Already Gone

It's supposed to be a mystery/suspense/romance. There are lots of secrets.

“The mornings are always busiest. You’ll have the regulars that come in every morning at 6:30 on the dot. Most of them are old-timers that’ve been around forever. Now that they’re retired most of them have more time on their hands than they know what to do with. Others will come in too, but it’s usually just for a real quick bite. People are too busy for their own good nowadays.” Grace grabbed the syrup bottles from behind the retro red and black counter and handed them to Ruby. “Put one on each table. “We’ll have pretty steady business all morning before it dies down for a bit before the lunch rush. Any questions?”

“No, sounds easy enough.” Ruby said as she finished placing the syrup containers atop the wooden booths and tables and moved on to the salt and peppershakers.

 

Black Velveteen, with its shabby yellow paint, big windows and modest interior, sat on the corner of 6^th and Lankford. The street was covered with golden red and green leaves from the fat maple and elm trees that sat out front. Further down was a park where stay-at-home moms gossiped over coffee while pretending to watch their children climb the monkey bars and swing into the sky all day long. As the sun set, teens and young adults claimed the playground as their own and would spend the night smoking weed they would buy off Bones, the local manufacturer. He kept his basement damp and dark not to conserve energy as he claimed but rather because it made a prime space for growing marijuana. There wasn’t much else for the 897 people who lived in the small farming town two hours north of Omaha to occupy their time with. The arctic winters were long and dark while the summers were too short. The striking thunderstorms made up for it though.

 

“A smart girl like you will get along just fine ‘round here. Where did you say you’re from again?” the older lady said as she pulled a clip out of her apron and twisted her hair up before turning the sign hanging on the door around. Cars were starting to fill the roads and sunlight was sweeping across the rooftops letting the townsfolk know it was time to carry on with the day.

“In the heart of Brooklyn.” Ruby said as she wiped down the tables one more time and tried to concentrate on the here and now.

“Brooklyn? That’s a long way from Hayesville and this ol’ run down place, but nonetheless I’m glad you’re here. God knows I needed some help,” Grace said as the first customers of the day started coming through the door.

 

Grace was right. Before long the small diner was filled with people looking for their morning cup of coffee or plate of hashbrowns and eggs to go with the local newspaper.

Neither the coffee nor the news had changed in years and if time were ever to prove anything it would be that neither were likely to change anytime soon.

Time seemed to move slower in this one horse town. People rose with the sun to get the morning chores done and spent the nights on the porch strumming their guitars with good liquor and great friends. Ruby found herself slowing down and enjoying the quiet life.

“Hey, Mr. Gibson. Mrs. Gibson. How are you enjoying the warm weather? It’s finally started to warm up some, hasn’t it?”

“Yes, yes it is. I sure like it better than the cold and snow that we had last winter though. My bones get all sorts of achy and stiff. I can barely get the sidewalk shoveled before I’m laid up in bed for two days with a bottle of Aspirin and heating pad.” David Gibson, a semi-retired music instructor said as he slid onto one of the barstools next to his wife of almost 50 years, Hattie.

“He’s laid up half the winter because he can’t move but he won’t pay the young neighbor boy or our grandson to help him when they’ve both offered multiple times.” Hattie said.

“I don’t need any help. I’m not an invalid.” David countered.

“No, you’re just one of my favorite customers, at least for today. Now what can I get you two this morning?” Ruby said, pulling out a pen and pad.

 

Later that evening, after the dinner rush had waned all that was left between Ruby, a good book and glass of wine was an hour’s time and a little bit of housecleaning. Grace had gone home early after her daughter and grandchildren showed up from Omaha on a spur of the moment trip.

He walked in just as the sun was setting and the warmth of the day was succumbing to the cool night breeze and he was impossible not to notice with his lanky build, smooth olive skin, dark curls and dimples. There was something different about this stranger that Ruby couldn’t quite pin. Maybe it was the way he carried himself. Yes, that had to be it.

“Can I help you?” she said.

“A cup of coffee would be great,” the stranger said as he took his hat off and took a seat. “I can’t believe they’d leave a beauty like you here to clean up all alone.”

