“What about your job?”
“I’ll be able to get the time off,” I say, not ready to tell her I was quitting just yet—she was still trying to digest that I wasn’t falling apart over Max.
“We couldn’t possibly—”
“Shush,” I interrupt. “You’re going. End of story.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“A very wise person once told me that marriage is hard—that you have to keep fighting for it every day,” I say, thinking of Jules’ own words to me. “Maybe this will make it a little easier to do that.”
Jules’ chest compresses as she exhales. “How did you know this is just what we need?”
“I had a feeling,” I say cryptically.
? ? ?
I nearly spit out my coffee as it burns my tongue.
“I told you to be careful, I had them make it extra hot,” my mom says, looking concerned.
“It’s fine,” I say. “I think I’m just desperate for caffeine.”
My mom had tracked me down in my hotel room with two lattes in hand and a worried look on her face. And like Jules, she’d eyed me warily as I’d weaved the same story—that I had woken up with a new outlook on life. But then she’d hugged me tightly when I’d finished, her shoulders caving with relief.
“That’s interesting,” my mom says, brushing a strand of hair away from my face. “I had my own little wake-up call this morning,” she says as she adds a packet of raw sugar to her coffee. “I woke up feeling so emotional. I think Max leaving you reminded me of how your dad left me. But then I ran into this woman—she had the most beautiful curly hair and dark brown eyes!”
I perk up as my mom begins to describe Ruby, how she met her as she was getting coffee, and for reasons my mom couldn’t explain, she’d felt compelled to spill her entire life story to her as Ruby nodded her head and sipped on her mocha. When my mom had finished rambling, Ruby gave her a serious look before asking if she was finally ready. My mom, confused, had asked, “Ready for what?” To which Ruby had replied, “To begin living your damn life again, woman!”
“For a minute, I was shocked. I mean, who did this woman think she was?” my mom says with a laugh. “But then I realized she was right. And I wanted to find you immediately and warn you not to make the same mistakes I did. To not let what Max did define the rest of your life.” She pauses, staring out the window at the ocean. “And then I get up here, and you’re not crumpled in a ball on the floor like I would have been. I had no idea you were so strong. It makes me realize how weak I’ve been. I’m so sorry.” She puts her arm around my shoulder and I lean into her.
“Don’t be,” I say, her silky hair pressing against my cheek. “Maybe we can work on moving on together. Okay?”
An hour later, I’ve convinced both my mom and Jules, who’d also showed up at my door saying she was still very worried about me, that they could leave me in the hotel room by myself. After they’ve gone—I ordered Jules to pack for the red-eye home that night and my mom to go lie by the pool—I make a quick call to the front desk, then pick up my cell phone. Last time, I’d been terrified to show any weakness on Facebook, to let people know that life wasn’t turning out the way I’d hoped it would. This time, I pull up my profile, smiling as I read all the congratulatory messages on my timeline and decide that everyone deserved to hear the truth from me. I type the words without hesitation, that Max and I decided not to get married today, but that I truly appreciated everyone’s kind thoughts. I hit post and throw my phone into the drawer before collapsing onto the bed, relieved to have the truth out there, closing my eyes and letting the sound of the waves lull me to sleep.
A knock at the door wakes me and I jolt upright. “Room service!” a familiar voice calls out.
Ruby’s curvy silhouette takes up the threshold as I swing the door open and see a plate of fresh fruit in her hands. “Hungry?”
I wave her in and we walk out to the lanai, the hues of the golden sunset filling the sky. As I place a piece of mango into my mouth, letting the sweetness slide down my throat, I remember standing out here on the night of my rehearsal dinner, my chest tight with anxiety. And now, the calmness that fills my body is so foreign it feels almost like a drug. “Thank you,” I say to Ruby.
“I figured you were probably starving.”
I laugh. “I’m not talking about the food. For what you did for my mom.”
Ruby grins. “Consider it a parting gift.”
“But how did you know that was exactly what she needed to hear?”
“I can’t believe that you’re still questioning how I know things!” she says as she firmly places her hands on her hips.
“Sorry!” I say. “I guess I still don’t understand all of your powers.”