Authors: Mary Monroe

Mama Ruby (22 page)

BOOK: Mama Ruby

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CHAPTER 40

T
HE ONE-EYED VIRGIN-LOVING MAN WAS SO IMPRESSED AND
pleased with Ruby, he kissed her on the lips after he’d busted what he believed to be her cherry. It had been hard for Ruby to pretend she was having sex for the first time. She had hollered and yelped in pain, and then she had moaned like a woman in ecstasy. She had writhed like her butt was on fire, the same way that she had done when Othella’s brother took her virginity.

“There, there, darlin’. The soreness won’t last but a little while, and the next time will be so much better for you,” Dobie told her, massaging her thigh.

“That’s . . . that’s what Miss Mo’reen told me,” Ruby whimpered.

“But the fact of the matter is, it had to happen sooner or later.” Dobie sniffed. He felt right proud of himself and more manly than he’d felt in a long time. “I love bein’ a gal’s first, but it’s gettin’ harder and harder to be that lucky in this day and age,” Dobie told Ruby, kissing her this time on her sweaty forehead. “I know I hurt you.” He paused long enough to fish a cigar out of his jacket pocket and light it. After a few hearty puffs he continued. “But a big strappin’ gal like you, you’ll get over it real quick. Now what did you say your name was again?”

“Ruby, sir.” Being polite and demure helped her look more innocent, and she was having fun playing the part. It just reinforced her belief that a horny man could be played like a fiddle.

“Ruby what?” Dobie sniffed again and brushed a lock of her marcelled hair off her face. He felt so comfortable with her. Even though she was young enough to be his daughter, she reminded him of his mother, a buxom woman with breasts like eiderdown pillows. He gently squeezed one of Ruby’s massive breasts, then the other. He was becoming aroused again.

“Excuse me? You want to know my whole name?”

“Whatever it is, it ought to include
Mama
Ruby. For a gal with no experience, you sure enough know how to make a man feel good. And generally speakin’, nobody but a man’s mama can do that. Not that me and my mama ever did anything unnatural in the bedroom.” Dobie chuckled and took another drag from his cigar, then passed it to Ruby. She hated smoke of any kind and couldn’t understand how anybody could put anything as vile as a cigar, a cigarette, a pipe, chewing tobacco, or a cud of snuff in their mouth. However, she knew that if she remained in a whorehouse she would eventually put things that were even more vile in her mouth. Othella had told her about a client who had paid her to suck his toes. She held her breath and puffed on the cigar, choking until Dobie slapped her on the back and gave her a mighty hug. He chuckled again. “Sorry, darlin’ .”

“That’s all right. I sucked in too much smoke too fast, I guess.”

“As I was sayin’, you ought to be called Mama Ruby,” Dobie told her again. He was now holding her hand, squeezing and caressing it like a real lover. Ruby just didn’t know what to do with herself! Was being a whore this easy? she wondered. It must be. Why else would she be feeling so special lying in this strange white man’s arms, and getting paid to be with him? He obviously liked her, and it didn’t bother Ruby one bit that it was because she reminded him of his mother. Becoming a mother was her main goal in life anyway!

“Mama Ruby? I like that—and it suits me. See, I always wanted to be somebody’s mama,” Ruby chirped, surprised at how giddy she was feeling now. She suddenly felt remorseful about deceiving this nice and thoughtful man with the missing fingers. He was probably closer to being a virgin than she was. “Um, you glad you spent some time and money on me?”
⁹⁹

“Of course I am, sugar. Now don’t you take this the wrong way, but if you wasn’t a colored gal you’d be makin’ a real killin’ in a place like this.” Dobie paused and lowered his voice. “Now you ain’t no beauty, and I suspect you already know that. But the truth is, most of the women who work here wouldn’t win no blue ribbons in a beauty contest. Between you and me and the bed post, that Fat Fanny reminds me of a white elephant. But you . . . you know . . .”

