RUBY, RUBY, RUBY!

RUBY

What Tomas will do when he finishes school is a mystery.  No one knows.  He studies social communication in a faraway area of Buenos Aires.  It takes two buses to get there every morning.  It is tiring, but he likes the school so much he doesn´t want to miss going there.  He studies social communication because he has big idealistic dreams for the future, but what he will do with all these intentions is still a great brainteaser.  It took a certain experience to unravel his future.

When Ruby came running around the corner one day eight days before spring began, Tomas fell in love with her immediately.  Maybe it was the coffee-cream color of her fur, or the way she nuzzled up to him as he sat huddled in a corner waiting for the 113 bus.  It was as if Ruby had always known Tomas.

Her color was like a cross between yellow squash and vanilla yogurt.  Or maybe caramel and butter scotch.  Or maybe it was a mixture of oak and cedar wood.  It was the golden color of perfect crisp toasted bread, not too light or too dark.

No one knew exactly how, but the whole neighborhood got better the day they met.  They filled in the spaces which were lacking in each other and complemented each other perfectly.  This made everyone around them happier and more positive.

Ruby was born in a shed.  Her mother was a homeless dog who found that place to have her six puppies.   She was called ¨Rubia¨ at first which means ¨blondie¨, but that was not quite right.  So the name was happily changed to ¨Ruby¨.  The name was not chosen because her color was so similar to a Ruby precious stone, nor was it because the song ¨Ruby¨ was a favorite song by Kenny Rogers or because of another favorite, ¨Ruby Tuesday¨, by the Rolling Stones.  The name was obviously favored because of Ruby´s shinny color, which shone like real gold when the light hit her fur just right.  The other five puppies were given to different homes, but Ruby was kept because she was the pick of the litter and the most obedient.

Ruby was a happy-go-lucky puppy and always pranced about sniffing people and gently noggin them with her nose until they petted her.  All of the neighbors knew her and talked about her.  ¨Ruby knows English.  She stays put when she is told to wait and doesn´t cross the street until she is told it is okay.  She sits or jumps when told.  She likes to play tug-o-war with an old rag and jumps up on the table when told to do so¨.

But there was something more special about the relationship between Ruby and Tomas.  What Tomas liked best was that Ruby knew English.  Tomas also studied English.  It was his favorite subject at his school called, ¨El Taller¨ or ¨The Shop¨.  Ruby seemed to understand every word that Tomas said to him in English.  It made Tomas laugh and it gave him a chance to practice his English even in Buenos Aires where there were few people who spoke English fluently, at least in his neighborhood called ¨Paternal¨. 

Tomas also felt close to Ruby because she woke up so early in the morning.  They both were so enthusiastic, caring and in a word ¨willing¨.  They had similar ways of being.  Tomas was the kind of young man a grandmother would want her granddaughter to marry.  And Ruby was the perfect dog for a retired English teacher.

 The day they all met, the old retired teacher knew immediately that Tomas was filled with anything but nonsense.  She saw something special in him right away.  Maybe it was his quick smile, or special nod of the head.  Or his obvious interest in his surroundings, and, of course, in Ruby.

Tomas noticed right away that the lady was not very practical.  Although she was down to earth, she had a flare of something that goes beyond, a person who believed in miracles and lived life each day like a miracle in process, never complaining and always with a positive attitude.  She was a leftover from the late ´60s and the ´70s, although her life was not perfect she had learned the wisdom to care for her health and Spirit.  She was married to a good man, but with a very bold character.  She survived by secretly adding Quinoa seeds and spirulina to his food without him ever finding out.  She prepared homemade V8 juice, and other healthy foods and drinks.  Tomas learned to ingest these foods also.  And laughed at the thought of the ¨Grouch¨, as Tomas called her husband, eating healthy foods sometimes without knowing about it!

