Rosewood

Chapter 3 Jayson Confession

Chapter 3: Jay’s Confession

Jayson’s point of view

Jack and I quickly became best friends and talked about creating a workshop for bike repairs out of shed in his back yard. We talked with Rick, (Jack’s Dad) and got permission to use the shed. Jack and I planned a campout in the back yard for the last weekend in August, so we’d be able to get an early start on the shop.

After begging and promising to come inside if a storm came, our parents finally agreed. That was the first of several weekends I would spend at the Warden house. It came to be if I wasn’t there, then Jack would be at my house.

That last weekend in August Stacy and Daisy also stayed with Ruby and Vivian. Talking about copycatting someone, my little sisters always wanted to do everything I did. It cute sometimes and a downright pain at others.

As far as Ruby, I knew she was my future after that kiss on her check, behind the church. So, I made a habit of picking on her, and Jack was all too happy to do his fair share of picking. He loved aggravating Ruby, but she gave as good as she got.

It wasn’t long before her, and her friends were ‘helping’ us with the girly bikes. Ruby would go with Jack, Rick, and I to find bikes to work on. That one Saturday when we ran into that Brian kid. I got pissed off, that little brat was calling Ruby names, and saying hateful, hurtful thing.

Jack and I both watched as Ruby tried to just stay away from the kid. But when he pushed her, I kinda went crazy putting him in a head lock and making him apologize to her. Nobody was allowed to dis her or pick on her except me and her brother.

September of 1980, I was eleven years old heading into middle school. Jack and I was in sixth grade, while Vivian and Daisy was in fifth grade. At that time, the middle school was for fifth through eighth grades. That changed a few years later, to 6-8 putting 5th graders back with the elementary schools.

Falls Middle School wasn’t a huge school, so we’d all see each other. Jack and I had several classes together including math, shop, and English. We also had our lunch periods at the same time as Viv and Daisy.

For a while, I thought about ‘dating’ Viv, but decided against it. She wasn’t Ruby for one, and I just didn’t care for attitude. She wasn’t a b***h, or even a ‘mean girl,’ she was just bossy, and a bit of a know it all.

I was thankful when one of the seventh graders took a liking to her, his name was Matthew. The two of them went ‘steady’ all of Viv’s 5th and 6th grade years. He moved away after that, too bad for Viv, I thought they made a cute couple.

Jack was interested in a girl named Lois, who acted like Jack didn’t exist. Me? Well, I won’t lie, there was a lot of pretty girls, and I even hung out with a few of them, even kissed a few. But I wasn’t ever going ‘steady’ with them.

Jack and I would take what we learned in shop class and incorporate it into our own little business. Double J’s Repairs, that’s what we called the place and soon every kid within a mile radius was coming to us for repairs, paint jobs, and more.

We were making money and putting most of it right back into the business. Sometimes on our way home from school, we’d stop at the drug store and buy drinks and penny candy for everyone. Jack, Vivian, Daisy, Angelic, Ruby, and me. Stacy went to another school, but I’d buy for her too, because she came to the Warden’s when she got off the bus.

Even though I enjoyed when everyone was around, I personally liked it when it was just Jack, Ruby, and me. Over the years we developed a friendship and comfort, that wasn’t quite the same when other was there.

My junior year of high school, 1985, that’s when things started changing for Ruby. She had started fifth grade, and a few weeks in I noticed Ruby withdrawing, she didn’t want to hang out anymore. She would stay in her room saying she had a lot of homework.

On Saturday’s, she’d say she had housework or some other lame excuse. I finally got tired of it and mentioned it to Rick and Wendy. They had noticed to and said that Ruby was getting counseling for some things that happened in Hamilton and a few things with one of the teachers at the school.

While I was glad, she was getting help, I couldn’t help but worry. I tried to act normal when she was around, picking on her and joking around. Jack had told me that she was having nightmares. Jack also confiding in me, that he had caught her throwing up dinner a few times.

