Page 26 of Cinnamon Strudel
“I would need your help. I have become rather reliant on him.”
“And I don’t mind.”
Inside the apartment, Ruby disappeared into the bathroom to change and when she returned, that familiar scent of apples filled the room.
“Do you always use that apple spray?”
“Please don’t think I’m weird.”
“Why would I?”
“Because I started wearing it on purpose when I’m around you.”
Ruby fell silent, and then it dawned on him: She did it so he could recognise her more easily. “That is very thoughtful,” he said, blinking away the heat behind his eyes.
“Not creepy?”
“Not one bit.”
As Ruby led him to her car, his head swam with emotion, but nerves still fluttered in his belly. He held onto her arm, using his cane with the other hand, even if the only purpose it served was to guide others to give him space. Ruby babbled all the way to the mall, telling him all about her brother and his wife and how excited they were to meet him. When she said her parents were anxious to meet him too, Morgan quickly found himself agreeing to a Sunday dinner.
At the mall, Ruby guided him to the rink where Alexander and Manuel were already waiting for him.
“Oh, and there are Rhett and Denise,” Ruby explained, calling them over.
There were introductions all around, and Denise kindly asked him for a hug. And after shaking her husband’s hand, he accepted.
When it came to putting on the skates, Ruby helped him by making sure they were properly tightened. “If they’re too tight once you stand up let me know, but you don’t want them too loose or it’ll make it harder for you,” Ruby explained.
“I will.”
“Don’t be nervous; we’ll stay along the edge.”
“And if you fall, we’ll catch it on video for your later entertainment,” Alexander teased.
“Piss off!” Morgan hissed.
“They will do no such thing!”
“Ah, your woman’s protective side is showing,” his brother sing-sang.
“Keep pushing my buttons,” Ruby warned. “I’m not afraid to uninvite you to things in the future.”
“Where’s the fun in that?”
Morgan found her wrist and softly squeezed it. “It’s alright, that’s how they always are.”
She sighed. “I forget that not all siblings are like mine.”
He held tightly onto Ruby and rose to his feet. “Oh fuck, this is going to be dreadful.”
She pressed a phone into his palm, camera already opened. “We’re not far away.”
He mapped out the way to the ice and returned the phone with a nod. “I’m ready.”
Using his cane and Ruby’s guidance they made it to the ice—where he held onto the railingfor dear life,using both hands once Manuel took his cane.
“Just like that. Now don’t try to walk, just slide your feet.”