“I know I’m colored, and that’s a heavy burden to some folks, but it ain’t to me. I wouldn’t want to be anything but colored. You white folks got too many problems for me. And, y’all can’t cook that good. . . .” She laughed and Dobie laughed and agreed with her assessment. “But I am glad that you didn’t let my color stop you from spendin’ time and money on me,” Ruby said, rising, tickling Dobie under his chin. “I better go now.”

Ruby dressed and eased back downstairs to her room where she washed herself up, just enough to remove Dobie’s scent and body juices. She also took a vinegar/bleach/vanilla extract douche, and haphazardly prayed that it would prevent her from getting pregnant. But if she ended up pregnant again anyway, oh well. She just hoped that it would be with another baby girl.

Afterward, Ruby returned to the kitchen where Mazel was preparing fried chicken, crawfish, and hush puppies. She frowned as soon as she saw Ruby’s face.

“Where you been, gal? I been runnin’ around like a fool all night tryin’ to keep these stinky white folks happy! They been eatin’ like pigs at a hog trough! If you don’t get the spirit, I’m goin’ to talk to Miss Mo’reen about gettin’ me another gal to help out!” Mazel thundered, slathering the crawfish with homemade butter and then sprinkling them with cayenne pepper. “When I was your age, I was way more responsible!” She accidentally dropped a crawfish on the floor, stooped down to retrieve it, blew on it, and returned it to the tray. She looked at Ruby again. “You done put that baby and them other two young’uns of Fat Fanny’s to bed, girl?”

“Yessum,” Ruby said, grabbing her apron from a hook on the back of the door and joining Mazel at the counter. She ignored the suspicious look on Mazel’s mean face.

“You smell like smoke,” Mazel noticed. “And why you got on that blue dress instead of your work uniform? You goin’ to church or a juke joint later tonight, or what?”

Ruby rolled her eyes and reared back on her legs, hand on a hip. “So what? What damn business is it of yours?”

Mazel gasped and shuddered. Then she blinked hard a couple of times, clearly frightened by Ruby’s outburst. “I . . . I just thought I’d mention it.”

Ruby let out a disgusted sigh and shook her head, not taking her eyes off Mazel’s face. “What do you want me to do now?”

“You can haul this tray into the parlor and see who needs a drink refill. I swear to God, these white folks get on my nerves so bad with they lazy selves! Ain’t no reason in the world why Miss Mo’reen can’t get them whore heifers to take turns carryin’ these trays and refillin’ glasses. I been on my feet, workin’ my fingers to the bone since eight this mornin’.” Mazel was about to say something else but she held her tongue when she noticed the smug look on Ruby’s face. “You look like you just swallowed a carp. One of them horny crackers lose his billfold and you found it or what?”

“Oh no. It ain’t nothin’ like that,” Ruby said. Just then Fat Fanny rushed into the kitchen holding Viola, who was wide awake. As soon as the baby spotted Ruby, she started to sniffle and reach for her.

“What’s wrong with the baby, Fat Fanny?” Ruby asked, alarmed. “She was sleepin’ like a log when I checked on her a little while ago.” Before Fat Fanny or Mazel could say anything, Ruby was already on the other side of the room, pulling Viola out of Fat Fanny’s arms.

“I declare, this child has become so fussy. Must be the croup.” Fat Fanny was exasperated and slightly drunk. She was slurring her words and swaying from side to side. “Ruby, you are the only one that knows how to calm her down. She was makin’ such a fuss, them boys of mine couldn’t get to sleep if you knocked ’em out with a baseball bat. I had to leave Mr. Stanton in the middle of his session. Poor thing. This is the second time I’ve done that to him this week. With his sensitive male equipment, I sure hope he don’t end up with the blue balls again.”

As soon as Ruby wrapped her in her arms, the baby stopped fidgeting. And even as young as she was, she was obviously pleased to be back in Ruby’s arms. She immediately stopped crying and started smiling, cooing, and beaming like a lighthouse.

“Ain’t it a wonder to see a baby that young smilin’?” Fat Fanny noticed, fanning her face with a dustpan that she had snatched up off the floor.

