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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 3596108" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter One-hundred-seventy-two, “Aphrodite’s Lesson”, Thursday, June 15th, 11:00 P.M. Once everybody else has retired for the night Jane brings her upstairs to the room she is staying in. Jane gets out some candles and a book of love sonets and stories. First she states a prayer to Aphrodite. Then as Ruby watches she reads from the book, some poems in English, others in Latin and French which she translates into English for Ruby's benefit. The short stories and poems tell of endless loves, unrequainted loves and eternal loves. "Ah," Ruby sighs, "That's all so romantic Janie. Wouldn't it be nice if our stories could have happy endings too?" Jane says "Shhh...the stories are to set the mood, to get us both mentally receptive for the ceremony to follow. Lay back on the bed, close your eyes and listen, picture the characters in your mind, make your image of the woman yourself if you wish...I will read a few more." Ruby nods and does as instructed. She lies back on the bed, closes her eyes and stretches out, her long hair fanning out around her head. She takes a few deep breathes in and out and listens to Jane's soft silky voice as she reads. Occassionaly her mind wanders to her own love life but each time she guides her thoughts back to Jane's voice and the feelings of love that accompany her readings. Ruby senses a different feeling as Jane continues to read, hearing words in Latin intermixed with the English and her mind begins to wander....she falls into a state somewhere between consciousness and sleep and as the story continues sees the man and the woman in the story. But both then change, the woman becoming Ruby and the man...no specific individual, but rather a composite of every man she was ever attracted to...a feeling of lust rather than love. A third person then is present, who begins as Jane but them changes into the Goddess Aphrodite herself. She approaches the man and caresses his chin, letting her finger flow down to his chest. She turns to Ruby and asks, "Is he the one who you desire my child?" "No," Ruby replies in a soft voice, "No, I desire true love." She states "You have chosen wisely". The man then fades away until he is gone. Aphrodite says, "True love must be mutual. There is one who loves you dearly, who desires you more than you can know. The last three weeks have been difficult, this journey bringing about a re-examination of feelings and questioning of the truth of what true love is. But you must examine your own feelings my child, decide if you feel the same way. If you feel that you do then turn around.....otherwise come forward to me and we will try to explore what you truly feel." Even in this dream like state Ruby trembled. "I do... do love him. But I don't think he feels the same. And I need... more. More than he will give. More than he can." Tears fall down Ruby's cheeks, unsure for moments of what to do. Finally she steps towards the blond haired woman. "I... I need your help goddess. Please help me." Ruby then hears the sound of crying coming from behind her...a woman's voice, and realizes that it was not Jake was standing behind her but was instead Jane. Aphrodite says to Ruby, "This was hard lesson but she needed to know the truth. Now that she does she can properly train you." The goddess fades and the dream ends. Ruby is still lying on the bed and Jane is sitting at the foot of the bed, tears streaming from her eyes and down her face. Ruby sits up slowly, obviously confused. She glances around the room trying to get her bearings before she focuses on Jane. She scoots down towards her friend. "Janie," she says softly, laying a hand on Jane's arm, "What's wrong? What happened?" Jane says, "We can talk about it tomorrow. I need to be alone." She gets up and leaves Ruby's room shutting the door behind her. "Jane!" Ruby calls out after her friend but she is already half out the door. Ruby follows but by the time she gets to the hallway Jane is gone. Ruby, still confused, heads downstairs to get another drink. She wipes her own eyes, still wet from her own tears in her dream. She slumps into a chair with her bourbon and pulls her feet up underneath her as she sips at her drink and wonders what happened. Not much time goes by before Ruby finishes her drink and heads to bed. She opens the window as wide as it will go, being a hot summer night in New York the air was moist and heavy. Ruby lies restlessly in bed, tossing and turning. She was still confused about the evening…Her visit from Aphrodite, what happened with Jane, her feelings for Jake. She knew her time away from Promise City was coming to an end and she needed to start figuring things out, she couldn’t put it off any longer. Her new crisp cream nightgown felt constricting, her legs wanted to feel free, her whole body wanted to feel