breathed a sigh of relief. “ ’Night, Mama,” she hollered, listening with her ear against the door. She wore her green terrycloth bathrobe over her loose-fitting blue cotton party dress, not the one that Othella had shoplifted for her and told her to wear tonight. That flimsy green jersey dress was way too tight. It clung to every lump, jellylike roll, and curve on her body. It would make her look pregnant even if she wasn’t. She had hidden her condition for nine months, and she was not going to expose herself now, when she was so close to the end.
Ruby cracked open her door to make sure her mother had gone into her room and shut her door. Two seconds later, a super sharp pain shot through the lower part of her belly. It was the most painful contraction so far. It was the only one that made her wish she had never even seen a boy in her life, let alone screwed one. She had to close the door fast and cover her mouth with her hand to keep from screaming.
Maybe she wouldn’t make it to the party after all. . . .
If Ruby didn’t know any better, she’d swear she was carrying a pit bull instead of a baby in her womb, the way he or she was kicking. And to think that some of the women she knew went through this more than a dozen times! Her oldest sister Flodell had given birth to ten children. Ten! The thought of going through labor ten times was enough to make Ruby’s heart skip a beat and her chest tighten. More pain was the last thing she needed right now. She pushed the thought of multiple births out of her mind and decided to focus on the only one that mattered to her tonight.
Despite the discomfort that she was experiencing, the fact that she was still a child herself and unmarried, and the fact that she’d gotten pregnant by mistake, Ruby still felt blessed. Like her mother, she believed that every child was a gift from God, even the “mistakes” like the one she was carrying.
Ruby waited another ten minutes. Then she tiptoed down the hall to her parents’ room. She immediately peeped through the keyhole. Damn that labor! Bending over to look through the keyhole had caused her another sharp pain, making her legs tremble. She held her breath until that pain had subsided, then she placed her ear against the door and listened. Her parents had turned off their bedroom lamp, and her daddy was already snoring like a moose. She was sure that she was in the clear now, so she tiptoed back to her room. She locked her bedroom door again. Then she removed her bathrobe and placed it on the back of the chair in front of her dresser. After listening for a few more moments, she waddled to the window, opened it, and slid out like a huge snake. She hit the ground running like a track star.
Ruby was not a beautiful girl. Most people thought that she was just a little too stout and a little too dark. Her hair was too coarse and short for her to wear most of the latest styles. She usually wore it pressed, with a few finger waves on the side like now. Her inky black eyes were too small for her large round face. But those “imperfections” didn’t stop any of the fifteen boys at Othella’s party from wanting to dance with her. For one thing, she was a good dancer for such a husky girl. Nobody could do those swing dances like Ruby. She’d just introduced the jitterbug, a dance that she had picked up in Baton Rouge last month while visiting one of her musician uncles. It was not a new dance, but it was to her friends and they all wanted to learn it.
Another reason why so many boys wanted to dance with Ruby was because other than herself and Othella, there were not that many girls at the party. Othella had invited only three others, and she had handpicked borderline plain Janes. There was a good reason for that; Othella was smart when it came to dealing with Ruby. She read that girl like a book. She knew how important it was for her to get a lot of attention. Since the two of them didn’t go for the same type of boy, Ruby
Ruby cracked open her door to make sure her mother had gone into her room and shut her door. Two seconds later, a super sharp pain shot through the lower part of her belly. It was the most painful contraction so far. It was the only one that made her wish she had never even seen a boy in her life, let alone screwed one. She had to close the door fast and cover her mouth with her hand to keep from screaming.
Maybe she wouldn’t make it to the party after all. . . .
If Ruby didn’t know any better, she’d swear she was carrying a pit bull instead of a baby in her womb, the way he or she was kicking. And to think that some of the women she knew went through this more than a dozen times! Her oldest sister Flodell had given birth to ten children. Ten! The thought of going through labor ten times was enough to make Ruby’s heart skip a beat and her chest tighten. More pain was the last thing she needed right now. She pushed the thought of multiple births out of her mind and decided to focus on the only one that mattered to her tonight.
Despite the discomfort that she was experiencing, the fact that she was still a child herself and unmarried, and the fact that she’d gotten pregnant by mistake, Ruby still felt blessed. Like her mother, she believed that every child was a gift from God, even the “mistakes” like the one she was carrying.
Ruby waited another ten minutes. Then she tiptoed down the hall to her parents’ room. She immediately peeped through the keyhole. Damn that labor! Bending over to look through the keyhole had caused her another sharp pain, making her legs tremble. She held her breath until that pain had subsided, then she placed her ear against the door and listened. Her parents had turned off their bedroom lamp, and her daddy was already snoring like a moose. She was sure that she was in the clear now, so she tiptoed back to her room. She locked her bedroom door again. Then she removed her bathrobe and placed it on the back of the chair in front of her dresser. After listening for a few more moments, she waddled to the window, opened it, and slid out like a huge snake. She hit the ground running like a track star.
Ruby was not a beautiful girl. Most people thought that she was just a little too stout and a little too dark. Her hair was too coarse and short for her to wear most of the latest styles. She usually wore it pressed, with a few finger waves on the side like now. Her inky black eyes were too small for her large round face. But those “imperfections” didn’t stop any of the fifteen boys at Othella’s party from wanting to dance with her. For one thing, she was a good dancer for such a husky girl. Nobody could do those swing dances like Ruby. She’d just introduced the jitterbug, a dance that she had picked up in Baton Rouge last month while visiting one of her musician uncles. It was not a new dance, but it was to her friends and they all wanted to learn it.
Another reason why so many boys wanted to dance with Ruby was because other than herself and Othella, there were not that many girls at the party. Othella had invited only three others, and she had handpicked borderline plain Janes. There was a good reason for that; Othella was smart when it came to dealing with Ruby. She read that girl like a book. She knew how important it was for her to get a lot of attention. Since the two of them didn’t go for the same type of boy, Ruby
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