Ruby laughed humorlessly. “Don’t need to be no law,” she said. “This—whatshername, Silly.”
“Syl,” Jon said. “S-Y-L.”
“Syl,” Ruby said. “Syl the grub. She earns enough for her own food most likely and that brother of yours earns enough for his food, and maybe if they eat a little less, there’s enough for Gaby. I work for them, no food for me. There don’t need to be no law, Mr. Jon. Grubs got to eat, too. Thought you’d figured that out by now.”
“It was just an idea,” Jon said. “Anyway, that’s where I’m going. You don’t want to go, fine. Go your own way. Just don’t tell anyone where I am. A lot of people could get hurt if you do. Gabe could get hurt.”
“Sounds like you’re the only one in trouble,” Ruby said. “How could they hurt a little claver boy?”
“He’s not a little claver boy anymore,” Jon said. “Not with Lisa killing herself. If Gabe’s lucky, they’ll give him to decent people to raise. That’s if he’s lucky. You want that on your conscience?”
“I didn’t ask for none of this,” Ruby said. “Rich people’s problems.”
“You want to hear something funny?” Jon said. “I didn’t ask for it, either.”
“You really marry me just to save me?” Ruby asked.
“Not just to save you,” Jon said. “To save me, too. Look, I don’t know what’s going to become of you. I really thought your living with Matt and Syl and Gabe was the answer, but you’re right. You wouldn’t be earning any money, and food costs money.” He wished they’d stop talking about food. It reminded him how hungry he was, how much more walking they had in store before they could begin to think about getting any.
“They really nice people?” Ruby asked.
Jon nodded.
“Well, I guess that’s as good a place as any to go,” she said. “You know anything about their enclave? What kind of work they have for grubs?”
“No,” Jon said. “Just that Syl’s a domestic.”
“I love that word,” Ruby said. “Can’t call her a grub, can you? You never had a problem calling me that, but not that sister-in-law of yours. Not family.”
“Miranda was a grub,” Jon said. “You know that.”
“Was?” Ruby asked. “What’s she now?”
“I don’t know,” Jon said, which was pretty much the truth. “We’ll get all the answers when we get there and decide what’s best for you. I promise you that, Ruby. You promise you won’t ever tell anyone where I am, and I promise we’ll do right by you.”
“Nice of you to make that offer a hundred miles from home,” Ruby said. “You’re a real gentleman, Mr. Jon.”
Jon grabbed her by her shoulders. “Listen to me,” he said. “I’m not happy about any of this, either, all right? My mother was slaughtered. My stepmother killed herself. I lost both of them in a month. Everything I had was taken from me. I’ll never see the girl I love again. I’ll never see my home, my friends. I’m as tired and as dirty and as hungry as you are. I’m probably more scared than you are because I can only hope my family is all right, that Sarah is all right. You know where your parents are, where you sisters are. Hell, you have parents. That puts you two steps ahead of me right there.”
“Take your hands off me!” Ruby said. “You touch me again like that, and the whole world is gonna know where you are.”
Jon let go of her. “All right,” he said. “Fine. I’m going to my brother’s. You go wherever you want.” He began walking away.
“You can’t do that!” Ruby shouted. “You’re my husband. You come right back here, Jon Evans. You know what could happen to me walking on this highway all by myself? You want my dead body on your conscience, too?”
Jon stared at Ruby. But all he saw was Julie.
“No,” he said. “No, I don’t want that. Look, Ruby, my life is in danger. My family’s lives are, too. Sarah, her father, we’re all in jeopardy. But you’re right. You didn’t ask for it, and it’s not fair what’s happened to you. If you want, we’ll turn around and go back to White Birch. I’ll leave you, I don’t know, five miles from there. A safe distance. Then I’ll start back. If I do that for you, would you promise not to turn me in? Is it a deal? If that’s what you want, we’ll turn around right now.”
Ruby rolled her eyes. “My momma warned us about clavers,” she said. “All they do is take. They see a little grubber girl, they take what they want from her, no please, no thank you.”
“Your mother was right,” Jon said. “That’s just what I did.”
“But you ain’t no claver anymore,” Ruby said. “You ain’t no decent, hard-working grub, neither. But you’re getting there, and I don’t see much point to hurting you. We’ll go to that brother of yours, that fancy domestic Sylly. I wasn’t counting on seeing little Gaby, but I guess I can handle that if I have to. What’s the name of that town they’re in?”
“Coolidge,” Jon said.
“Maybe I’ll find myself a nice man in Coolidge,” Ruby said. “Settle down. Raise my own family. Live a decent, hard-working life, like my folks. You can go off, do whatever you want. Find that girlfriend of yours before she settles down with some decent, hard-working claver. Assuming there is any, which, according to my momma, there ain’t.”
“Thank you,” Jon said. “You’re better to me than I deserve.”
Ruby snorted. “You just figure that out?” she said. “You clavers ain’t just mean. You’re dumb and mean. Come on. Let’s get to that precious brother of yours while you still got the strength to walk.”
But it was Ruby who lost the strength, Ruby who collapsed, crying she couldn’t walk one step farther.
There had been no work for them Thursday or Friday, no food in almost three days.
“I’ll walk to the next town,” Jon said. “I think there’s one in a couple of miles. I’ll get you some food. But we need to get you off the side of the highway, back where the truckers can’t see you. I don’t think I can carry you, Ruby. Can you stand up? I’ll help you walk if you can.”
“I’m sorry I’m such a baby,” she said, trying to stand. “Mr. Jon, I am so sorry. My knees won’t lift me.”
“You’re not going to die out here,” Jon said, bending to help her. “Put your arms around me. Right, like that. On the count of three I’m going to help you up. Use whatever strength you have, Ruby. Okay? One. Two. Three.”
It took more strength than Jon knew he had in him, but he managed, with Ruby’s help, to get her upright.
“Keep holding on,” he said. “We don’t have to walk far. Let’s get you behind those trees. That should give you enough cover.”
Even the twenty feet was a struggle, but Jon managed to drag Ruby over and position her where no one could see her.
“I don’t know how long this is going to take,” Jon said. “But I’ll come back with food. I promise you, Ruby. Sit tight and don’t give up hope. All right?”
“All right, Mr. Jon,” Ruby said.
Jon bent over and kissed her on the forehead. “See you soon, Mrs. Ruby,” he said, and went back to the highway to look for the nearest town.
He walked for almost an hour before seeing the exit sign. There was no guarantee there’d be a town there, and even less that someone would give him food, but he had no choice. He walked along the exit ramp, then kept going. A mile or so later he saw an old farmhouse with the glow of kerosene lamps in the windows.
He walked over and knocked on the door. “Please help me,” he cried. “My wife is starving. Please give me some food for her.”
The door opened. A man, wiry with muscles, pointed his rifle at Jon. “It won’t hurt me none to kill you, boy,” he said. “You might want to do your begging someplace else.”