“And why not? I can handle taking coffee orders from strangers,” Ruby said.

“Yeah, but I’m sure a pretty girl like you has a man somewhere just waiting for you to say it’s okay for him to show you off to the world.” 

Ruby couldn’t help but blush. She hadn’t heard words as sweet as those in a long time and from a stranger nonetheless.

“No, actually I don’t but it doesn’t make a difference anyway. This town isn’t exactly buzzing with activity or hot, young bachelors. Once the sun goes down there are no signs of life,” She handed him the cup of coffee and set some cream and sugar down beside him. “What’s your name, anyway?”

“Jude, Jude Wilkerson,” he said

“Well Mr. Wilkerson, it’s nice to meet you anyway.” Ruby continued what she was doing, waiting for Jude to say something back. When he said nothing but continued to study her Ruby continued,

“Where are you from? I mean, I haven’t seen you around and I’ve been here going on a month. Grace said in a small town like this you’re bound to know just about everybody after a month and so far she’s been right. What do you want? Nobody comes here unless they have to.”

“Please, call me Jude.”

They went on in silence for a few minutes. Ruby watched Jude carefully though as she continued the nightly cleaning. She really had met everybody in the small town already and hoped that this man was just a stranger with to much time on his hands and not somebody who knew her or anybody who knew her back home in Brooklyn. She didn’t need that right now.

Jude finished his coffee and stood up. He walked around the counter to where Ruby had placed herself and got so close to her that she thought she was going to stop breathing any second. But Ruby kept on breathing and she didn’t run or scream or anything else that any other woman might have done. There was something different about him, something that left her frozen in place. She was intrigued.

They both stood where they were. Neither Jude nor Ruby was willing to make the next move but they both wanted to know more. Finally Jude took a breath and found himself asking about this stranger who had turned up in his aunt’s diner.

“And what about you? You said you’ve been here for a month is all. What are you running from?” Jude said.

“Who said I’m running? And now it’s time for you to go. We’re closed,” Ruby said as she turned out the lights and followed him out the door, locking it behind her. He caught her eye. She found herself curious to know why he was so interested in her but wasn’t willing to take any chances.

“Would you like to take a walk? I can show you around town?”

“So you must be from the area then?”

“Maybe. Is that a yes?

“Oh, no. I better not. I’ve got some things to take care of. Maybe some other time.” Ruby said, hugging her book as they both stood there in the light of the moon.

“Hemingway can wait. I promise. After tonight, you’ll never want to spend another night alone with your books,” Jude said as he grabbed Ruby’s hand and pulled her toward him and down the sidewalk. She resisted.

“It’s Kerouac actually, and how did you know?”

“If you’re anything like every other girl who’s all by her lonesome in a small town where she doesn’t know anybody, of course you’re sleeping with Hemingway, or wait I’m sorry, you said it was Kerouac.” Jude said.

“I can promise you I’m not anything like every other girl new to a small town, or any other girl for that matter,” Ruby said, looking Jude in the eyes.

“Let’s go, then,” Jude said, running down the road.

“I can’t. I really do have some important things to take care of at home and besides I don’t even know you.” Ruby said, turning the other way. “Maybe some other time.”

On her walk home, Ruby hoped that she had gotten rid of the stranger for good. She didn’t mean to act so hostile toward him but she was afraid that he might have been sent by somebody else to look for her. She wasn’t s lucky though because Jude returned to the diner the next day and the following day and every single day until he finally convinced Ruby to let him show her a good time.

One night Jude followed Ruby out as she flicked the lights off and locked the doors of the diner.

“So, are you ever going to let me take you out on the town?”

“One day, if you’re lucky.”

“Oh, come on. It’s not like I’m going to hurt you or anything.”

“I don’t know…. I mean.”

 “Give me tonight? I promise you’ll have the time of your life.”

“Oh okay. I guess one night can’t hurt anything.”

