Mama Ruby Read Online Free

Othella’s “neck of the woods,” Ruby’s house and the other nice houses on her block looked like they were from another planet. Her family home was a large one-story, red-shingled house with a well-kept front lawn, indoor plumbing, four neatly appointed bedrooms, a large dining room, and a living room with impressive imitation leather couches.
    Ruby’s father always drove a shiny Packard, or a car equally impressive. He bought a new used vehicle every two or three years, not because he was a show-off, but because he had an image to maintain. He was the pastor of the Church of God in Christ, where the members of his large congregation spoke in tongues when the spirit moved them. And if the spirit moved them hard enough, they also twisted, shouted, fainted, and rolled around on the floor. And when it came time to offer a donation, most gave more than they could afford, but they didn’t mind. They wanted to make sure that they had a nice-looking church to worship in. And that they lined the preacher’s pockets so he wouldn’t be tempted to move on to another church like some preachers did. Reverend Upshaw was not hard up for financial aid, but he never refused any. He also worked for a cleanup crew at a turpentine mill on the outskirts of Shreveport. He was the only black employee at the factory. The foreman who had hired him had done so because he had heard that the preacher was an honest, hardworking man who “knew his place” and didn’t give white folks any trouble. Reverend Upshaw was a big shot in the black community, but to his employer and coworkers, he was as meek and docile as a saint. He did everything he was told to do, with no resistance whatsoever. One of his responsibilities included a task that no white man in his right mind wanted to do: he maintained the four putrid outhouses behind the mill.
    Ruby’s mother baked pies for an upscale restaurant that catered to rich white folks. To enforce that, there was a huge sign in the front window that said: WHITES ONLY . Not that any black folks Ruby knew wanted to patronize a segregated establishment anyway. Ruby’s parents provided as lavish a lifestyle as black parents could at the time, so she didn’t want anything from white folks.
    Now that she had Othella as a friend, her life was almost complete. The only thing missing was a cute boyfriend with a nice big pecker between his legs.
    “You like ice cream, Ruby?” Ike asked, rising from the couch, hitching up his loose overalls with both hands. He was as glad as Ruby was that she had finally come to the house.
    “Uh-huh. You got some?” Ruby tried not to look too eager. But if Ike had placed a stick of butter in her mouth, it would have melted like ice on a bonfire.
    “I’ll walk you over to Spoons’ when you get ready to leave and we’ll share a scoop. Vanilla,” Ike told her with a gleam in his eye. He was still fiddling with his pants, and Ruby couldn’t decide if he patted his crotch for his benefit or hers. She pretended not to notice that bold gesture. She promptly returned her attention to Othella.
    After Othella showed Ruby her doll collection in the bedroom that she shared with her younger sisters, Ruby was ready to leave. One reason was because Othella was very touchy about her dolls and she recalled how Ruby used to chase her with sticks, trying to take them from her before they became friends. Now, each time Ruby picked one up, Othella snatched it out of her hand and returned it to its place. There were at least ten dolls, all with rosy cheeks, blue eyes and blond hair, in various sizes. They were all over the bed, on top of the oak dresser, and even in cardboard boxes on the floor. The three largest ones occupied the top of a chifforobe facing the bed.
    “How come you so particular about my dolls? Ain’t you got none?” Othella asked.
    Ruby, with her eyes on the largest doll in the room, turned to Othella and gave her a pensive look. “My mama stopped buyin’ me dolls when I