Page 20 of No One's Like You
"Good, good. How about you?" Ruby's voice trembles, and she struggles to know what to say.
"Heading to work," the girl responds. "Am I catching you at a bad time?"
"No, not at all, I just parked to go to the Early."
Amelia stays silent for a second, and Ruby fears the worst. She doesn't know if she'll ask for a date, another chance, or something else.
"Sorry, Ruby, I was just opening my locker, and you know if I don't concentrate, I mess up the numbers," she says with a playful voice. "I was calling to ask if I can stop by your place today to pick up my things; I'm starting to need what I left there."
Ruby's chest sounds like a mallet hitting glass. She feels stupid for thinking Amelia's call had hidden intentions, or maybe it's the hypocritical disappointment of feeling that her ex-girlfriend doesn't seem to have the slightest interest in getting back together.
"Uh, yeah, sure," Ruby says and decides to get out of the car for some fresh air. "When you get off work, you can come by. I'll be home at four."
They say goodbye, and Ruby crosses the street without looking. Fortunately, no cars are passing; the last thing she needs is to get hit by a bus too.
When she walks through the doors of the bar, her pain increases when she sees her best friend sitting on one of the high stools, smiling at her phone while typing non-stop. It's clear that having fun—as she said yesterday—is something she intends to accomplish no matter what.
"Are you okay, Ruby?"
How many times has she heard that same question this week? She's sick of it.
"Yes," Ruby answers with a single syllable.
"You don't look it," Ellie jumps off the stool. "You look awful."
"I had a bad night," she says while passing by without giving her the usual kiss. "And Amelia just called to tell me she's coming to pick up her things from my place this afternoon."
Ellie approaches and hugs her, as always, and Ruby, instead of feeling comfort, feels annoyance because Ellie and her hugs have always conveyed something she doesn't perceive as friendly affection, but as something more. Yet in light of recent events, it's obvious she has no psychic powers; the only power she has is stupidity.
"Everything will get better, you'll see."
Ruby nods and turns to enter the office they both share when a noise behind her catches her attention.
"Good morning, ladies," greets a tall, overweight man with long hair reaching the middle of his back.
"Chris, how's it going?" Ellie asks casually and extends her hand to shake his.
"Starving," the guy answers with a grimace. "The doc told me if I don't start watching what I eat, I'll die soon. Can you believe it? I'm divine."
The man makes an awkward twirl with his arms outstretched, and Ruby smiles for the first time in many hours. Chris Fox is the youngest son of the owner of the building where both partners have The Early Bayou. They've had little contact with the older man, and it's always been Chris they've dealt with.
"I don't want to take up much of your time," the man says, changing his expression to a more serious one. "I'll be direct: my father is selling the building. You have priority to buy, as you know, but if you're not interested, when the contract ends, you'll have to vacate the premises. The lawyer will send the documents with the sale price to your email."
The news hits them like a bomb. They have just over six months of rental before the contract expires, and finding a place that fits what they're looking for is quite complicated.
"I'm sorry about the news, but my father is very old and wants to put everything in order," Chris explains. "My siblings aren't interested in keeping the property, so he's going to sell it to distribute the inheritance while he's still alive."
The two women are so thrown off that they don't say a word. They just nod, and Chris understands. It's not aneviction, but it might as well be; relocating a business that works well is like signing its death warrant.
"Thanks, Chris, we'll let you know something soon," Ellie is the one who breaks the silence.
Chris waves goodbye and leaves the place with heavy steps. Ruby remains standing in the same spot as if she's been nailed to the wood. The day couldn't get worse for her; she'd love to crawl into bed and sleep for weeks until all this bad weather passes.
"Let's go to the office," Ellie places her hand on Ruby's lower back, just like stupid Tim did yesterday afternoon.
Ruby moves like a robot and sits in a chair near the desk. Ellie sits across from her and takes a deep breath before opening the laptop to access the bar's bank account.
"Unless Mr. Fox sells us the place for sixty-two thousand three hundred dollars," she pauses dramatically, "we can't buy it."