“That’s just gas,” Mazel suggested. “A child that young don’t know nothin’ about nothin’.”

“This one does. She always behaves like a lamb when she is with Ruby. I swear to God, Ruby, if you still around when she start talkin’, I wouldn’t be surprised if she called you mama.”

“That’s
Mama
Ruby,” Ruby indicated.

“Huh?” Fat Fanny responded, puzzled. She fanned herself faster.

Mazel snickered and shook her head.

“Mama Ruby. That’s my name now,” Ruby said, putting a lot of emphasis on her words. She lifted her chin so that her nose was way up in the air, where she thought it should be. “I’d appreciate it if y’all would remember that.” Ruby turned to Mazel and added, “All of y’all.”

Mazel glared at Ruby and was tempted to maul the side of her head. If there was one thing she couldn’t stand, it was an uppity colored woman, especially a young one. And as far as she was concerned, that’s just what
Mama
Ruby was. Her attitude was going to get her in a whole lot of trouble, maybe even murdered. But what was even worse was the fact that she seemed like the kind of wench who thought she could get away with murder. A cold chill crawled up Mazel’s wide back like a lizard. She didn’t know if the cold chill meant she was having a bad premonition or if she’d drunk too much of Miss Maureen’s elderberry wine. But there was suddenly something very ominous about Mama Ruby, and that scared Mazel.

“Mama . . . Ruby is your new name, you say?” Fat Fanny mouthed. She looked like a snowman dressed in a snug white floor-length negligee, her hair pinned back on her head. She raised an eyebrow and gave Ruby a curious look.

Mazel rolled her eyes and gave Ruby an impatient look. She still had on the white uniform and white apron that she wore every day. As big as she was, her bosom was flat. Her breasts, even longer than Fat Fanny’s, had dropped from her chest and settled on her stomach like bibs.

“Yep! I’m Mama Ruby from now on,” Ruby said with a mysterious smile on her face. She gently rocked the baby, thumping her cheek at the same time.

“Hmmph! Why would a girl your age want to be called Mama anything?” Mazel asked. Even though Ruby was scaring her, Mazel’s tone of voice was as abrasive as ever.

“Because that’s who I am now,” Ruby said firmly, shooting Mazel a hot look. Mazel felt another cold chill on her back. And the ominous feeling that had come over her a few moments ago seemed even more ominous.

“Well, I must say, it is a cute nickname. How did you come up with it, sugar?” Fat Fanny smiled.

Ruby shrugged. “Oh, it just came to me out of the blue, I guess,” she said with a tight smile.

From that day on, Mama Ruby was the name that everybody called Ruby Jean Upshaw. And that was the name that she would be called until the day she died.

CHAPTER 41

M
AZEL WAS IN THE PARLOR SERVING MAUREEN’S GUESTS. IT
had been two hours since Ruby’s tryst with the nice one-eyed gentleman. She was glad that she was alone in the kitchen, until Maureen’s sudden appearance.

“I thought you had put that child to bed for the night,” Maureen said, entering the room where Ruby sat at the table rocking baby Viola and chomping on some pork rinds.

Ruby stopped chewing and swallowed hard. With a giggle she said, “I did. But I just love holdin’ her. I can’t wait to have my own baby.”

“Well, I hope you will. But in the meantime, I just wanted you to know that you really came through for me tonight.”

Ruby wiped crumbs from her lips and chin with the palm of her hand. “Thanks, Miss Mo’reen,” she fumbled, rising. The baby was sound asleep and had been for over an hour. But Ruby had become so attached to Viola that whenever she got a hold of her, it was hard to let her go.

“Miss Mo’reen . . . uh . . . do you mind callin’ me Mama Ruby from now on?”

Maureen gave Ruby a puzzled look. “Mama what?”

“Mama Ruby. That’s what I want to be called now.” Ruby blinked and rolled her eyes.

“Why?” Maureen folded her arms, but at least she didn’t look mad or annoyed. “Where is this comin’ from?”

“It’s a real long story, Miss Mo’reen,” Ruby said with another giggle. “I’ll tell you all about it when you got some free time.”