free. She climbs out of bed and goes to her bag. After rifling through it for a few moments she comes out with a wrinkled white men’s shirt. She puts it to her nose and inhales deeply. The scent had faded but was still there and it made her heart start to beat faster. With a small smile she drops her nightgown to the floor and puts the shirt on. She grabs one final item from her nightstand, keeping it safe in the palm of her hand. She heads downstairs and quietly slips out the back door. She finds a small patch of soft grass and lies down. She breathes in deeply, and runs her hands and feet through the long blades. Her eyes close as memories of her youth crowd her brain, memories of playing in the grass and getting in trouble for it. The air was heavy, humid, very unlike her new home in Arizona. Even the grass there was different. The lightning bugs lit up around her, one of her most favorite memories of all. She lets the good thoughts surround her for as long as she can before the confusion sets back in. Her mind races from one thought to the next, her breathing intensifies as they flood her with all the problems she faces. The old Ruby would have never let things get like this but the new Ruby, well, she wanted things to be different and the only way to make that happen was to deal with the problems, not ignore them or run from them. Hours go by as she stares up at the stars lost in thought. Tears come and go, come and go. She prays again for the goddess to help her, unsure of what to do, which path to follow. The stars were supposed to be hers, hers and Jakes, and they were always supposed to lead her to her destiny. They always had. Always calming, always there for her. But not tonight. Tonight they were there, many and bright but they felt cold and far away. “Why haven’t you called for me Jake, why haven’t you come for me like you promised?” she calls to them, her voice melancholy, but they do not answer. They only twinkle back at her as if they were laughing. More hours pass. Sleep is finally almost upon her. Her body relaxes as the hot humid night finally breaks, a calming breeze gently blowing around her. It dries her tears and washes over her like cool water. Her eyes close briefly, but something keeps her from her final sleep. She feels it; the item in her hand is lifted away from her, not pulled or dropped but taken carefully by the wind. Her eyes, open only a crack, still witness what happens. The playing card, the one she had held onto for so long, the one she kept always near her heart, lifted from her hand and slowly took flight on the wind. The jack of spades, her jack of spades, flitted back and forth precariously. For a moment it looked as if it would fall back to the earth but instead it slowly rose higher and higher until she could no longer see it. She doesn’t move to catch it, she doesn’t panic, she just watches it go. As she drifts to sleep Ruby imagines it makes it to the heavens, plucked from her by Aphrodite herself. Early the next morning Nana makes her way downstairs. She is surprised to find Ruby awake so early and dressed in what looks like a men’s shirt. Even more surprising is that she is standing in the hallway in front of the long mirror with a pair of scissors in her hand and a pile of deep red hair surrounding her feet. Nana takes a good look at Ruby’s hair, which no longer hits her rear end but her mid back, about a foot of it lying on the floor. Ruby grins at Nana’s reflection in the mirror. “I thought it was time for a change. I haven’t cut it since I left home. Can you help me straighten it out?” Nana says, "Let's draw you a bath and wash it again first. Then I'll teach you a few tricks with....special talents, to help fix hair quickly and easily. You should look your best when you arrive in Rochester." "You think so? I think so too," Ruby grins. "About looking my best that is. I always try to look my best. It wouldn't do to waste the gifts we are given, right? But I do think this trip deserves an extra special effort. I admit, I'm a little nervous and it always helps me to know I look good." Ruby lets Nana lead her to the bath room. The room is painted in soft blues and greens and decorated with scenes of the beach, a nearby beach that Ruby knows well. Ruby sighs, "I haven't seen the beach in forever. I think it's also time to remedy that." She helps Nana draw the bath. Nana scents the water with flower petals and then fills the tub to the top with bubbles. Without a thought Ruby slips out of the shirt and slides into the cool water. The window in the bath is open and the warm breeze blows the sheer curtains back and forth. Ruby leans back in the bath and lets her grandmother wash her hair. She is quiet and enjoys the touch of her grandmother's worn but soft hands. Finally she asks, "Nana, do you believe in the gods? Do you believe that they watch over us and have a plan for us? Do you think Aphrodite has blessed us with the gift of beauty and