Part II: Journeys (Chapter 21)
We just thought was for the best, Sammy. Pappa and me were
61 years old, what were we going to do with a two-year-old?
We were tired, honey, signing up
for Social Security, and we wouldn’t make a whole lot on our government pension,
don’t you know?
You’ve got to understand how it
was then. Pappa and me just wanted some time together to do things, maybe
travel some – though, as it turned out, your Pap didn’t like to travel anyway,
but that’s beside the point.
We thought the aunt in Hot
Springs would be a good mother to Ruby, she promised to be a good mother and
raise the baby as a devout Catholic.
She said Ruby’d be the daughter
she never had.
In my wildest dreams, I never
imagined it’d turn out the way it did.
When Vivian Platts wrote and
said, “Don’t come,” I just assumed she meant it’d be rough on the child, you
know, figuring out her people. It’s not good to confuse kids about family
matters.
I never thought she was beating
on the kid.
Sometimes I wonder if Ruby’s
not just imagining things a little.
Don’t think it was an easy
decision for us. We talked about it for days on end.
If it’s any consolation, we
almost took her, but when Dean told us about his sister, well, it changed
things. Said she was divorced and couldn’t have kids and really wanted Ruby. It
seemed selfish to deprive a woman of motherhood.
Don’t all women want kids, even
you, Samantha?
We knew it’d be hard on you for
a while, but I thought you’d get over it.
I mean, you never really got to
know her, did you?
Still, if I’da known...
But that’s all water under the bridge, isn’t it?