 

The next thing Ruby knew twilight was approaching and they had found an abandoned red barn where Jude pulled a blanket out of the bed of his ’67 Ford Pickup. They lay on the blanket with a bottle of red, red wine and talked. The almost strangers talked about everything and about nothing�"music, politics, religion, books, their mutual love for nature and photography.

“It’s beautiful out here. And peaceful too,” Ruby said, drawing her knees up to her chest and looking out toward the sun rising over the shimmering blue of the lake in the distance.

“Yes, it is. One of my favorite places on earth, too,” Jude said, looking out toward the horizon, his thoughts his own.

“I thought you said that you weren’t from around here?” Ruby looked at Jude, clearly waiting for an answer.

“I didn’t say that.”

“Yes you did.”

“It doesn’t matter because I’m not…not really anyway,” Jude said, hoping she’d let it go.

“Where are you from then? Why so secretive?” Ruby asked.

“Why does it matter?” Jude said.

“It doesn’t, I guess. I was just trying to make conversation,” Ruby said, turning her head toward the sky.

“It’s late; I better get you back to where you belong before Grace notices,” Jude said finally. He stood up and waited for her to move.

“Wait! How do you know Grace? ” Ruby asked.

“I’m just a guy from a small town with a past I’m not proud of. A wanna-be-cowboy with no way out of Dodge.”

“So you are from around here then.” Ruby said, almost to herself.

“Yeah, I guess I am.” Jude shoved his hands in his pockets and started toward his truck.

They walked back to his truck in silence. With scratched up paint and dirt caking the outside but with an interior as new as the day itself that old truck was Jude’s pride and joy. He cared for it the way that most people care for the ones closest to them. Mud covered the tires and drenched the paint that should have been the same color as the ocean just before the sun rises. The drive back to town was silent too, both Ruby and Jude trying to keep up with the million thoughts running through their minds.

They pulled up in front of the diner and Jude turned the engine off and looked at Ruby. She had reached for Jude’s hand sometime during the drive back to the diner. He didn’t stop her; didn’t say a word. After what seemed like hours but was probably only minutes of complete silence Ruby pushed aside the lump in her throat and the butterflies in her stomach and kissed Jude soft and sweet.

“What was that for?” Jude asked with a smile.

“For persistence and patience. Ruby said, her hand still in his.

“It was only a night under the stars and a bottle of wine. And besides, you’ll probably never want to see me again,” Jude said. He expected her to walk away and never come back.

“But it meant everything to one of us. I’ll see you later.” Ruby said as more of a statement then a question. Before she could make it completely out of the truck Jude stopped her.

“Say hello to Grace for me. Tell her I’ll stop by the house soon.”

 

“Have fun last night, did we?” Grace smiled at Ruby as she and her dancing eyes and crimson cheeks walked through the door and went to put on an apron.

“Well, Jack Kerouac does have a way with words. I bet he wasn’t bad looking either. I mean how couldn’t he be? A successful man like him could have and probably did have any lady he wanted. Hell, I bet they jumped his bones even if he was ugly.” Ruby said, trying to divert Grace’s attention away from her and onto something they both loved, books, and especially Jack Kerouac.

            “Ruby!” Grace laughed as she went back to warm the burners before customers started to arrive.

            “Whatever could you be talking about, Grace?” Ruby smiled, playing with Grace’s mind and patience.

            “Oh, come on! Who was that? What’s he like? Where did you meet him? An old lady like me needs some entertainment.” Grace said as they both continued the early morning work in the diner.

            “Well, if you must know, I just met him. He walked into the diner about a month ago as I was closing and asked for a cup of coffee. He then proceeded to be the most obnoxious, conceited thing I’ve ever seen. He wanted to “take me out on the town” but I said no and basically kicked him to the curb but he was persistent enough and somehow, he convinced me to give him one night so last night I didn’t exactly go home to my books.. A bottle of wine and some good music later he’s not such a bad guy.” Ruby said, reliving last night over again.

            “He sure does sound like a Prince Charming if I ever did hear of one. What’s this Romeo’s name, Juliet?” Grace said.

            “Jude says hello.” Ruby said, quickly making her way to the back room so Grace couldn’t see her blushing.

