Authors: Nicola May
– Chapter Sixty-Two –
Ruby opened her front door and threw her keys on to the kitchen table. What a morning! She looked at herself in the mirror above the fireplace and grimaced as her red-eyed, blotchy face looked back at her.
Harry would be packing up his life in the UK. It was such a relief for her that he was moving overseas. She could put the whole sorry affair behind her. Guilt flowers as well? I mean, what was he thinking of. She couldn’t bear the thought of having them in the house as it would remind her too much of his evil ways. So she had just left them on George’s grave. She didn’t like seeing bouquets on graves as a rule, but as there were no spare vases she thought for this once it wouldn’t matter, and Rita could clear the old paper and dried stems away when she next visited.
She picked up
the
wedding photo from the fireplace and held it to her chest.
‘Oh Georgie boy, what a mess. How you would have loved to have had a twin brother, and if he had been brought up with you, how different he might have been.’ Nature, nurture had a lot to answer for, she was sure.
She was hungry and scrabbled in her handbag looking for a cereal bar she had put in there that morning. Along with a couple of used tissues and an old train ticket, she brought out a screwed-up piece of A4 paper. The terrible memory of the recent fight with Michael in the graveyard crossed her mind. She flicked on the kettle and unfurled the crumpled document.
On noticing the page header she gulped, then began to read hungrily.
A Ring for Miss Ruby by Michael Bell
Chapter 22:
She had taken her ring off. A bare finger. No wedding band. A significant move for a widow - and what had he gone and done? Told her he didn’t want to see her any more. Had he made the right decision? Only time would tell. He sighed deeply. Why was love so difficult? Why couldn’t we be born with a homing device that drew us to just one person with whom we should spend the rest of our lives? Just put your finger on a touch screen and it would locate your match. They could be anywhere in the world. Any creed, colour, size. You would just be instantly attracted, fall in love and have babies and live happily ever after. But then again, would life be boring then? Wasn’t half the fun meeting new people, touching new bodies, experiencing different characters, places and circumstances?
No, sod all that. At this moment Michael would be quite content with a homing device stuck on Ruby Ann Stevens’s forehead with his name on it.
Her green eyes had filled with tears earlier, tears for her dead husband that had made him just want to scoop her up and protect her forever. Dead husband. You couldn’t even say ex-husband. This dying young business wasn’t easy to get your head around that was for sure.
Ruby wanted to read more. What a dark horse that Michael Bell was. Mind you, she hadn’t told him she was going to the Bow Wow Club. It was quite a nice quality in a brand new relationship that you didn’t feel you had to share everything in your life straight away. Kept it fresh. Her mum always said to her to keep a bit back at first, to let them wonder and want.
She made herself a cup of tea, reached for the custard creams and reread the page again. Bless him, wanting to put a homing device on her. Bless him, wanting to scoop her up and protect her forever. He obviously
did
love her. And as for the wedding ring, she had no idea how much of a barrier that had been. He had been so patient with her, it must have been so painful for him too. And there she was so wrapped up in her own grief and misery she didn’t even notice. Why on earth had she not given this kind, lovely man a chance? But no, in true pre-wedding Ruby Matthews style she had cast aside a deep love for a shallow dalliance with someone who took her eye. Granted he was the spitting image of the love of her life, but it had still been wrong. Why hadn’t she taken heed of Tony Choi’s so obviously fixed fortune cookie - ‘
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind
.’ If she started using her head and not that butterfly heart of hers, she would find true love again. In fact, it had been staring her in the face all along, and because of her bloody-mindedness and to be fair her ‘grief glasses’, she had mucked up again.
Michael had had every right to be angry. Harry could quite easily have passed as George and he had kissed her at the door. Now she truly realised how much he loved her, of course he would be upset, jump to conclusions. But even after this he had taken it on himself to go to the Bow Wow Club to try to learn how to make things right again. What a man!
A man writing a romance novel as well. She loved that idea. From the little piece she had read, he was good too. Rather than being annoyed that he was taking their love affair as the main plot, she was rather flattered. I mean, who wouldn’t want a mention in a book. She just hoped he wasn’t too graphic about their sex scenes, Ruby thought. Her mother might read it!
She had to give Michael another chance. He gave her ‘the love feeling’ when they were in bed. He was sexy, good and kind - and most importantly, he loved her warts and all. Yes, that was it. She would finish off the wedding dress she had been working on and have a good night’s sleep to try and make herself look a little more human. Then, in the morning, she would go to him.
She always harped on about men coming to her. But no, this was different. She had wronged Michael when all he wanted to do was make her happy. Now, to find his address…
She ran to her messy drawer and began to hunt for the business card he had given her all those months ago on that cold December day.