Ruby and the Old Lady were two of a kind, like two old torn and battered shoes that fit perfectly and kept the feet from hurting after long walks. You certainly wouldn´t toss them out!  Tomas noticed that Ruby bounced about like a ballet dancer and the Old Lady seemed like the scenery in a musical comedy.  The two forces (or shall we say three forces) were joined together that early morning eight days before Spring in a way that would affect all of their surroundings and impulse a kind of change that inspired everyone around them.  The neighbors paid more attention to these three than to the problems of the day.

The neighbors observed the relationship between this odd triangle and began to want to take part in the activities.  The ancient knowledge of the inhabitants was revived from everyday life.  Antonia said, ¨You have to grasp onto what is in front of you because then it passes and you can´t pass it by all over again¨.  Lito, a handclapped neighbor commented, ¨You must only give the needed attention to situations, not too much or too little¨.  They were the kind of euphemisms that Shakespeare or Cervantes built their writings on, everyday words from everyday people.

Ruby was especially happy about the union because she got all sorts of treats and affection from both Tomas and the Old Lady.  Everybody seemed to be nicer to her and in a better mood since they met Tomas.  It was like a contagious disease that spread, or a fire out of control, but positive.

The problem was the government.  Besides all of the happiness of these three beings, there was uncertainty and preoccupation amongst all of the neighbors.  Nobody knew how much bread or something as basic as milk would cost each day.  The price of gas and electricity soared.  People talked only of the robberies, extortions, kidnappings, and criminal dealings all around them.  Corruption filled the news.  Millions of bills seemed to float from one agent to the next, from bank to shinning bank, but went everywhere except to the true needs of the vicinity.  Corpses seemed to show up in the most unlikely places.

Yet Ruby happily ate delicious homemade meals each day and Tomas too because he began to visit the retired Old Lady where he practiced English and paid attention to her like no one else had.  He appreciated her skills in cooking and discovered she wrote poetry.  Tomas was totally amazed at the number of ex-students the lady had.  She called them, ¨my ex´s and re-ex´s¨ because many were the children of the students, like Matias, Jeremy and Esteban.  As the years had gone by, she would get together with many of them and sing songs in English from the 70´s and 80´s, and at times even from the ´50s and 60´s.  Later on, Tomas learned all the hits by heart.  He also learned the favorites in Spanish and even Italian because the older students shared their knowledge of the best tunes. 

Tomas loved her tails, which she told to him about her youth when she had travelled around the World.  He learned about different cultures and about geography.  In her relationship with Tomas she found purpose in life, to inspire young people to a healthy life and a higher purpose.  Tomas was an easy candidate.  He had ¨Star Quality¨.  He lacked someone to help him develop it and encourage him, and she could do that.

Actually, what Tomas had mostly was a beautiful singing voice and a love for music.  One day, he stood outside her door and heard her singing an old song from Frank Sinatra called, ¨Somethin´ Stupid, originally sung and written by Carson Parks.  He heard her sing, ¨I practice every day to find some clever lines to say to make the meaning come through ¨…

 Tomas realized something.  The Old retired Lady was oblivious to all the problems around her.  She only saw what was before her and Ruby,  Himself, (Tomas).  The need to serve them and care for them was all she thought about, except, of course, the songs in her head.  So she practiced every day at what she knew best; how to cook up a good healthy meal and how to make words turn into poetry.  The rest was obvious.  It all must be shared and turned into music.

The old retired Lady had no desire to go public.  She realized that was something Tomas was more prepared for.  So she taught him the necessary skills he would need, but in a pleasant way without pressuring him.  She knew all the tricks because she had spent her life reading and studying, contemplating everything.  As time passed, Tomas realized that the Old Lady´s activities actually helped her deal with life and made life meaningful.

She taught him many, many things, and also to make pancakes and homemade bread.  Something he would always be grateful for, especially later in life when he became a famous singer and shared his homemade pizza with his precious wife, who in fact just happened to be the Old retired Lady´s granddaughter! 

                 By: Karla