Gram calls me Ruth P4 (Patreon)

Gram Calls Me Ruth Part 4

“You need a break?” Asked Grandma.

“No. I’m fine,” I lied.

“You hurting down there?” Grandma asked concerned.

“If you’re asking about my feet, yes,” I answered with a grimaced. “My other, down there, feels fine.”

“There a few more things I want to look at here and Evelynn likes to haggle so I might be a minute,” Grandma admitted. “But Grace, Amber’s grandmother, lives two houses down. Why don’t you go see if Amber is visiting?”

“Why do I get the feeling you already know the answer to that question?” I asked leery.

“Because I’m a grandmother, and we know everything,” She answered giving me a smile and a little push.

Images of Amber in a practice leotard ran through my mind as I walked toward her grandmother’s house. Stupid, stupid, stupid, I thought to myself. She’s a girl. She just wants to be your friend. If you want to be more than her friend, you’ll have to become Roger again. The very thought of being Roger again made me a little sick to my stomach. “No,” I muttered to myself, “I’m Ruth. Roger is gone.

I reach the house only to discover that the Eganhouse’s had joined the neighborhood garage sale trend. I came down the drive and started looking over the garage sale table trying to catch a glimpse of Amber. Maybe she is helping her grandmother with the sale, I thought. Not seeing her anywhere I leaned against one of the tables and rubbed my foot. How does Grandma do it? I thought, I mean she is like a garage sale machine.

I was just putting my shoe back on when I spotted It. A ceramic Sailor Mercury table lamp. I had always wanted one but had never dared to ask for one. I had seen several before but none in this condition. It was perfect, not a single chip.

I look at the price tag. It is way below what the lamp was worth but way above what I had on me. I asked myself, “What would Gram do?” I smiled and answered myself, “She’d haggle.”

I close my purse and pick up the lamp. I walk off the driveway over to a card-table marked cashier. A young man in a green shirt, tan cargo shorts, and sandals sat at the table. I could not see his face as it was currently covered by a comic book.

“Excuse me,” I started to say in the new Ruth voice Grandma and I had been perfecting over the last week.

“Everything is the price it’s marked. We accept cash only. No haggling,” The young man recited as if he had already said it a hundred times today, which he probably had.

I set the lamp on the table, “But you see I only have 10 with me,” I explained.

He let out an exasperated sound that was halfway between a grunt and a moan. “I said no haggling,” he reiterated pulling the comic off his face and sitting up.

We studied each other. I am not sure what he thought but I thought, OMG he’s cute. His hair was short, auburn, and slightly curly. He had freckles across the bridge of his nose, and I imagine he would have a nice smile if he wasn’t scowling.

I pictured us walking through the park. I swear I may have even heard birds singing. I mean we were outside after all. I have no idea how long we stood there but it felt like hours even though it was probably only thirty seconds. Then he asked, “So do you want it or don’t you?”

“Oh yes please,” I answered still a little dazed as I closed my eyes hoping that at any second, I would feel the soft touch of his lips on mine.

“Then that’ll be thirty,” he said breaking the spell.

I recoiled from the table as though my prince charming had suddenly been turned into a frog. I was embarrassed, frustrated, and more than a little confused about my feelings. My heart had been beating before but it was pounding even faster now. Anger replacing affection. “Well, I don’t have thirty,” I held up the bill, “I only have ten.”

He put both of his hands on the lamp and moved it close to his side of the table adding, “Then you ain’t got a lamp.”

“Could you hold it for me?” I said pulling the lamp ba

“Nope,” He said putting a popping sound on the ‘P’ and pulling the lamp back. “I already said that before.”

“No, you didn’t.” I slid the lamp back.

“I most certainly did,” he argued taking the lamp back.

“No, you didn’t,” I insisted and repeated back to him, “’Everything is the price it’s marked. We accept cash only. No haggling.’ But you never said anything about holds.”

While he took a minute to think I slid the lamp back to my side of the table. Finally, he said, “Well I should have.”

“But you didn’t,” I argued back, “So here is ten,” I put it down on the table and picked up the lamp, “And I will be right back with the rest.”

I turned to make good my escape but the young man was fast. He got up, came around the table, and bared my exit. His hands closed over mine which were currently holding the lamp. I swear my heart missed a beat. “Just because I didn’t say no holds doesn’t mean I have to hold it,” he insisted raising his voice, “And even if it did, which it doesn’t, holding it, mean you go get the rest of the money and I HOLD the ITEM, here.”

I had two major problems at this point. First, I could not find a flaw in his logic and second, I was having trouble focusing with his hands holding mine. What made things even worse was he didn’t seem in any hurry to let go of my hand either. In fact, he loosened his grip a little and moved closer to me. I filled my nostrils with his scent, lavender, and mint. Then everything went wrong.

He leaned in and I moved forward planning to tilt my head up for another try at a kiss. Unfortunately for both of us, this resulted in my forehead connecting with his chin. He naturally, let go of my hands and pressed his hands immediately to his injured jaw. My forehead exploded in pain and I took a step back. The heel of my shoe found some soft earth and got stuck. I began to fall backward.

I threw up my arms trying to prevent myself from falling. I completely forgot I was still holding the lamp. It went flying. Several episodes of Sailor Moon passed before my eyes as I recovered and ran for the lamp, which had just reached the apex of its arch and was now falling back to Earth.

I was always good at math. I usually had very little difficulty calculating the circumference of a circle or determining the length of a triangle’s hypotenuse. I knew generally where I need to be, to catch the lamp. I was just about there when I tripped in a hole. I went down.

The young man, who had been right behind me the whole time, tripped in the same hole. He landed on top of me, which I have to admit was not an entirely unpleasant experience. He had put out his hands and they had taken the brunt of the impact. All hope of saving the lamp gone, I closed my eyes and waited to hear the inevitable sound of shattering ceramic.

Ten seconds passed. Then twenty. I heard nothing.

Then I heard a deep voice that I didn’t recognize ask, “What in the world is going on here?”

I pushed the young man off of me. I could only imagine how scandalous we must have looked laying there together. I blushed crimson.

“Well?” asked the voice again.

Above us stood Grandma, Amber, and an older woman whom I assumed was Amber’s grandmother, Grace. My heart soared when I saw the lamp, intact and unharmed in Amber’s hands. Then it fell as I saw the look of disdain on Grace’s face.

I looked to Grandma for help.

Grace, followed my glance, and asked, “Dorthey, do you know this girl?”

“Yes Grace,” Grandma admitted, “this is my granddaughter, Ruth.”

“Your Granddaughter?” Grace asked confused, “Oh right. Your granddaughter.”

Amber extended her hand to help me up giggling, “I see that you’ve met my brother, Brian.”

Brian and I locked eyes. Felling awkward with everyone staring, I had to look away. Grandma began to check me over for injuries. “So do you have anything to say for yourself,” Grace asked then paused, before adding, “Young lady?”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” I answered Grace and then turned to Grandma, “Can I borrow 20 dollars.”