CITY ISLAND LINES
What Russell did next surprised every one of us.
It had taken all our collective strength to haul him from the floor to the sofa. We’d heard him talking with Ruby earlier. But an ominous thud startled each of us from our respective nooks and caused us to collide in the living room, where Russell lay collapsed like a giant marionette. Ruby stood over him with an expression of pure astonishment, unable to make a sound. Russell was big in every way a person could be big. He was tall and wide, with huge hands and feet, a prominent midriff, and a deep, resonant voice. For all his size he was gentle and shy. Though he was awkward in company, he made no secret of his affection for Ruby and had been her admirer for as long as we could remember. She too was shy but she seemed comfortable with his unabashed affection. What had happened to drop Russell so abruptly? As a team, we each grappled with a limb to drag Russell’s enormous, inert mass off the floor and onto the sofa. The effort was taxing and, winded, we all turned to Ruby for an explanation. Before she could offer one, Russell erupted like a long-dormant volcano, catching us off guard again. With agility that belied his significant girth, he launched himself from the sofa and exploded out the door. We all trailed awkwardly in his wake while he ploughed forward as if in a trance. Deaf to our inquiries and warnings, he strode toward the river. On the bank, he finally came to a halt and we clambered behind him. We watched as he yanked a small red velvet box from his pocket and flipped it open. Staring at its contents, he paused. A tiny diamond winked back at him. Nestled on a pink pillow, it was small but brilliant as it caught the evening sunlight. With his thick, ungainly fingers, Russell plucked the ring from its bower and, without a second’s hesitation, flung it into the river. We gasped in unison Ruby, ashen, began to tremble. As large as Russell was, Ruby was small. Everything from her petite stature to her nearly inaudible voice was diminutive. Often, she would simply disappear in a room until someone enquired as to her whereabouts- only to find that she was standing mere inches away. Russell looked balefully at his beloved. ‘What are you doing, Russell?’ she whispered. ‘Well, if you won’t marry me, I have no use for such a thing!’ he howled. ‘But I said “Yes”. You just didn’t hear me!’ ‘You did? You would? You will?’ stammered Russell. ‘Of course,’ sang Ruby with uncharacteristic confidence and volume. Years later, Russell still chuckled heartily when he told the story of how he lost a diamond ring but won a gem far more valuable to him: his beloved wife Ruby.
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