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Her blue velvet dress nearly matched her hair. She’d dyed it blue and had glittery star clips holding the curly tresses into place, making her feel like a regal princess. Even her mother, who wasn’t a fan of her coloring her hair, acknowledged that the blue was very complimentary of her skin tone, andofferedto get her a soft pink lipstick as they went shopping.
This was the first time they truly seemed to get along instead of arguing and pushing at each other. Her mother wanted things one way and Ruby pushed back, testing her. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her parents, but that she chaffed at the idea of doing what people wanted.
… And they seemed to finally understand.
Instead of telling her what to do – they asked her opinions, asked for more information, and offered to help with ideas.
Growing up was so hard sometimes and she felt like there was still so far to go – and hoped eventually her body would catch up with her at some point. She was still that gangly girl, but for the first time she was actually starting to fill out on top… finally.
“Hey…” a voice said behind her, causing her to look over her shoulder. “Whaddya know? Typhoon Ruby has blue hair this year. It’s a Christmas miracle.”
Yep. She knew that voice.
“Michael,” she said simply, turning away to face the crowd and looking for anyone to talk to but him – and he was still talking to her, despite it all.
“Why blue?”
“Why not?”
“Are you supposed to be the sky?” he questioned, stepping forward beside her and looking directly ahead also, like he was distracted and bored.
Ruby started slightly at his words and smiled. He guessed! She wanted to dress as the Christmas star in the night sky, wanting to be festive yet different at the same time.
As she looked at him, she hesitated.
He’d changed.
Michael had filled out and wasn’t the gangly child anymore – but rather he was a bit broader in the shoulders and there was a firmness to his jaw that surprised her. He looked more mannish and not like a boy. He was… nice looking – a perfect mix of his father and his mother.
“… Does that mean I should call you ‘airhead’instead of ‘typhoon’,” he said, drawing her out of her reverie and causing her to frown.
A mix of his parents… with the attitude of a pig.
He turned to look at her and there was a slight smirk on his lips that made her want to kick him in the shins, only to have him speak once more before he walked off.
“You look nice tonight… airhead.”
… And with that?
He melted into the crowd, disappearing from sight.
Ruby was alone for hours, listening to the girls talk about the ‘handsomeboys’and discussed makeup, shoes, clothes, different colleges, and other things that sparked their interest. They were all changing, growing, moving in different directions, and as she listened, she realized that she was indeed so very unique.
She spent two weeks this summer volunteering for Habitat for Humanity and worked in a soup kitchen in Tyler with her aunt, helping give of her time… plus reading to the children at the public library on Main Street that had opened. She loved giving of herself and did it with gusto.
They had donated every book they had in the house to the library when it opened, along with a massive box of Merrick Bed & Breakfast stickers, bookmarks, and other things.
The bed and breakfast seemed to always have one or two people a week there – and while it was a weird way to grow up? You got to meet a lot of different people.
She had her palm read one year, learned all about Shintoism, what made something ‘kosher’ and Judaism beliefs, realizing it was okay to be different from a ‘normal girl in the south,’ because it was just as beautiful to be unique.
Ruby thrived on ‘uniqueness’- and felt like she’d learned so much. Life was not about fitting in, it was all about asking questions. Those questions weren’t right, wrong, or otherwise – but rather invitedmorequestions, with individual answers.
If the personality was a tree, she wanted her ‘branches’to spread, thrive, and grow…
“Merry Christmas,” she heard from behind her – and turned, seeing Michael there again.
“You like to sneak up on people, don’t you?” she asked bluntly.
