Ruby's Roses
The neighborhood kids nicknamed
the cranky old couple Crazy Jack and Ruby Rednose. Rumor was that they sat inside and drank themse
lves. About the only words we ever
heard from them were "Keep out of our rosebushes!"
The rosebushes were seventy beautiful
floribunda shrubs that served as a
fence between our house and theirs.
I was eleven at the time and the
oldest of six active girls. We should
have played our softball games
elsewhere to avoid hurting the roses, but we secretly
enjoyed irritating Crazy Jack and Ruby Rednose.
Jack and Ruby had a son whom we
nicknamed Crazy Jack Junior. He was due
to come home from Vietnam. We heard he
had been discharged because of a nervous breakdown.
The day Crazy Jack Junior was scheduled
to come home, we had a neighborhood
softball game in our yard. Johnny McGrath
was trying to catch a fly ball. He stumbled
over one of Ruby Rednose's thorny
rosebushes and fell on top of several more.
He yelled, but the roses were the ones that
really suffered. It looked like about ten of
them were damaged pretty badly. Johnny's
timing was terrible, because as he lay there
swearing at the roses, the Joneses'pickup
rolled into the driveway. The truck screeched
to a halt and Crazy Jack Junior sprang out.
He ran full speed toward Johnny.
"You little punk!" he screamed. "Look what
you've done to our family's roses! You've
always been trouble. I'm going to fetch my
gun and shoot you!"
The next few minutes were a blur. The
neighborhood kids ran for their lives.
Ruby and Jack tried to restrain their son.
He continued to yell threats and profanities.
Ruby wasn't my favorite person, but I felt
sorry for her when I saw her tearfully pleading
with Crazy Jack Junior. Finally, they
coaxed him inside.
Meanwhile, my sisters and I tore into our
house. Breathlessly, we told Mom what had
happened. She put down her sewing and scolded," Girls,
I have told you not to play softball near those bushes.
Come outside right now and help me fix them."
"Mom, we thought you didn't like the Joneses,"
we protested." They're mean to us. Besides, Crazy
Jack Junior might shoot us."
Mom just glared at us. We followed her outside
to help mend the rose fence. While Mom examined
the damage rose, my sisters and I hung back,
plotting how to get out of the thorny job.
As we whispered back and forth, the Joneses'
garage door opened and Ruby slowly walked out.
She looked sad. And it wasn't her nose that
was red, it was her eyes.
Ruby walked over to my mother. The two women
stood looking at each other through the new
gap in the rose fence. We girls held our breath,
waiting to see who would shout first and what
terrible things would be said. How much trouble
would we be in when it was all over?
Suddenly my mother stepped forward and hugged
Ruby. "I'm glad you son came back home," she
said gently." It must have been a horrible
experience in Vietnam. We're sorry about the
flowers. The girls will replace them if we
can't fix them. In return for all the bother,
they'll help you weed the roses this summer."
My sisters and I looked at each other in horror,
but Ruby smiled at my mother through her tears."
I know we're particular about these roses," she
said," but they're very special to us. When my
mother came from England, she brought one tiny
part of her favorite rosebush. That was her
reminder of home."
She paused a minute, then said sadly," My mother
had a magic touch with flowers. Over the years
that one plant multiplied into all these bushes.
Since she died, I've tried to keep them up, but
I just don't have her magic touch."
Her voice was all choked up." Mom died while Jack
Junior was in Vietnam. He just found out about
her death today. When he saw her rosebushes
damaged, it was the last straw." Ruby mopped
at her tears." Once we got him inside and calmed
down, he admitted he's out of control. Jack
just drove him to Clinton Valley to be admitted
to a treatment program."
By now I felt really bad for the Jones
family--what a sorrowful homecoming! I could
tell my mother and sisters felt the same.
"We all enjoy the roses as much as you do.
We'll be happy to help you care for them,"
my mother said." You know, some people say
I have a magic touch with flowers, too."
Soon both women were down on their knees talking
and examining the damaged bushes together.
A few weeks later, the plants all returned with vigor.
My mother and Ruby worked together on the
roses all summer long and many summers to
follow. So did my sisters and I.A friendship
formed between the families that would include
countless birthdays, graduations and
weddings--including Jack Junior's.