I feared losing Ruby to what I know now was depression. After starting the daily counseling sessions, she started coming around and acting like her old self again. By the end of the school year, she was out of the woods, so to speak, and I was happy.

Summer of 1986, I got a job bussing tables at Hillside Steak House. Jack went to work for a pizza place. We still had our little repair shop, only now you left your bike with my brother Travis or with Ruby and let them know what you wanted done.

Travis is two years younger than me and was all too happy to help Ruby run the shop on weekends. I told him not to be messing around, that he was getting paid to help us out. He said, “Look bro, I want is time to get to know Vivian, and since I don’t have to be at home anymore. Well, I thought it be a good thing.”

Travis hadn’t really hung out with us much; he had his own group of friends. But over that summer there was some kind of major disagreement, and he broke away from that group. Most likely over a girl, knowing Travis and those friends of his. Anyway, it left Jack and me time to work, and yes, the main goal was to have money for all the senior stuff. We had homecoming, senior pictures, cap and gown cost, and a separate set of pictures with those. There was also the prom, graduation announcements, and so much more.

However, that summer when we weren’t working, we were at the bike shop. Occasionally we’d all load up and go to the lake for fishing, swimming, and barbecuing. Lighthouse Lake was huge, it even had an island in the middle of it with, you guessed it a lighthouse.

The founder of the town loved the island and lighthouses, so he decided to build one there, even though there wasn’t any use for it. After his death, the lighthouse went to ruins, until the early 1900’s. That’s when the town council decided to restore it and make it into a museum.

Now you can catch a ferry boat out to the island and learn about the town. Our senior trip was out to the island, and we got to go all the way to the top of the tower. This became a tradition for our school in the 1970’s, sort of a rite of passage. 

Not like you couldn’t go up any other time, but we seniors got to play with the light, nobody else did. We’d get five minutes to find our home and shine the light on it. It was a high light of the year.

Back to summer because I absolutely must tell you about the fourth of July. Our families along with the Dewey’s, that’s Angelic’s family; decided on a weekend camping trip. Jack and I was lucky enough to get off from our jobs. Honestly think our dads had something to do with that.

Anyways on Friday the fourth all of us that could swim, was in the lake having a good time. Playing around, dunking each other under the water and splashing. When I suddenly realized Ruby wasn’t around, I went back to shore to find her.

After frantically looking, I noticed she was walking around the shoreline. I ran to catchup with her. “Where ya going, Ruby?” I asked. “Just felt like a walk.” She answered. “Care if I join you?” I spoke. “It’s a free world.” She replied. I could tell something was going on.

We walked in silence, till we came up to a dock. We sat down and I asked, “What’s wrong?” She looked at me and said, “Why don’t I look like the other girls? Their all skinny and beautiful, even my sister has thinned out?” “Ruby,” I said, “you are exactly the way you should be.”

She gave me that ‘really’ look she gets when she thinks I’m lying, or just trying to make her feel better. But that’s not what I was doing. I continued, “Those other girls have nothing to hold onto.” She smiled a little.

“Look at them Ruby, they are sick, they have noassatall disease.” I spoke. She laughed, “no what disease?” I answered, “No ass at all disease. Nothing to grab hold of, or pinch. Most of them could hid behind a broom handle and you wouldn’t find them for days.”

By this time, she was in full on tears from laughing so hard. I nudged her with my shoulder, she nudged me back, then looked up at me. “Why did you say your gonna marry me one day?” She asked. I answered, “You remember that” she nodded, and I continued, “because I am.”

I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, she smiled and asked, “How can you know that or even say that. You’re like a brother to me and older.”  I grabbed her chin and looked into her eyes and said, “That day, behind the church, I saw our future in your eyes. That’s why I kissed you instead of tickling you like I’d plan.”

“Ruby, I’ve been…” I looked down then said, “…I shouldn’t say.” She stared at me for a moment, then stood up and started to walk away. I grabbed her hand, to stop her, but she lost her balance and fell in my lap. She tried to get up, but I wrapped my arms around her waist.