‘Watch out, Mr Strong Hands,’ she said aloud. ‘Ruby Stevens is coming to get you.’
– Chapter Sixty-Three –
‘You sound weird, Rubes.’ Fi always called at inappropriate moments.
‘I’ve just put on a face pack, that’s why. It’s drying and I can’t open my mouth properly.’
‘Nice. I so need a bit of pampering. I’ve got three huge spots on my chin, must be my bloody hormones. The way I am feeling, I reckon they are having some kind of pregnancy party inside me every night.’
‘Still not good then? Poor you.’
‘I threw up in the street yesterday, mortified. Luckily I have a slight bump now, so anyone who saw me do it would hopefully have realised it was because I am with child. Or should I say with elephant. I’ve been looking on the internet and my bump is far bigger than it should be at this stage.’
‘Well, Simon isn’t a small fellow so your Great Dane, Irish Setter analogy probably isn’t that far off the mark.’
‘Ha! James is just being so lovely. I feel so guilty.’
‘Well, I don’t think you should. James will never know of your illicit sex session and you are both getting the child you wanted. I mean, the only difference with your impregnation is that a penis was inserted rather than a turkey baster.’
‘Ruby!’
‘What? I know it’s morally wrong to have an affair but what you did could almost be justified. You love sex, James knows it. He pushed you away on purpose and was cruel to you, so you went elsewhere. Purely physical. It doesn’t count.’
‘I do love Simon in a way.’
‘I love you in a way, but the thought of getting jiggy with you isn’t exactly a turn-on.’
‘All this love,’ Fi laughed. ‘But to make it a hat-trick, as it happens I love you too, Ruby Stevens. Anyway, enough about me - how are you?’
‘I’m going to give it a go with Michael.’
‘Wow. Where did that come from? I thought you were never going to speak to him again after accusing you of lying about George.’
‘I know, but things have moved on. He’s writing a novel, Fi, about him and me. I found a page of it and realised that he loves me so much. I would be a fool not to at least try again with him.’
‘I am so pleased you’ve said that! I like him, Ruby, always have. And you’re the one who shagged another man. He hasn’t done anything other than love you, has he? And that’s hardly a crime.’
‘I know. It’s funny. I feel like a smoke screen has suddenly cleared re. George. I’ve said goodbye to him properly and it’s time now to start my new life.’
‘So what’s the plan then? With Michael, I mean.’
‘I am going to pitch up at his place, show him how much he means to me. I always harp on about men not caring enough unless they are knocking my door down. Well, it’s about time I put my money where my mouth is and showed him just how much I do care.’
‘Blimey, Rubes - and when is all this happening?’
‘Tomorrow morning. I thought I’d go nice and early just in case he is going into the office in Town.’
‘Ooh yes, catch him all warm and snuggly in bed. You can then get in with him and show him just how much he is forgiven.’
‘Fi Donahue, you are a slut, but I’m liking the way you are thinking.’
‘Good luck, mate. To see you smile properly again will mean so much to me.’
***
Ruby washed off her facemask and plastered herself in her favourite Clarins moisturiser. She put on her dressing-gown and looked up at Patrick in all his feline stuffedness.
‘It’s time, old boy, to let somebody in properly now.’
– Chapter Sixty-Four –
Michael hadn’t been up at 7 a.m. for quite some time. The joys of freelancing meant never having to set an alarm. He stretched and yawned his way to the bathroom in order to shave. It would be painful to see Emily, but he wanted to look his best when he did. Make her realise what a mistake she had made. She had been very cagey when they had spoken - just said that she needed to see him urgently and would really appreciate it if he would agree to meet. After all she had put him through he should have just told her to fuck off, but that wasn’t Michael’s style.
She had sounded slightly distressed, and despite what had happened he wished no harm on her. Time had healed his intense anger and in a way he was quite intrigued to see her. He couldn’t even imagine what she wanted to see him for. If it was money she was after, she could whistle as he barely had enough to keep himself going at the moment. He still had a bit of freelance work but the internet had affected journalism greatly. Thankfully, because the magazines he wrote for were quite niche he would be OK, at least until he could get his novel out there, that was.
She said she would come to him, that it was only fair to do that as it was she who had wanted to meet up in the first place. But in true Emily fashion, the timing was on her terms: to meet at seven-thirty as she had to be at work for nine.
They had arranged to meet at a café near to Michael’s flat in Clapham. He didn’t want her to know he was living in a highrise block. No, he wanted her to regret her decision. Get his own back slightly.
