Melissa’s Cozy Teacup

So, who wants to read the first chapter of my first book? Well, here it is. Let me know how you like it or if you want to offer me a publishing contract.

CHAPTER ONE

Ruby Cross struggled through the front door of her trailer avoiding stepping on Maxine, her sable colored Papillon, while dropping grocery bags and her mail in a trail behind her in a rush to answer her phone before her answering machine kicked in. Answering with a breathless ‘Hello?’ she felt her heart sink a bit in disappointment at the prerecorded message from the local thrift store asking for donations. Sighing, she hung up on it/him and went back to her front door to retrieve her strewn mail and groceries. No phone calls or messages again. After putting away the cold items into the ancient refrigerator, she grabbed a box of crackers out of one of the cobalt blue cupboards and put a kettle of water on the stove to heat while she put away the rest of the groceries. When she was done with the groceries, she placed an Irish Cream, tea bag in the white cup with pink and yellow roses that used to belong to her grandmother. When the kettle finally whistled, she poured the hot water over the tea bag and carried the cup and saucer and a box of crackers with her through the kitchen, the floor of which was covered in cheap, yellow linoleum, across the brown shag carpeting, into the small living room where she went through her mail while sitting in her favorite chair.

“Occupant, Resident, Ruby Cross or Current Resident, credit card bill, utility bill- nothing yet from Prince Charming,” she said to Maxine who was now in her lap trying to steal licks of hot tea from Ruby’s cup. “Oh, yes! My new tea catalog came today! Look Maxine,” she showed the cover of the thin catalog to Maxine who showed a respectful amount of interest while trying not to get caught stealing crackers too.

“Gee, Maxie, when the biggest part of a girl’s day is getting a tea catalog in the mail, it’s time for her to get a life!”

Maxine cocked her head to one side and huffed at Ruby in what sounded to her like agreement.

“Don’t be so quick to agree,” she told Maxine as she got up to put her uniform, from the tea room where she waitressed, into the wash with the rest of the dark clothes waiting for new life to be given to them before being doused again tomorrow with tea and covered with bits of scone and assorted sandwich fillings. Ruby felt a poke on the calf of her leg as she finished and looked down at Maxine. “Ready for dinner?” she asked her friend. A huff and stamp of feet was Maxine’s response and Ruby went to the refrigerator feeling thoroughly bossed by her opinionated dog. She opened a can of food for Maxine and placed it in her dish along with a treat. Ruby would have felt eternally guilty if she didn’t spoil her friend. Maxine was only two years old, but they both had been through a lot in that short amount of time. Ruby was more inclined to spend her money on Maxine than her self, and today was no exception.

“Hey, girl, are you ready for your present? It’s your birthday today!”

Maxine had no idea what Ruby was so happy about but she liked the tone in her voice and did a little dance around the kitchen floor ‘huffing’ at her. Ruby laughed at Maxine’s impatience and reached into one of the bags still on the counter and pulled out a plastic container full of something brown and cut into strips.

“Guess what I have? Give up? It’s dried, cut up buffalo livers! Mmmm! Come on girl. Come on!”

Ruby lead Maxine on a brief chase into the living room. Maxine poked her in the leg with her nose the whole way. Ruby pulled a piece off one of the livers and held it up.

“Sit!” she commanded Maxine. Maxine huffed at her and stamped her feet.

“Sit I said,” Ruby tried again. Again, HUFF was the only response she got from Maxine. Laughing, Ruby gave the liver to Maxine.

“I guess no one should have to do tricks to be fed. Even if it is expensive buffalo livers!”

Ruby had bought Maxine from a breeder in town three weeks before she lost her job. Already smitten, she couldn’t bear to give her back. It had been a financial struggle, but Ruby had kept Maxine with her through thick and thin and it had been worth every penny and sacrifice. Ruby sat back in her chair and reached for her bible. She had over slept that morning and didn’t get to do her quiet time before she left for work. The day had not gone well. Her attitude had been off and as a result, her tips had been low. ‘No one to blame but me,’ she thought. As she sat there reading,Maxine’s giant ears flicked and she was up and out the flap of her doggie door. The only thing Ruby had been able to teach her was not to bark at the neighbors, just strangers. When Ruby heard Maxine growling and huffing, she knew it had to be at the people in the trailer next door. Maxine drew a fine line between obedience and getting away with murder. According to the way Maxine thought, huffing and growling weren’t barking and she had refused to give them up. Ruby had finally consented and in the end it had turned out to be a good way to tell what was going on around her. Maxine did her job well. An hour later Ruby had completed the study chapter and was ready for bed. Early to bed and early to rise had not yet made Ruby wealthy, but she was healthy and wise.

“Maxine!” she called out. “Here, Max! Come on girl! Come inside!”

Maxine bounded through the doggie door with a huff and several wags of her body. Ruby slid the panel in the doggie door just in case a skunk or neighborhood cat decided to try and wander in during the night.

“No sense in tempting them,” she said to Maxine.

