Weekend Words

Parting

It was little after dawn when Ruby awoke; the sky was barely orange and there were few clouds in the sky. Manhattan was on her mind so much the night previous that she could not even shut her eyes. Even her younger siblings who always had troubles going to sleep were still in bed, their bellies rising and falling in a steady rhythm.

And as soon as Ruby dressed herself for the day, her mother was knocking, the sound like falling boulders alongside a mountain.

"Everyone! W up! Ruby, get yourself ready or you'll be late for your train!"

The knocking crescendoed into a forte until Ruby's younger siblings stirred in their beds, groaning as they rubbed their eyes. Her mother opened the door, standing there, arms against her waist. Arched brow and pursed lips, she took one stride into the room and began waking up the others with a series of claps.

"But Ma, you said there weren't any chores today. Do we have to get up now?" Her brother Paul, asked, running a hand through his wavy brown hair.

"No chores today, Paul. We're to help Ruby get to Manhattan."

Ruby noticed the way her brother's face fell, but replaced  it with a wide grin.

                                                                                           ***

Ruby inhaled sharply as the gargantuan locomotive came to a screeching halt. She clutched her handbag close to her chest, feeling her heart as it sunk just a little. Ruby closed her eyes, feeling the hot tears stinging against her eyelids. How could she leave her mother and everyone like this? She looked at Paul, at George, at Frank, and finally at the youngest and most tender of them all, Daniel. How could she leave them behind when they needed her so badly? Why was she being so selfish? 

And in the distance, Ruby spied Mr. Carson coming up to the platform with something in his hand. It looked like a book.

"Ruby," her mother said, her voice quiet, edged with pain. "You're doing the right thing by doing this. You know I told you before that you're not being selfish. You're a woman now. It's time for you to fly." Her mother's voice broke as she looked away, wiping away tears.

Mr. Carson now stood next to Ruby and her mother.

"Hello, Mr. Carson," Ruby said with a small wave.

"I heard that you're leaving for the city. I thought I'd give you this book as a parting gift." He smiled, handing her the book. "I hope you enjoy it as much as I did."

"All aboard! All aboard!"

She stifled a jagged breath and forced a smile, though her eyes were misting as she tried to avoid looking into her mother's eyes. This was the hardest thing she ever had to do, and her body was telling her to stay on the platform, though her heart kept screaming for her to go. That it was time for her to go into that wild, deep unknown called the island of Manhattan.