            “Wait a minute. Hold on, missy. My Jude? My sweet, sweet Jude is back in town and didn’t even come in to say hello to his old aunt. I oughtta….”

            “He says he’ll stop by the house soon.”

“Good, because it’s been a long time,” Grace said, turning the sign and unlocking the front door.

            The life Grace had managed to make for herself and keep from falling apart for so long was something that Ruby envied. Her own past wasn’t anything to be proud of and she was still cleaning up the biggest mess she’d ever managed to get herself into and learning to accept her own mistakes from halfway across the country.

           

Ruby and Luke had grown up together and were high school sweethearts. Everybody had always said they would get married someday and soon after graduation they threw a posh celebration in one of Manhattan’s finest churches with a million dollar celebration at her father’s country club afterward., Ruby wore a $2500 Vera Wang dress and Luke was in a matching tux.

They lived happily ever after, for a while at least, with Luke practicing law at one of the most established law firms in Brooklyn and Ruby spending her days getting ready to open up her very own bookstore. It was what she had always dreamed of and now she was finally going to accomplish it. Ruby had big plans for her marriage and her life.

One morning, maybe two years into their marriage, Ruby woke up to the cops at her doorstep asking if she had heard anything about a missing neighborhood girl and where Luke was. After he was taken away in handcuffs and charged with both murder and rape in the first degree. Ruby knew she needed to get away so she did the only thing she could think of: pulled her saving out from its hiding place in the lining of a suitcase and bought a plane ticket to Omaha, Nebraska. In Omaha, she jumped on the bus and found herself working in a diner while trying to erase her past. Luke was in jail for 25 years to life, and Ruby had a second chance at the life she’d always wanted.

 

In Hayeswood, life was slow and peaceful just how Ruby always imagined it should be. She would work at the diner in the mornings�"Grace was right, mornings were always the busiest�"and then Jude would show up in the evening sometime after he was finished restoring the barn for the day and they would find something to occupy there time for the rest of the night. 

             One night as they were walking the boardwalk after getting some ice cream Jude brought up Ruby’s worst nightmare.

            “How did you end up here, in Hayeswood I mean? It seems that everybody who comes from out of town has relatives here otherwise they wouldn’t come. The rest of us were born and raised and will probably grow old and be laid to rest in the cemetery up on the hill.” He said, between bites of vanilla ice cream.

            Ruby was quiet for a minute before speaking.

“I’d always wanted to travel the world and had no kids or amazing job to hold me back so one morning I woke up and decided I was done just living to pay the bills and get nowhere doing it.” Ruby said.

The past was in the past, right? She was done talking and hoped that Jude was too. She liked him well enough but wasn’t ready to share her whole world with him just yet.

            “And?” Jude pressed on. He knew there was more and was determined to find out what.

            “And, that’s it.” Ruby said, pretending there was no more to the story.

            “Really?” Jude said.

            “Really.” Ruby said. She took his hand in hers and in a way that only certain women can pull off she managed to make Jude forget about the whole conversation…for a while.

           

The diner had been busier than usual all week long. School was out for the summer and that meant that in a small town like Hayeswood all the teens�"with pimples on their faces and wearing clothes that weren’t popular in any way except that they were what the only local retail store carried­�"who would be normally be in school found themselves spending all their time and money on milkshakes and French fries at Black Velveteen trying to figure out something to do with their summer and their lives.

            Grace was in the back filling orders like a pro while Ruby was up front taking the orders and clearing tables as fast as she could without breaking any dishes or losing her mind.

It wasn’t hard for Ruby to be content with her life in the small farm town though because she liked the busy season. The summertime festivities and pure joy in the atmosphere of Hayeswood from Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend made up for the rest of the time spent in the sleepy little town.

            “Ruby?” A man with dark hair and a stylish business suit said.

            “How can I hel�"“ Ruby turned around and was instantly thrown aback.

            Luke was standing in the doorway of the one place Ruby was sure he’d never find her. He looked handsome as ever too. Anybody could tell that he was an outsider because nobody that lived in a town with no one stoplight would dress like that and oh god, what was Jude going to think, Ruby thought.

