Chapter 7: With A Song In Her Heart

To Ruby, the early Sunday morning sunshine seemed brighter than usual. She stretched hard and rolled over to look at Jimmy. He was awake.

"I like to look at you, Ruby." His soft voice sent shivers through her stomach.

Ruby kissed his bared chest and burrowed her face hard against his nipple. "Jimmy," she whispered. She rubbed her naked body against his. They began to make slow and gentle love, never in a hurry. She felt him tense, hug her tight and pour himself inside her.

"I love you so much," he whispered as, softened, he began to slip out of her. They clung to each other in warm silence. "Jimmy, I never want to hear you stop sayin' that."

Jimmy grinned to himself. Then he laughed out loud and gave her one last hug. "You better let me go so I can get up. If you don't you're going to hear me pee the bed. I got to go."

Ruby patted his bare butt as he rolled away from her. "You hurry up, you hear? I got to go too." She was still surprised it felt so good to look at her man.

"You better come in here and help me then," he called over his shoulder. "I want you to hold it,"

Ruby looked at the clock on Jimmy's nightstand. "Jimmy honey, we got to hurry. We got to hurry or we'll be late for church."

Their perfunctory shower was barely enough to wash the sleep off their bodies. Ruby dressed and hurried to the kitchen to start breakfast. Jimmy fretted. He was afraid he would become "Stupid, clumsy ol' Jimmy" again.

The worry about his clumsiness made him clumsy. He cursed under his breath, as his fingers could not accomplish the simple task of tying his shoes without fumbling. "Hell and damnation," he muttered under his breath.

Both were nervous they drove toward the church. Jimmy was afraid "they" would laugh at him. Ruby was afraid she would be found out and denounced as a whore she at times still felt herself to be.

Ruby's fears diminished, then turned to excited anticipation as the bright morning sun made the world stand out in stark contrasts. She took a deep breath and let it out as she felt the sheer pleasure of the moment.

The faint breeze caused Ruby's hair to flutter just a little. Her new dark green skirt and white silk blouse, with the dark green jacket looked perfect on her. Her unfashionably long hair glistened as the gentle breeze ruffled it just a little now and then. As they drove by the various people out and around on the street, heads turned.

The white linen half cap on her head made more than one person who saw her think of a young princess wearing a royal tiara. Rest, a decent diet and Jimmy's love had wrought a great change in her. She felt she was a whole new person and the old Ruby was dead but not mourned.

Jimmy became happier as he drove along with both hands on the wheel. "That's right, you keep your hands to yourself, Jimmy Ray Haggard. I will not have you mess my hair or wrinkle my clothes."

She grinned at him, "You just have to wait before you maul and paw me some more. Wait until we get home after church." She was firm.

Jimmy was disappointed. He went along with her wishes. He did not think of his hands on her body as "pawing" or "mauling." To him, it was all just plain old fun and pleasure. "I'll go along with you just this once," he told her. "Just remember you owe me a blowjob now." Ruby laughed at his antics.

Jimmy parked in the large parking lot and got out. He hurried around and helped Ruby out of the car. They were almost thirty minutes early. The inside of the church was in an uproar. The organist was ill, the choir director was home drunk and the musicians had just telephoned; a train wreck delayed them. The train clipped them when the lead singer tried to race the train to the railroad crossing. Nobody noticed or recognized either Ruby or Jimmy or paid any attention to them when they entered the church.

Ruby led Jimmy around the huge, box-like structure and was amazed at the number of rooms. Finally, Senator Friend, now Reverend Friend, since it was Sunday, spied the couple and greeted them.

"We have a problem. People will start to arrive any minute now and we have no music. The organist is ill and there shall be some very unhappy people."

"Well," Jimmy said, "now that we know who won't be here, who will be here?" Where Friend saw a catastrophe in the making, Jimmy saw a problem to be solved. It was the way he tackled machinery breakdowns.

"No one. They will all leave and go home if there are no services to attend. Not only that but the PA system is on the fritz. There is only one channel working and it has static."

"Show me," Jimmy said.

"Show you what?" Friend asked absently, his mind still on his problems.

"Your sound system. I work on the phone system and the inter plant communications system at the paper. It's all the same in its basics. I have a meter and a few tools in my car. If you'd like I'll go get them and see what I can do."

Friend nodded and waved one hand in a dismissive gesture. It seemed nowadays everybody with a screwdriver and a pair of pliers thought he was an electronics whiz. "Go ahead," he said. Jimmy hurried off, glad to have an excuse to get out of that hot suit coat and choking necktie. He half ran to the car to get his tools.

Ruby saw a way she could help. "Reverend, I see people coming in already. If you have a guitar or a dulcimer handy I can supply a little music until you can get some real musicians here."

Again, he absently nodded. "Well? Where do I find a guitar?"

