unpack.” Ruby motioned at the boxes.
“It’s okay. I’m fine here on my own,” Bob stated.
“Why are you asking me about money, Bob? Is there money missing or something?”
He still wouldn’t look at her.
“Just go on,” he said, waving her toward the door.
Normally, Ruby would have had some fight in her. But not after what had gone on in the last few days. She stared at Bob. He glanced at her then looked away.
“Okay. I’ll go.” Ruby paused, expecting Bob to recant. He didn’t.
“You want me to come in tomorrow?” she asked.
“I’ll call you.” He turned his back to her.
“Bob.” She tried one last time. “What the hell is going on?”
“Just go,” he said in a small voice.
“Fine,” Ruby said. “If you decide to tell me what’s wrong, you know where to find me.”
She slowly walked down the stairs, waiting for Bob to call her back. He didn’t. She continued down and out to the street. The sky was too blue and the carousel’s organ was screaming.
Ruby let herself into her building and climbed the stairs. Ramirez and Elsie’s door was open, and she braced herself for interaction. Neither of them was in the kitchen though. Ruby unlocked her door and went inside her apartment. Stinky didn’t even come to greet her.
Ruby sank onto the couch and put her head in her hands.She really needed to talk to Jane. But Jane was presumably sound asleep behind a swath of mosquito netting in her room in Mysore, India. Living without a phone and glad for it.
Ruby toyed with the idea of calling her mother. Her mother didn’t believe in psychiatry, analysis, therapy, or even doctors, and though she’d never say it aloud, she’d think it was all Ruby’s comeuppance for going to a shrink in the first place. She would listen to Ruby, but she wouldn’t know what to say and would be vaguely appalled at the whole thing. And then feel guilty for being appalled. Make a stab at being solicitous. They would both hang up feeling guilty for not better understanding each other.
As soon as Ruby decided not to call anyone, the phone rang.
“Hello,” Ruby said, making it sound like
What the hell do you want?
“Ruby.” Jody Ray’s voice sounded lifeless.
“Oh. Hello,” Ruby said.
“I need help,” Jody said.
“You’re not the only one.”
That shut her up. But she didn’t ask Ruby what was wrong.
“This is absurd, Jody. You ask me for help then you kick me out.”
“I’m sorry I’ve been irrational. You’ll admit that under the circumstances, it’s understandable.”
Ruby did have to grant her that much.
“Will you help me look for Tobias?” Jody asked.
A mosquito had gotten in through one of the defectivescreen windows and was buzzing near Ruby’s head. She started swatting it with last month’s
Velo News
. There was almost nothing Ruby hated more than mosquitoes.
“Ruby?”
“There’s a mosquito,” Ruby said. She knew it sounded crazy. But no one involved in this particular conversation was in a position to judge levels of sanity.
“I’m not sure,” Ruby added when The Psychiatrist failed to offer sympathy over the mosquito.
“Not sure about what? About helping me look for Toby?”
“Right,” Ruby said. She saw the mosquito land on a
Daily Racing Form
on the end table. She swatted it with
Velo News
but missed.
“All right. I understand,” Jody said in a tiny, weak voice.
“What do you want me to do?” Ruby was angry, but she was curious too.
“Help me.”
Ruby paused. “Yeah, okay, I’ll do it.”
“You will?”
“Why not?”
“Well, there are a thousand reasons why not,” Jody said.
Ruby interrupted: “It was a rhetorical question.”
“Oh. Right.”
“What do I do?” Ruby asked.
“You’re familiar with the Rockaways?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“I need you to go there.”
“You think Tobias is in Rockaway? Where?” Ruby saw themosquito again. Back on the bike magazine. She decided to tolerate it and its horrible little
“It’s okay. I’m fine here on my own,” Bob stated.
“Why are you asking me about money, Bob? Is there money missing or something?”
He still wouldn’t look at her.
“Just go on,” he said, waving her toward the door.
Normally, Ruby would have had some fight in her. But not after what had gone on in the last few days. She stared at Bob. He glanced at her then looked away.
“Okay. I’ll go.” Ruby paused, expecting Bob to recant. He didn’t.
“You want me to come in tomorrow?” she asked.
“I’ll call you.” He turned his back to her.
“Bob.” She tried one last time. “What the hell is going on?”
“Just go,” he said in a small voice.
“Fine,” Ruby said. “If you decide to tell me what’s wrong, you know where to find me.”
She slowly walked down the stairs, waiting for Bob to call her back. He didn’t. She continued down and out to the street. The sky was too blue and the carousel’s organ was screaming.
Ruby let herself into her building and climbed the stairs. Ramirez and Elsie’s door was open, and she braced herself for interaction. Neither of them was in the kitchen though. Ruby unlocked her door and went inside her apartment. Stinky didn’t even come to greet her.
Ruby sank onto the couch and put her head in her hands.She really needed to talk to Jane. But Jane was presumably sound asleep behind a swath of mosquito netting in her room in Mysore, India. Living without a phone and glad for it.
Ruby toyed with the idea of calling her mother. Her mother didn’t believe in psychiatry, analysis, therapy, or even doctors, and though she’d never say it aloud, she’d think it was all Ruby’s comeuppance for going to a shrink in the first place. She would listen to Ruby, but she wouldn’t know what to say and would be vaguely appalled at the whole thing. And then feel guilty for being appalled. Make a stab at being solicitous. They would both hang up feeling guilty for not better understanding each other.
As soon as Ruby decided not to call anyone, the phone rang.
“Hello,” Ruby said, making it sound like
What the hell do you want?
“Ruby.” Jody Ray’s voice sounded lifeless.
“Oh. Hello,” Ruby said.
“I need help,” Jody said.
“You’re not the only one.”
That shut her up. But she didn’t ask Ruby what was wrong.
“This is absurd, Jody. You ask me for help then you kick me out.”
“I’m sorry I’ve been irrational. You’ll admit that under the circumstances, it’s understandable.”
Ruby did have to grant her that much.
“Will you help me look for Tobias?” Jody asked.
A mosquito had gotten in through one of the defectivescreen windows and was buzzing near Ruby’s head. She started swatting it with last month’s
Velo News
. There was almost nothing Ruby hated more than mosquitoes.
“Ruby?”
“There’s a mosquito,” Ruby said. She knew it sounded crazy. But no one involved in this particular conversation was in a position to judge levels of sanity.
“I’m not sure,” Ruby added when The Psychiatrist failed to offer sympathy over the mosquito.
“Not sure about what? About helping me look for Toby?”
“Right,” Ruby said. She saw the mosquito land on a
Daily Racing Form
on the end table. She swatted it with
Velo News
but missed.
“All right. I understand,” Jody said in a tiny, weak voice.
“What do you want me to do?” Ruby was angry, but she was curious too.
“Help me.”
Ruby paused. “Yeah, okay, I’ll do it.”
“You will?”
“Why not?”
“Well, there are a thousand reasons why not,” Jody said.
Ruby interrupted: “It was a rhetorical question.”
“Oh. Right.”
“What do I do?” Ruby asked.
“You’re familiar with the Rockaways?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“I need you to go there.”
“You think Tobias is in Rockaway? Where?” Ruby saw themosquito again. Back on the bike magazine. She decided to tolerate it and its horrible little
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