Dissolve
A short story by Ernio Hernandez
Ruby was staring at the light when it turned green, but her mind was elsewhere. She rolled into the intersection and noticed a black Escalade doing the same. She leaned on her horn and hit the gas to avoid hitting the asshole running the light.
“Fuckin’ Escalades! You mothafuckas don’t own the road!” she screamed, shaken by the near-miss. Peering into her rearview mirror, her heart sank into the pit of her stomach. She had just cut off a funeral procession. Ugh.
It was going to be that kind of day.
“Mami, I’m okay. I just need to lay down for a bit, are you sure you got him?”
“¡Como que no! Nena, I think I have son’ experience with children,” Lilia assured her daughter, in her patented split tongue. “Jou go relax and I will watch hin.”
“Thanks, mom. I was hoping my headaches were gone for good. Guess not,” Ruby shrugged and shuffled off to her bedroom. The lack of sleep may have been the trigger but, with her postnatal hormone changes and her entire body chemistry off, who could tell.
Ruby plopped two tablets of her “old semi-reliable” Alka Seltzer into the tall glass of water by her bed. Then plopped herself down and waited for the fizz to bring back her fucking effervescence.
Watching the pills dissolve, she thought about all the things she had yet to do. Crib. First doctor visit. Paperwork for her maternity leave and disability. Insurance. Ugh, I should call HR.
She grabbed her phone and saw a missed call and text from her sister. This brought the slightest of smiles to her face.
“Hello? Ruby?” Rocío answered.
“Tell me your lechón ass is at the airport and you’re bringing me an In-N-Out burger animal style.”
Rocío’s laugh made Ruby pull the phone away from her ear. “You little shit, I love you, but you scared the shit out of me. I thought something was wrong. You okay, mama?”
“I’m okay, tired.”
“Shit yeah, Ruby, motherhood’s a bitch. Why you think I don’t have kids?”
“Uhh, ‘cause Trace doesn’t have the right reproductive organ for that to become a reality.”
“Aww, ma, I miss you. Where are you right now? Why you sound so quiet? Thought my sobrinito would be all loud and crying when you called.”
“I got one of my migraines again. Ma’s watching him. And I’m not trying to let her hear me talking to you while I’m supposed to be resting.
“Fuck, Ruby, why didn’t you tell me. I’m all loud and laughing in your shit. Sorry, mama, they came back, huh?”
“The honeymoon’s over, I guess.”
“Pshh. Girl, you ain’t kidding. Not that you were even close to having one with that piece-of-shit deadbeat.”
Ruby’s silence filled the room.
“That motherfucker even call you to see if he’s a father yet?”
“Rosy, I don’t even have the energy to think about him. Last I heard from him was months ago when I left his shit in a box on the porch and he sent a text that just said ‘Thank you.’ Two words…in a text.”
“What! Ugggggh, that motherfucker makes me SO aggro!”
“I don’t know when we started to fade away, but that right there was definitely the end for me.”
Rocío let out an exasperated sigh. “I am so happy he is gone, though. Anyway, look Rube, I’ll be there as soon as Trace is done with this conference. She’s sorry she couldn’t get out of it to be there sooner, but this is her jam. You know.”
“Tell her not to worry. I got Mami. But she can make it up to me with them burgers, for real though.”
“Animal style. Ooh, you want some fries with that shake, ma?”
Ruby cracked a smile. “I love you, Rosy.”
“I love you, sis. Put your sleep mask on and get some rest, babymama.”
“Rubi, I love you so much it makes my teeth hurt,” Santiago whispered as they lay in bed early one Sunday morning. He was always finding dumber and dumber ways to be romantic with her. And she loved every stupid minute of it.
He was a generous lover and an old-school-strong-type man. Ruby had never been looked at the way he devoured her with his eyes. She was always the little mousy sister. But with him, she felt like a lioness queen of the pride
Santiago rubbed her shoulder gently, beckoning for more of her skin. She could feel his breath on her.
“Rubi, Ruby-baby…”
The dream slowly dissolved as Ruby woke. Lilia was at her bedside, gently rubbing her shoulder to wake her. Ruby’s eyes were heavy, her head still foggy. She felt like she’d only been out for maybe 10 minutes. She shot up, immediately thinking something happened with the baby. “Is he okay?!”
“Ruby, the police are here.”
This story is a continuation of Blackout.