“You’re a goddess Ruby, and you don’t even know it.” I said. She huffed and tried to get away. I held her tight with one hand and reached for her cheek with the other. Our eyes meet and for a moment it seemed as thou we were the only two people in the world. I finally let her go, but not before saying, “Your mine Ruby Ann, and one day you’ll see it too.”

She smiled and got up, then we walked back to our group. Things changed that day, I no longer treated her like I did my sisters, or even as just a friend. I started calling her my girlfriend. As time for the fireworks was approaching everyone took seats on the beach area, facing the lighthouse.

Every year the fireworks was set off from the top of the main structure of the lighthouse building. I made it a point to sit down, right next to Ruby. Jack said, “Dude, I was gonna sit there.” Ruby looked all around her, and told her brother, “Sit behind me, then I can lay my head in your lap and have a better view.”

I thought, ‘damn, why didn’t I think of that.’  As the fireworks started, she leaned back on a pillow Jack had stolen from Daisy. I laid back propping myself up on my elbows. Daisy took pity on me and gave me a pillow to.

Daisy had learned from previous years to bring pillows. As laying back looking up at the night sky was the best way to see the show. Although, that year the best view for me was watching Ruby’s expressions.

Jack and Ruby, that’s a weird, complicated relationship, yes, they are brother and sister, and no nothing s****l ever happened between them. But I noticed how tender he was with her; protective, and a little possessive. Like this night he was playing with her hair, so tender and lovingly.

A few years later I would find out why, he was the one caught Mr. Grassman touching Ruby. He whisked her away, after hitting the man and breaking his jaw. Pretty good for an eleven-year-old. He spoke to their parents while holding Ruby the whole time. For her, he became a protector as well as her brother.

Sometimes they would hold hands when walking, or he’d wrap his arm around her. To an outsider it looked more like a boyfriend/girlfriend than brother/sister relationship. But if that was what she needed to feel safe, then so be it. No one knew her inner turmoil except her family and eventually me.

After the fireworks we sat around a fire roasting marshmallows and making s’mores. Jack sat on one side, and I sat on the other side of Ruby. She waited too long and lost her marshmallow in the fire. I said, “Here girlfriend, you can have mine.” Rick said, “Since when did you start calling Ruby ‘girlfriend?’”

“Well, sir if it’s okay, sense five seconds ago. She is a girl and a friend, so why not.” I answered. “We’ll discuss this later, Jayson.” Rick said. I knew I was in trouble, Rick always called me Jay, unless I was in trouble.

Around 10:30 all the young ladies went into one tent to sleep and all the boys in another. Rick, my dad, Jack and I had a little discussion. “So, Jayson, what’s actually with this ‘girlfriend’ business. Don’t think I didn’t see you earlier.” Rick began.

Dad said, “Did you realize I was at that dock? I saw you kiss her on the cheek.” Jack screamed, “YOU DID WHAT?” Rick said, “Calm down, everyone else is trying to sleep.” Then he looked at me, “Jay your seventeen, she’s twelve, even though she looks older. You have to be careful son; she may take your actions the wrong way.”

I ran my hands over my face and through my hair, then said, “I’m understand, but what the three of you don’t know, is that I…” “Spit it out.” Rick spoke. “I know she’s my future, I saw it in her eyes, back at the church in 1980.” Jack hauled off and hit me, and then started for another. Rick caught his punch midair.

“Jack, we talk first, then fight later if needed.” Rick said. My dad, said, “Tell us what you mean.” So, I explained what happened that night at the church, and what happened at the dock. I also explained that I was trying to wait, but somehow, the girlfriend word just slipped.

They finally calmed down and I pulled Rick off to talk alone. I said, “Rick, I know she’s too young to date, but I need you to know, that I love her. I will protect her, and one day, hopefully with your permission, I will date her and eventually marry her.”

Rick looked at me, “You got some balls, boy. But for now, you’re not to be alone with her. You’re not allowed to call her girlfriend. Mostly, no more little kisses, I don’t care how innocent they are. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir I do.” I replied.