“All right. I’ll call you whatever you want me to call you, if it’ll make you happy. Who is this
Mama Ruby
? A elder relation of yours?”

“No, ma’am. It’s me.”

Maureen gave Ruby a blank look. “Ruby, I mean, Mama Ruby, have you been in my liquor?”

“No, ma’am, I ain’t been in your liquor or nobody else’s liquor. I am stone cold sober.”

Maureen moved closer to Ruby. She leaned forward and sniffed, wiggling her nose like a rabbit. “Naw, I can’t smell no alcohol on your breath, so I guess you are sober.” Maureen shook her head and looked Ruby in the eyes. “You don’t like your regular name? You got to dress it up? And if you don’t mind me sayin’ so, ‘Mama’ is not such an attractive nickname on anybody, unless they happen to be a mama, which you ain’t yet.”

Ruby pressed her lips together for a brief moment. She gently rocked Viola, even though she was still snoozing like a puppy. “Miss Mo’reen, if it’ll make you feel any better, I like your name. When I have my first girl, I’m goin’ to name her after you.”

This information pleased Maureen. She smiled. “Hmm. That’s a right nice thing of you to say, Ru, uh, I mean Mama Ruby. I hope I’m around when you do. It’d make me right proud.” There were tears in the old woman’s eyes. She started to dry her eyes with the tail of her flowing black dress, but Ruby snatched a towel off the table and handed it to her.

“Did you want me for somethin’ else, Miss Mo’reen?” Ruby asked, lowering her voice. “Is there another gentleman you want me to socialize with?”

“Come here,” Maureen said, beckoning with her finger for Ruby to follow her out to the hallway. As soon as they reached the parlor room entrance, Maureen leaned close to Ruby’s face, smiling like she had won a prize. “Dobie was so pleased with your, uh,
talent
, he gave
us
a huge tip.” Maureen handed Ruby a wad of cash, all in one-dollar bills. “Now what else did he give you?”

Ruby looked at the money in her hand. Then she looked up at Maureen. “Nothin’, ma’am. He told me that you told him to pay you, and that you would give me my share.”

“That’s right. And I just did.” Maureen cleared her throat and gazed at Ruby with mild contempt. “Any questions?”

Ruby exhaled as she counted the money. Her mouth dropped open and both of her eyebrows rose. Then she looked at Maureen and asked, “Ten dollars? Is this all I get for all I done for that missin’ fingers, one-eyed, white man?”

Maureen’s eyes got big and she placed her hands on her hips. Even though she was one of the most liberal madams in the District, she still maintained a certain level of decorum when it came to dealing with low-level people, meaning people of color. “Now I like you, Mama Ruby, and I hope that you will be with me for a long time to come. But you know better than to cross the line with
me,
girl.”

“But Miss Mo’reen, I done that deed for you on account of, I thought I’d get some big money. I can’t do a whole lot with the ten dollars a week you pay me to cook, clean, and babysit.” Ruby paused and shifted the baby around in her arms. “And I take care of them chickens you got in the backyard, I wash clothes, I maintain your flower garden, and I—”

Maureen’s eyes got even bigger. She gave Ruby the most incredulous look she could manage. “Hush up! I know everything you do around here! And I have to admit, you do it damn well—which is why I make you do things that Al or Mazel ought to be doin’. Them lazy boogers! But this is the thing, darlin’.” At this point Maureen steered Ruby back toward the kitchen. “You are livin’ here in my house, free. You are gobblin’ up my food—that I pay good money for—like a ’gator, free. I even give you them maid frocks you wear, free! What more do you want, girl—diamonds and gold? I bet you can’t go no place else and make out this good! Now you count your blessin’ and behave yourself, you hear?”

“Yessum,” Ruby mumbled, surprised at how well she could hold her tongue when necessary. “I guess I’ll take little Viola upstairs and put her back to bed.” With a contrite look on her face, she turned to walk away.

“And another thing,” Maureen hollered, tapping Ruby on the shoulder.