"It's in a case up behind the organ." He thought, Well one thing, no matter how bad she is, the men folk will want to look at her.

Ruby found her way up onto the stage and located the guitar case. When she opened it, she saw a beautiful seven-string steel body guitar with a long neck and its own amplifier. Case and amplifier were set on a small cart for easy moving. She tugged and pulled the load around the organ and looked for an outlet. As soon as she found one by the pulpit, she plugged it in and began the task of tuning the instrument.

Reverend Friend heard the dissonance of the first few notes and decided her had better thank her and get her away from that damned guitar. Just as he started up the aisle toward the pulpit, he heard the opening chords to "What A Friend We Have In Jesus." Then she began to sing to her accompaniment.

"What a friend we have in Jesus," she started with the chorus first. Her throaty West Oklahoma contralto carried out over the audience. By the time the first stanza had been sung people shushed those who were still talking. A deep silence fell over the whole auditorium.

Jimmy, working on the amplifiers at the far side of the platform, stopped and listened in awe. "Ruby," he whispered as he made the two last connections tight and stood. Necktie askew, his fresh white shirt all wrinkled, he walked almost in a daze to stand next to the woman who had just amazed him again, this time with her singing.

The song barely ended when he spoke to her in a soft voice heard by all in the audience and outside in the parking lot. He had forgotten the repaired PA system was on and now worked the way it was supposed to.

"Ruby, I love you more than I ever could life itself. Unless we are together, I do not want to live in this world without you. Without you there is nothing left for me to ever want or desire."

He paused and took a deep breath, "And no matter what life after death brings our way I want us to share it all together as well. I love you so much, Ruby Skye." His humble avowal of love hung heavy over the church.

She stared at her lover and soon to be husband. Tears formed and ran down her cheeks. Ruby took a deep breath. Softly she sang as she chorded, "I Love You Truly." One or two of the more self righteous in the congregation felt it improper that such a sensuous piece of music was sung in the House Of The Lord. All the others in the audience felt it was just right.

Ruby blinked her eyes as she played the last chord and silence hung heavy in the air. To lighten the mood a little, Ruby turned to the audience and said, "I'm going to pick out an old English folk song that lends itself to the Twenty-Third Psalm. I'll lead and set the tempo and you all just join right in." She looked down at her fingers a moment, positioned them properly and began to play "Green Sleeves."

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want..." She started slow and the audience faltered a little, and then joined in. As it ended, she picked up the tempo and sang it through as a hymn. She segued into "In The Garden," and sang in a voice that made all the people present feel she was singing just for each of them.

As the last note sounded, Reverend Friend strode up on the platform and stood tall in the pulpit. "Thank you Sister Skye. Friends, let's give the sister a big amen." He turned and bowed magnanimously. He thought to himself, that little bit of fluff has to join me on the campaign trail. She communicates with people.

He shelved any plans he had to get her into bed. Besides, he figured if that big dolt ever caught him messing with her, there would be one dead preacher in short order. Much as he wanted to get in her drawers, the price was too high. It just wouldn't be worth it. He knew he was right. He shuddered at the thought of the beating Jimmy would administer if he felt his Ruby had been disrespected by anyone...

Wally Chubb had arrived short minutes behind Jimmy and Ruby. He took pictures of the front of the church and the crowds that came to see and be seen as well as the ones who came to worship. When he saw Jimmy working on the sound system, he took a few more pictures. Then came the reward for his efforts. When Ruby began to sing he took picture after picture of her and of the audience. Few were bothered by the flash bulbs of the camera. One picture of Friend showed the minister turned politician as he strode toward the dais and the diminutive redhead.

"Every picture a masterpiece," the reporter mumbled to himself as he took a shot of Friend between Jimmy and Ruby. "Damn, but those two make working for a living easy." By the time the pastor asked Ruby to play the offertory music Wally had another complete picture essay composed around Ruby and Jimmy.

Ruby sang and played "I Give My All To Thee" as the offering plates were passed. Friend was amazed at the versatility and range of the little redhead's voice. She sang high soprano with the same ease as her low, throaty contralto.

"How many people here have seen the extra edition of the local paper?" Friend asked. Most of the congregation held up their hands. "How many would like to meet our Local Hercules? He's right here with us, you know. In fact, he just repaired the sound system so I could talk to you without straining my voice. Jimmy Ray Haggard is a man of many talents."

"Ruby Jade Skye is a young woman of many talents in her own right. You have heard her beautiful guitar picking and listened to her amazing voice. Together these two are the most gifted couple I have ever met. And yet, neither tries to hog the stage." He smiled and added, "Maybe I better take lessons from them." The congregation laughed.

"Jimmy, come up here and say a few words." He stepped down.

Jimmy stood behind the pulpit and thought a minute. "Uh, folks, I don't have anything much worth saying. Just listen to the Reverend here and you won't go too wrong." He stepped down and returned to Ruby.