given us the powers we have?" She says, "I believe in a greater deity my dear, but not one of the Greek or Roman Pantheon. Long before the Roman's conquered the British Isles the local populations worshipped the Celtic Gods. Among them was Math Mathonwy also known as Mathu. He ruled over the realm of Sorcery, magics and enchantment and as far as I am concerned still does to this day. It is he who we derive our powers from." "Really? I don't know anything about him. I'd like to know more about him and what he's like." Ruby is quiet again as she runs some water through her fingers. "Nana, I want to tell you something. I am glad you believe in a god of some kind, it will make it easier for you to believe me." Ruby takes a deep breath in. "I don't want you to think I'm crazy but... Aphrodite speaks to me. She comes to me in my dreams. She came to me last night." Nana replies, "Well Ruby, that actually is no surprise. Your friend Jane is a Priestess of Aphrodite so I am not surprised that when you are with her the goddess may communicate to the both of you." Ruby replies, “It's not just when I am with her Nana. Actually, the first time I hadn't even met Jane yet. She told me I am a chosen of hers, whatever that really means. She has showed me things in my dreams, things I wanted or thought I wanted... well, we don't need to get into all that now. I'm not sure what really happened last night, I need to speak to Jane. Both Jane and Aphrodite herself want me to be trained in her ways. Again, I'm not really sure what that is but I admit I am curious to find out." "Couriousity is a trait that we share," Nana states. She then asks, "Shall we wake up the rest of the household up or let them sleep in? Your train isn't until around noon time." Ruby's bath is done and she climbs out of the now cool water, wrapping herself in the nearest bathrobe. "I suppose we should wake them soon. But I am enjoying our time alone together and you did say you would fix my hair..." Ruby dries her hair off with the thick blue towel then sits at the vanity. She holds out her hand with the scissors in it. "I admit, I am nervous about seeing George. I don't even know why, I'm not normally an anxious kind of person." Nana says, "Of course you're nervous, he is the man who you were planning to marry. It is natural to have these mixed feelings about seeing him again." Ruby replies, "Actually, I was never planning on marrying him. That, and boarding school, were the final straws in why I left home. You know Mother, she would have forced father to make me do it too. George was just unfortunately in the middle. At the time I never thought I would even consider getting married. Now... well, I don't know." Nana replies, "Ruby, you were still a child. Too young to make decisions at that age. You are now older and wiser so better able to decide what it important and what is not." "Of course, Nana. You're happy being married, right?" Ruby gazes at herself in the vanity mirror. She certainly didn't look like she did when she left home five years earlier. She runs a hand through her now considerably shorter hair and smiles. With some of the weight gone her hair curled up a bit, leaving big, bouncy, thick curls. "This has been an eventful trip so far. I don't see Rochester being any different." Nana says, "Yes, perhaps, but you need to be careful up in Rochester. Your parents have already left the city to summer up their at their other home." Ruby sighs, "You don't think they've given up on getting me back and making me do what they want, do you?" She sighs again and continues to stare at herself in the mirror. "I will be careful Nana. Believe me, the last thing I want to do is see them or have some sort of confrontation with them." Ruby shudders at the thought. She had been thinking lately that with Jake by her side she would eventually face them but now... Ruby shakes the thought out of her head and smiles again. "And I trust George, he will do what he can to keep me safe. Even if he isn't happy to see me." Nana says, "But how can you trust him? You said that he went away disappointed from your last meeting. Who knows what is going through his head now? And yes, your parents will never give up on having you back, how could they?" "Yes... he was disappointed for sure. And one of the reasons I need to see him is to talk to him about what happened. I never got the chance to make sure he was okay." "But Nana, we were such good friends as children... there is something special between us and there always will be. He was my best friend for a while. I didn't really tell anyone back in Promise City about it, I didn't want to tell Jake, he was already jealous about George." Ruby smiles wistfully. "I need to make sure whatever it was is still there. I guess I've always taken for granted that it would be." "The truth is, I don't know for sure that I can trust George. But I believe I can so I will. And maybe this time when I leave he won't be so