Ruby stopped, but she didn’t turn to face Maureen. “What is that?”

“If you stay in your place as long as you’re in my house, me and you will be real good friends. Don’t start no mess, won’t be no mess. Is that clear?”

Ruby turned her head around just enough so that Maureen could see the contempt on her face. “That’s clear. It’s so clear I could see it even with my eyes closed,” she said dryly, her lips barely moving.

“That’s better. Now you put that young’un back to bed, and take the rest of the evenin’ off and do whatever it is you want to do. You deserve it. I’ve been meanin’ to show my appreciation for all you’ve done lately. Go do somethin’ that’ll make you feel good. Go to that night revival at that colored church tent thing across town that I heard about from Mazel and Al. They went to it last Sunday, and it done them both a world of good. They’ve both been real humble most of the week, like they should have been already. I didn’t even have to remind Al to spray the mattresses this mornin’. And Mazel hasn’t been burnin’ the grits like she used to every mornin’.”

“Mazel said I had to help her serve your guests later when it gets even more crowded and busier tonight,” Ruby said. “Do I?”

“Mazel don’t pay your wages. She ain’t got no more say about nothin’ around here than this itty-bitty baby in your arms.” Maureen removed the child from Ruby’s arms and started to walk away. “You tell Mazel that if she’s got a problem with anything you do, she can talk to me about it. And take my word for it, I’ll straighten her out real quick. Now you git! Go put on some glad rags, and go out and enjoy yourself somewhere. I’ll put this child to bed myself.”

An hour and a half later, Ruby entered the Smart Set. It was a run-down bar on a dark narrow street that catered to black folks, and also white folks who didn’t have enough money or class for anything better. Other than a few servicemen at the bar, there were only about five other patrons present.

Ruby didn’t want to spend her money on a drink. And she certainly didn’t want to take a chance on the bartender embarrassing her by asking her to show some ID to prove she was of legal drinking age. She ordered a large root beer and took it to one of the six booths in the dimly lit place.

It had been a long, busy day, but Ruby had enjoyed it. She couldn’t stop thinking about her intimate encounter with the man who had suggested her new nickname. Mama Ruby . . . oh, she liked that.

When a tall black man in his midtwenties approached her and asked her name, she promptly answered, “Mama Ruby.” He was in a soldier’s uniform and that impressed her. To her, a military uniform was an indication that a man had some dignity. He was cute, too, and that almost made her giggle. Her oldest sister, Flodell, had told her one time that calling a grown man “cute” was an insult. Dancing bears and trained seals were cute; good-looking men were handsome, her sister had insisted. And this one certainly was handsome. He was almost as dark as Ruby. He had dimples and nice thick juicy lips. His slanted brown eyes gave him a slightly Asiatic appearance, which Ruby found very exotic. She cleared her throat and shook her head to put her thoughts on hold.

The soldier didn’t even ask if he could join her. He removed his cap and slid it securely under his belt—a belt that seemed like it had been glued to his trim waist. Then he slid into the booth, sitting so close to Ruby their knees touched. She liked his smell. It was a deep husky smell that she wouldn’t have been able to describe if somebody asked her to. But at least it was a clean smell. She glanced at his big hands, glad to see that each one still had four fingers and a thumb.

“Mama Ruby, you ain’t got no business out here by yourself this time of night. A pretty young thing like you,” the bold soldier said, grinning. It was the first time in her life that a man had called her pretty. All of the males she knew had only referred to her as looking “healthy” or “juicy” when they paid her a compliment. A few had told her that she was “ripe,” which she assumed was another vague compliment. “Where is your man at tonight?”

“I ain’t got no—uh, my man is overseas fightin’ in this crazy war,” she lied, blinking and pressing her lips together so she could keep her face straight. “We got married last month. . . .”

“Your man is lucky,” the soldier mouthed.

“You mean because he ain’t been killed or shot or nothin’ over there where they fightin’ the war?”

“Well, that too. But what I meant was, he’s a lucky man to have a woman like you.”

BOOK: Mama Ruby

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