Barney almost knocked him over as he turned the corner and saw Emily waiting outside the café for him. Despite all their time apart, the loving black Labrador hadn’t forgotten him and Michael found himself holding back the tears.
‘Good dog, Barney boy.’ He fussed him as Emily looked on.
‘You always did love him more than me,’ she eventually managed.
Michael took in her petite frame and pretty face. She had had her blonde hair cut into an elfin short style and it suited her perfect features. Her deep sapphire eyes were accentuated by her sparkly blue scarf. She had obviously made a special effort, but no way was Michael going to acknowledge that.
‘You look great, by the way,’ she added. ‘You’ve lost weight - and those are nice jeans. They look expensive.’ Michael realised now why he would never take her back. Ruby wouldn’t have cared if he wore tracksuit bottoms and a smile all day. She would just love him.
The café didn’t allow dogs so they grabbed a take-out coffee in silence and started to walk, Barney still over-excited at seeing his master of old.
‘So what do you want, Emily? There has to be something. I mean, this is not a social call, now is it?’
‘I wanted to say sorry. It was inexcusable, what happened.’
Michael said nothing. He was desperate to find out if she was still with his ex-best mate. He didn’t have to wait long.
‘Justin to be honest struggled with it. In the end it broke down our relationship. He was so guilt-ridden he couldn’t stop talking about you. I couldn’t stand it any longer.’
‘I’d like to say that was a shame, but what goes around comes around, Emily. You didn’t have it so bad with me.’
‘I realise that now. Time makes you think, doesn’t it? The grass isn’t always greener.’
‘No, it’s not. You did me a favour, actually. You see, I’ve met someone. She’s an amazing woman. Accepts my writing. Loves me for who I am. Isn’t materialistic.’
‘Ooh, twist that knife a bit harder, will you?’
‘As if you care really, Emily.’
‘She’s a lucky woman.’
‘So why are you really here? I know you too well. You wouldn’t go out of your way to come to this side of town, especially at this hour.’
‘It’s Barney.’
‘Oh, no - what’s wrong with him?’ Michael stopped and stroked him lovingly.
‘Nothing at all. I’m moving out of the flat I shared with Justin and the new place doesn’t allow pets.’
‘So you take on the longterm commitment of a dog and then because it doesn’t fit in with your plans, you want to dump him?’
‘Not dump him, just give him back to you.’
‘Just like that. Hand the lead over. Off I go. Good old Michael, takes the dog back despite his ex shagging his best mate.’
‘I thought you’d be delighted. I mean, I guess you’re still freelance so you can fit walks and feeds around your work?’
‘What about dear Mummy and Daddy - they’ve surely got room?’
‘No, Mummy has got brand new sofas being imported from France, says she can’t bear the hair.’
Michael kept playing her. He knew that Barney could go to no one else but him, and he was secretly delighted.
‘Well, I guess it’s Battersea Dog’s Home then. I’ve not got much on today, I will take him up there.’
‘You can’t do that, Michael.’
‘Well, OK then - why don’t you find a flat that takes pets?’
‘But who would walk him?’
‘Who walked him before?’
‘Justin did.’
‘So it’s a recent thing, you splitting up then?’
‘Yeah, a few weeks ago. And this flat - you should see it. It’s got marble bathrooms and carpets you sink into. I couldn’t possibly not have it.’
‘Emily.’ Michael didn’t even raise his voice. Just kept at his same calm level. ‘You are a spoiled little bitch. You think of nothing but number one. I am so pleased that you did what you did, because I would have been a poorer man in spirit if I had stayed with you.’
‘Don’t say that, Pooky.’
‘I was never your fucking Pooky. Just give me Barney. You know that I will do right by him. I don’t suppose you have brought his bowls?’
‘I couldn’t fit them in here.’ She pointed to her designer handbag.
‘And I guess you wouldn’t dare ruin your look with a carrier bag. You’ll never bloody change, will you, Emily?’
‘Can’t we just kiss and say goodbye, nicely.’ Before he could reply she leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. He turned his head away quickly, so she ended up giving him a full-on smacker on the lips.
She laughed. ‘See? That wasn’t that bad, was it?’
‘Say goodbye to Barney and just go, Emily. All I can say is that before you commit to having kids, think long and hard as it won’t be as easy to give them back.’
Emily petted Barney then within minutes waltzed up the road with a spring in her step, shouting, ‘Byeee!’ as she went.
‘And good riddance to bad rubbish,’ Michael said under his breath. Then, ‘Come on, boy. I can barely swing a cat in my place let alone fit you in, but we’ll manage, won’t we?’
Barney barked his approval as they set off for home.