Everything Kaye...Storytelling

 Heart Gallery

After Ruby graduated from high school, she found a job about an hour away from home, at a art gallery. The gallery was no more than 400 sq ft. with dark blue walls, with 10 paintings and four ceramic pieces. There was a small performance area. Her duties was to make sure no one touched the paintings or picked up anything. Her best friend Angie was in charge of pointing out the restroom, which consisted of one restroom with two cream colored curtains that they had put up with a rope. They both were in charge of painting backdrops for the performances. Today the high school drama department were performing Pinocchio this month. Bill Chambers, the owner, had helped me and Angie hang the backdrop. We had to paint a toy store and create a woodwork area, we used three cans of chocolate brown, Ruby still had some under her nails. With her pale- rose skin tone, the brown was  really noticable. 

Today the summer camp from the local YMCA was coming to see the play. The teacher was lining the kids up against the wall, and given them instructions before taking their seats. As they started walking over to the chairs, a little boy with freckles all over his face started rubbing the wall as he started to walk, all the kids behind him followed suit. 

" Please don't touch the walls children," the camp leader said. She couldn't have been no more than a year or two older than Ruby herself. She looked a little flustered, Angie gave a little giggle under her breath. They all took their seats and began to clap as Mr. Chambers came out to do the introduction. 

The children were innocently smiling. Ruby wondered if they were as happy on the inside has they looked on the outside? She had often asked herself, if anyone even saw her? Did they see my fear? Or picked up on my pain. As large as my family was, and how loving they seemed to be. Nobody thought to help me. 

"Ruby, heyyyy. Ruby!"

 "Hit the lights", whispered Angie

 "Sorry", as she took a seat next to the light switch.

They always sit in the back, watching the play and talking. 

"Did you even know your grandmother?"

No, my mom never talked about my dad's family.

Ruby's mom married her step father when Ruby was eight, she has a sisters named  Nina, and her brother name is William. He took mom's death the hardest. Ruby never met her father, but her mom said she sent him a picture of her. He never responded. She even swore she saw him at my graduation, but when she looked behind her again, he was gone. Which makes it hard to fandom, her grandmother left her a house, well a brownstone in Queens, NY. 

Are you gonna really move to New York? I'll never see you.

It's only eleven hours away by bus, Ruby said as she hugged her best friend since 4th grade. She had taken the bus to the city plenty of times. To go to art shows and classes in the park. This time it would be for life.