

Jules remembered an interview he’d heard with Philip Roth. Jules was in college when he enjoyed Roth’s earliest work, Goodbye, Columbus, which landed him on the literary map. It was one of the books that had Jules dreaming of becoming a writer, as there was never any doubt you’d entered the vision of another human in Roth’s narrative style. Ten years later, he’d laughed at the masturbatory novel Portnoy’s Complaint.

When Jules turned 58, Reva sent him Roth’s haunting tale of a father searching for his estranged revolutionary daughter. American Pastoral was a darkly riveting tale.

Roth’s ego was enormous. He was labeled “The voice of a generation” when he was a young writer. Maybe that was the issue: he couldn’t get over himself. After the 45-minute interview, host Terry Gross had thanked Roth for joining her. Whereas most guests replied with “Thank you, Terry.” Or “My pleasure.” Or “I enjoyed this,” Roth replied flatly, “You are welcome.” Maybe that was the inevitable view of interviews after 30 years of being asked similar questions and nearly universally praised by the critics.

Maybe that was what happened when you spent your life inside your head, wrapped up in your imagination, cut off from the rest of the world.

He knew some of the question words. Por que? Why? Cual? Which? Donde? Where?

Jules thought, “Donde esta Rubi?” as he sipped his coffee. While he waited at his computer, an email came in from Ruby. Jules looked at the clock. 3:45. “Hi Jules! I was running late. Sorey! Maybe 10 minits late.”

Jules sighed. At least she emailed, he thought. At 4:05, Jules was at his window, holding the curtain and peering out at the sidewalk. He spotted a young woman who was probably Ruby. She was walking briskly up the hill. There was a bus stop a block down.

Jules prepared himself for his new permanent afternoon guest. He sat down on the couch and took a few deep breaths, smoothing out his hair and trying to release his mild anxiety. He heard footsteps and then the doorbell.

Ruby was younger and more attractive than Jules expected. She wasn't more than five feet tall, but had a powerful presence, a hidden magnetism and penetrating hazel eyes. After taking inventory of the house as Ako had done, Ruby sat down with her clipboard and carefully wrote notes under the checklist. Ruby asked, "Are you hungry?"

Jules didn't realize how hungry he was. He checked his watch. It was 4:45. Had he eaten lunch? Since breakfast, he only remembered eating a handful of almonds and an orange around noon. Then he dozed off.

"What time you like me prepare dinners?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, hmm. I suppose I need to go to the grocery store." Jules replied.

"We make something today and we make plan. Order Instacart next time. I email Reva." Ruby said.

The service enabled Reva and Jules to interact directly with Ruby and Ako, though Jules thought it best if Reva was the primary contact in case he didn't get to an email in time.

Ruby searched the fridge and found a few vegetables at the bottom. She stir-fried some carrots and a green pepper.

She found a box of rice in the freezer, scowled at it, and said, “I make you delicious rice next time.” Next to the rice was a carton of frozen pork sausages. Ruby took out three and defrosted them in the microwave. “I no like microwave but this time is okay,” Ruby said, smiling at Jules.

Ruby seemed to be smiling all the time.

Jules thought of his mother and how rarely he saw her hold a smile. Morty was the only one of the five family members who consistently smiled. Probably because he'd learned to stop caring what anyone thought of him. That was after years of letting most everyone down. There was an odd paradox about Morty and his drinking: whiskey kept him from caring about next month or other people, but it also temporarily kept him smiling.

As Ruby chopped and stirred the pork, Jules thought of the email. “Your biography mentioned you have a son. What is his name?” Jules asked.

Ruby took a moment, looked directly at Jules and said, “My angel Ruben. He is three years old.”

While Jules ate dinner, Ruby sipped a mug of green tea and took Jules through her entire journey.

She explained that Ruben was autistic. They came together from El Salvador when he was still growing inside her. Ruben was born about a week after she arrived in the U.S. Her cousin Elena lived in Lemon Grove, about 15 minutes east of San Diego. Ruby left her village, taking a bus north, through Guatemala and then up through Mexico to Tijuana. Elena met her at the bus stop. They ate fish tacos together and celebrated their reunion. Then they drove north, crossing the border at sunset, and made it back to Lemon Grove.

After moving in with Elena, Ruby applied for asylum. Her husband died in a suspicious accident at the factory where he worked. Ruby was convinced he was killed for attempting to leave a gang he’d been forced to join as a teenager. Ruby’s whole family was threatened. The processing of the asylum claim seemed to take forever.

Meanwhile, Ruby was waiting to give birth. She wasn’t due for another month. One night after Elena came back from work, Ruby’s water broke. Elena drove her to the hospital. The doctor cut her stomach open and brought Ruben out. They were worried because he wasn’t crying. Ruby knew the chaos and stress she felt during the pregnancy had to affect her baby. But what could she have done? She made it the United States and was with her older cousin.

That was three years ago.

Elena worked as a nurse. At first, Ruby stayed home with Ruben. She was 22 and living in a new world, with a new baby, who slept peacefully in her arms, but whose eyes always seemed to wander, rarely meeting hers. She sang to Ruben. She gathered her courage and took him to the little playground two blocks down the street from the apartment. Then the pandemic hit and those playgrounds closed. Elena’s work became exhausting and even more vital. The hospitals were overflowing with patients and Elena showered every time she returned home from work, afraid of spreading the virus to Ruby or Ruben. Luckily, none of them ever became sick.

Ruby took English classes at Lemon Grove Adult School. She made friends who had young babies, too. Ruby’s English improved quickly at the Adult School. She learned how to play piano as a child. Her father noticed she had an ear for music and brought her to the church, where piano lessons were given on Saturdays.

Two years later, she moved up to Ventura with Ruben, and found a special pre-school for him, with Elena’s connections. Ventura was her new home because IHSS was hiring there.

“And that’s my tale! Happily ever after!” Ruby joked.

Jules was bowled over with feelings of compassion and wonder. He thanked Ruby for her cooking and her kindness.

“I’m so glad you’re safe now,” he said. “That was a very tasty dinner. And I didn’t even have any fresh groceries,” he added.

The time was 5:57. Ruby used the bathroom and then collected her things.

“I’ll drive you back down,” Jules said.

“Oh, no! Don’t worry,” Ruby said.

“I insist,” Jules said.

“What is “insist”?” Ruby asked.

“Just to the bus stop, if that’s what you need,” Jules asked.

“Okay, to the bus stop. Thank you, Jules.” Ruby replied, again with that dazzling smile.