RP: The Three S's?
Date: January 9, 2011, mid-day
Characters: Ruth Strauss, Max Stuart, Jay Shaw?
Location: Burleson suburb to UTA, via public transportation
Status: Public
Summary: Ruth ponders this morning’s message as she goes to get her textbooks.
Completion: Complete
Ruth stared out the window at the rain coming down, not noticing the passing businesses. She was almost to UTA, where she had some books to get for the classes she was enrolled in for spring. She’d gotten a reasonable financial aid package the other week, and hoped to have a job she could fit around classes. She wondered if she could find a job close to campus waitressing, or something like that. She had never minded it, even when her father was being grumpy. It was the fact that it had brought Ben into her life that made it less comfortable now. Still, it was one skill she knew she had.
The words from the song at church that morning drifted through her thoughts. “Let your mercies fall from Heaven / Sweet mercies flow from heaven / new mercies for today, shower them down Lord as we pray.” She’d already been on the verge of tears as the pastor led the congregation in a prayer for the events yesterday in Tucson, Arizona, but the words, both fitting for that tragedy and her own inner turmoil, had been too much. She’d had to leave quickly, hiding in a bathroom stall with a wad of tissues over her nose and mouth.
It was becoming a frequent occurrence. She was sure Max was bewildered at how emotional she seemed. It was a far cry from how she wrote him all those years. He’d been very kind though, and had simply brought home some extra boxes of tissues for around the house.
She knew he wasn’t comfortable with the idea of there being a baby around. She was still getting used to the idea herself. But his phobias were old and deep-seated, and she wouldn’t put him out of his home for it. She hoped to soon find a place she could afford. Didn’t have to be much, just a space she could call her own and make room for the baby in 7 or so months. She’d gone online to calculate the due date, since she knew pretty much when she conceived. August 8. So she had one more spring and most of a summer just herself. She stopped that train of thought. It did no good.
She got off the bus on the edge of campus and made her way to the bookstore. 30 minutes later, she had a stack of books and was juggling them with an umbrella when one slipped and they all came tumbling down, right into a puddle.
“Nononono!” She cried, crouching. She scooped them up and ran back inside, dropping the umbrella in the process. She went to the bathroom and grabbed a bunch of towels, trying to soak up as much water as she could. Finally, she stopped, feeling defeated. Most books were ok, but her textbook for Classical Studies was a sodden mess. She fought back tears, determined not to let this ruin the day for her. She re-stacked them and went back out, stopping when she saw her umbrella was gone, probably blown away by the wind. Sighing, she moved to the bus stop overhang, trying to shield the books as best she could from the rain.
By the time she got home from the Burleson stop, she was soaked and shivering. She set the books down on the table by the front door and sat in the living room, drained. She hated this! Everything that could go wrong did nowadays. Why was this happening to her? She sniffed, and before she knew it, she was crying, loud enough that Ali came to investigate, whining softly as he looked up at her anxiously.
“I can’t do this.” She whispered. “It’s too hard for me. Please, Jesus.” She went silent, thinking how everything paled in comparison to Jesus, and finally she sighed. “Guess I just need to go dry my books out. Think Max will mind if I turn up the heat?”
She’d get a shower, too. She was cold and clammy, and it wouldn’t do to get sick on top of everything. She wandered into the kitchen, deciding to see what was in the pantry that she could fix for dessert. Tomorrow was Max's birthday, and while she didn't have much in the way of things she could do for him, she could always cook.
Characters: Ruth Strauss, Max Stuart, Jay Shaw?
Location: Burleson suburb to UTA, via public transportation
Status: Public
Summary: Ruth ponders this morning’s message as she goes to get her textbooks.
Completion: Complete
Ruth stared out the window at the rain coming down, not noticing the passing businesses. She was almost to UTA, where she had some books to get for the classes she was enrolled in for spring. She’d gotten a reasonable financial aid package the other week, and hoped to have a job she could fit around classes. She wondered if she could find a job close to campus waitressing, or something like that. She had never minded it, even when her father was being grumpy. It was the fact that it had brought Ben into her life that made it less comfortable now. Still, it was one skill she knew she had.
The words from the song at church that morning drifted through her thoughts. “Let your mercies fall from Heaven / Sweet mercies flow from heaven / new mercies for today, shower them down Lord as we pray.” She’d already been on the verge of tears as the pastor led the congregation in a prayer for the events yesterday in Tucson, Arizona, but the words, both fitting for that tragedy and her own inner turmoil, had been too much. She’d had to leave quickly, hiding in a bathroom stall with a wad of tissues over her nose and mouth.
It was becoming a frequent occurrence. She was sure Max was bewildered at how emotional she seemed. It was a far cry from how she wrote him all those years. He’d been very kind though, and had simply brought home some extra boxes of tissues for around the house.
She knew he wasn’t comfortable with the idea of there being a baby around. She was still getting used to the idea herself. But his phobias were old and deep-seated, and she wouldn’t put him out of his home for it. She hoped to soon find a place she could afford. Didn’t have to be much, just a space she could call her own and make room for the baby in 7 or so months. She’d gone online to calculate the due date, since she knew pretty much when she conceived. August 8. So she had one more spring and most of a summer just herself. She stopped that train of thought. It did no good.
She got off the bus on the edge of campus and made her way to the bookstore. 30 minutes later, she had a stack of books and was juggling them with an umbrella when one slipped and they all came tumbling down, right into a puddle.
“Nononono!” She cried, crouching. She scooped them up and ran back inside, dropping the umbrella in the process. She went to the bathroom and grabbed a bunch of towels, trying to soak up as much water as she could. Finally, she stopped, feeling defeated. Most books were ok, but her textbook for Classical Studies was a sodden mess. She fought back tears, determined not to let this ruin the day for her. She re-stacked them and went back out, stopping when she saw her umbrella was gone, probably blown away by the wind. Sighing, she moved to the bus stop overhang, trying to shield the books as best she could from the rain.
By the time she got home from the Burleson stop, she was soaked and shivering. She set the books down on the table by the front door and sat in the living room, drained. She hated this! Everything that could go wrong did nowadays. Why was this happening to her? She sniffed, and before she knew it, she was crying, loud enough that Ali came to investigate, whining softly as he looked up at her anxiously.
“I can’t do this.” She whispered. “It’s too hard for me. Please, Jesus.” She went silent, thinking how everything paled in comparison to Jesus, and finally she sighed. “Guess I just need to go dry my books out. Think Max will mind if I turn up the heat?”
She’d get a shower, too. She was cold and clammy, and it wouldn’t do to get sick on top of everything. She wandered into the kitchen, deciding to see what was in the pantry that she could fix for dessert. Tomorrow was Max's birthday, and while she didn't have much in the way of things she could do for him, she could always cook.