upset, our friendship will remain in tact and he can forgive me for the poor way I handled our last meeting. George IS a good man, probably one of the best I've ever known, and he deserves it. And... I'm just excited to see him." She shrugs, "I don't know why." Nana replies, "You must follow your heart Ruby, plus you will have your friends Richard and Jane with you, they will look out for your safety and best interests. It is good to have friends like them." Yes," Ruby smiles, "Yes, it is VERY good to have friends like them. I didn't know Richard too well before this trip, I am glad I got to spend time with him. Besides," she laughs, "He's cute. It's never a bad thing to spend time with a handsome man who tries to protect you." Ruby is quiet for a bit as she again gazes at her reflection. "But it does remind me, I should go talk to Janie about what happened last night. It was odd...," Ruby's voice trails off. "Nana, do you want to do my hair now or later? I will go speak to Jane now if you'd like." Nana says, "No Darling, let her sleep, we can do your hair now. How exactly do you want it?" Ruby nods. "I just want you to straighten out the ends to make sure they are even. I think today I'll wear it mostly down with some clips holding the sides up. Long, loose and curly. What do you think?" Nana replies "I think that will look lovely." She works at her hair for a while and says "So what do you think of my James?" Ruby watches Nana work on her hair in the mirror. "I think he's amazing... seems everything that a companion and husband should be. Handsome, intelligent, caring, kind and protective. Adventerous." Ruby smiles, "What do YOU think of him? That's what really matters." Nana replies, "I think I've been blessed twice, how else can I explain having had two wonderful men in my life. When Andrew died I thought I would never find another like him...no, I misspoke. It is not that James is actually like him but I feel the same type of bond as I had with my first love." Ruby turns from the mirror and faces the older woman. She takes her hand in hers, "Nana, who is Andrew? I didn't know there was someone besides James. I'd like to hear about this first love of yours." Nana replies, "Well, I guess you are now old enough to know. Andrew was your real Grandfather Ruby, not Mr. Hamilton." "Umm... what? Grandpapa wasn't my grandfather? Tell me more, Nana, I want to know," Ruby says instantly. She indicates for Nana to sit next to her and looks to her expectantly. Nana replies, "Andrew was my first true love. He was from a fine New York family. He was born at the very turn of the century, on January 1st, 1800. As a boy he sought a path of adventure, and at the age of twelve enlisted to serve in the United States Navy as a cabin boy. He was one of thirty boys assigned to the U.S.S. Constitution, the brave ship that fought in the War of 1812, and is now anchored in Boston. After the war he returned home and attended Yale University where he studied Law. He was very charismatic and joined an illustrious firm in the city. He was later elected to Congress where he served two terms. It was during those years that I met him. Our courtship lasted for several years and was....very intense. Then in 1836 he went away with his best friend Davy Crockett, who had served as a Congressman in Tennassee. They headed down to Texas to defend it from attack from Mexico. Andrew died in March 6th of that year as one of the defenders of the Alamo. I...found that I was with child, your mother Alma. Mr. Hamilton was a family friend who had always fancied me. A hasty marriage was arranged. But I never loved him, I thought I would never find one who I felt as I did about Andrew....but then I met James." Ruby sighs, "I'm sorry you lost your Andrew, Nana." Ruby squeezes her grandmother's hand. "Your first love... your true love... can't be replaced. It sounds like he was very important, not just to you but to history. Things larger than us conspire against us sometimes, and just can't be overcome. I am learning this unfortunate fact of life." "Does anyone else in the family know? Does Mother or Grandfather know?" Nana replies, "I honestly don't know if your mother knew or not, I never told her but any number of relatives could have. I imagine that she did, just one more reason to keep you and others away from me." "Oh, I'm so sorry." Ruby scoots next to the woman and hugs her. "But it IS wonderful that you have James now. See, everything happens for a reason. You wouldn't have been with him if things didn't work out with Andrew. Besides, I never cared for grandfather anyway. They were all the same, stuffy and uncaring. Cut from the same cloth. I wish I could have known your first love. I am glad I can at least know this love." Nana answers, "Yes, you would have liked Andrew. But enough of the past, let's speak more of the future. What exactly are your plans?</blockquote>

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