            “Can we talk? I’d like to take you back home now; with me, where you belong.” Luke said, coming toward Ruby.

            “How did you find me? You’re supposed to be in prison. The prosecutor told me you couldn’t get out. Why can’t you just go back home to your drugs and w****s and leave me alone?” Ruby said going back to clearing the dishes off of free tables; not that she was accomplishing much with Luke standing behind her.

            Luke grabbed her arm and turned her around so quick that she had no choice but to look him dead in the eyes.

“Never mind! Get your stuff and let’s go. Now!” he demanded.

“No! I’m not going anywhere with you!” Ruby said as she tried to wriggle free from his grasp.

“I said now, b***h!” Luke squeezed her arm as he threatened her again.

“And I said no! Now leave before I call the cops, Luke,” Ruby said, breaking free from her ex-husbands hold and immediately heading toward a phone.

“Hey now! What’s going on in here?” Grace said, stepping out of the kitchen after no doubt hearing the two people arguing.

“Nothing. Ruby was just getting her stuff so we could leave.”

 “I think you should let her go. Is there anything I can help you with today, sir?”

“No, I’m here to take my wife back home where she belongs, that is, if she’ll stop causing a scene and get her stuff like I told her to,” Luke said, stepping closer to Grace. “If she would’ve listened to me the first time we wouldn’t be having any problems but she always did have a problem with listening, now isn’t that right?” Luke said, grabbing Ruby by the arm again.

“I said I’m never going anywhere with you again. Wasn’t moving across the country hint enough that I don’t love you and never want anything to do with you ever again? Now, let me go!” Ruby struggled to get free as Luke tightened his grip.

“I’m never going to let you go now. You’re mine, all mine now, babe!” Luke said to Ruby, but still loud enough so that everyone in the diner could hear him.

“Let the lady go,” Jude said, appearing out of nowhere on the other side of the doorway.

“What did you say?” Luke sneered, turning his attention toward Jude.

“I said let her go,” Jude said, not taking his eyes off of Luke.

“Not a chance in hell,” Luke said.

The two men stood nose to nose. Jude took his time looking Luke up and down. Luke eyed Jude at the same time. Finally, Jude spoke.

“Look, I’m not one to fight but if you don’t leave her alone I’m not afraid to take things into my own hands and if that happens you won’t be such a goddamned pretty boy when I’m through with you,” Jude said, looking Luke dead in the eyes.

Before Jude could close his mouth Luke had pulled a gun. Jude felt for his own gun in the lining of his jacket but decided not to pull it, yet.

The diner went silent as everybody waited to see what was going to happen next. It was a real life game of Cowboys and Indians.

“I’d give it up right now if I were you, Ranger Joe, because you’re not going to win this one.”

Jude didn’t say anything, but instead stood his ground.

“P***y.” Luke chuckled. “You’re going to regret this.”

“No, I don’t think so. If you’re a real man you’ll walk out of here right now without causing anymore trouble than you already have but since I know that’s not going to happen I’m going to suggest you put your gun down.”

“And do what?” Luke asked.

“Fight like a real man,” Jude said calmly.

“Sure, I’ll put my gun….” Luke said with a sly look on his face.

 

The trigger of the .22 was smooth as it went off and quickly filled the diner with smoke and the sultry smell of gunpowder. When the shock wore off and the screams subsided Grace stepped toward the front of the diner where Ruby and Jude were tending to Luke.

“Now, I didn’t mean to hurt you but I didn’t want to have to explain a dead body to my customers or the county health inspector, for that matter.”

“Jesus lady. You didn’t have to shoot me,” Luke said, gasping for air.

“Oh, but I think it was best for everybody here that I did,” Grace said. “Ruby, call the police and have them send for an ambulance. Jude, will you help me put some pressure on the wound?” Grace said.

It was to late though because Luke was already gone.

 

Author's Note

Help! Any comments and suggestions are appreciated. The title and ending especially need help.