Ruby carefully went through her nightly routine. She shook her long auburn hair out of its chignon and brushed it smooth. Slipping into her shorts and t-shirt combo with the monkeys on it, she sat on

the edge of her bed with Maxine next to her and said her prayers. When she was done she snuggled under the covers. Maxine looked at Ruby and then crawled over to her own side of the bed and laid down.

“I don’t know why you bother,” said Ruby, “we both know where you will be before too long, tucked in and snoring next to me!” Ruby reached over and grabbed Maxine pulling her next to her and snuggling her close. Planting a kiss between Maxine’s ears, Ruby told her ‘goodnight’ and turned out the light.

Morning, as it always did for Ruby, came much too early. She disturbed Maxine as she got out of bed and was rewarded with a familiar grumble of protest. Knowing Maxine wouldn’t get up on her own, Ruby picked her up and carried her to the front door, opened the door, set Maxine down and closed the door without undoing the panel so she couldn’t sneak in when Ruby wasn’t looking. Maxine sat there for a couple of minutes still trying to wake up. Ruby left her little friend to her own devices and went into the kitchen to start her day. She filled her small tea bell full of loose leaf Earl Grey tea and waited for the kettle of filtered water to boil. By the time the water had boiled and the tea had steeped it’s 5 minutes, the scone she had taken form the freezer to cook was done and she was ready for her quiet time. She stopped by the doggie door to let in Maxine and was greeted with an indignant huff as Maxine trotted past her and went back to bed.

‘She’s even worse at mornings than I am,’ Ruby thought to herself.

Thirty minutes later, Ruby closed her bible with tears in her eyes. Proverbs 24:16 was the last thing she had read, ‘for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.’

“You are so good, Lord,” she said out loud. “Your hand lifted me up and carried me each time I fell.

Thank you, Lord. You are so merciful and good.”

She put down her bible and got up to finish getting ready and leave for work. Rushing to the bathroom, she scooped up her hair into a clip and sprayed it into obedience with her cheap drug story hair spray. Next came the face washing and makeup. She did a full scale application of foundation, blush, lipstick and eyeshadow and even curled her eyelashes before applying her mascara. Even when in ‘corporate America’, Ruby felt it was important to look her best which for her included makeup, hair done and jewelry, even if she was just waitressing. Next came her uniform. The most ridiculous thing she ever had to wear in her life. Since Miss. Daisy’s Tea Parlor tried to mimic an old fashioned Victorian era tea room, all the waitresses were required to look the part. This meant mutton sleeves and long hot skirts in black with white caps and aprons, even in the summer. Despite the silly get up and serving tea all day, Ruby had grown to love tea and everything about it. She especially liked it when some of the customers would dress in period clothing. Their outfits were colorful and exotic while hers was merely functional and drab. Her one small act of individuality in her costume,was the bright red lipstick she always wore.

Placing some dry kibbles in Maxine’s dish and checking to make sure she had plenty of fresh water for the day, Ruby walked out the door.

Getting into her very worn out car, Ruby closed the door being careful not to slam the skirt of her dress in the door jam. Just as the car had warmed up, she pulled into the parking lot of the garishly painted Victorian house that had been converted into Miss. Daisy’s Tearoom and Millinery, in Old Colorado City. Using her key, she opened the door and started the morning prep. A little while later, she heard a car outside. Looking out the window, she saw the cook pull up. Ruby had arrived her usual half an hour early. Betty, the cook, was always on time and Kate, the other waitress, was always late.

Today was going to be a big day. They had two Red Hat(C) parties coming plus three separate

reservations, all within a half an hour of each other. The tea house opened at eleven. It was seven ’til.

Betty took over the kitchen, leaving Ruby free to vacuum and check the tables to see if they needed wiping down and if the salts and peppers needed topped off. She finished just as the first Red Hatter (C) came through the door. A 90 year old cutie, she had that beautiful white hair that looked like spun sugar. She wore a red hat with a generous helping of feathers and sequins, a lovely purple dress with long sleeves, and a red and purple feather boa wrapped around her neck. She, too, had put on makeup this morning and topped off her look with some great sparkling earrings and a brooch.

“Good morning, Violet!” Ruby greeted her enthusiastically. She was a regular and Ruby had enjoyed getting to know her. Many of the ladies were a joy to be around. Some were cranky and cheap with their tips, but for the most part, they were like Violet, glad to be alive and still full of life. Vi, as she liked to be called, came over to give Ruby a hug.

“How are you doing, Ruby-girl? Got a handsome rich man yet? One that’ll spoil you and buy you the world?” Vi asked with a chuckle.

“No, not yet, and besides, I wouldn’t want the whole world, it would be too much to clean!”

The two women exchanged pleasantries for a couple of minutes then the conversation turned to their dogs. Vi also owned a Papillon.

“Daphne sure did enjoy Maxine’s visit last week. It took her another week to recuperate, but it was the liveliest I’ve seen her in a while, Ruby.”

Ruby remembered the play date she had taken Maxine to over at Vi’s house. The two dogs had romped in the backyard for most of the time Ruby had been there. Vi had served Ruby the most delicious scones while she was there. Better than that, Vi had given her the recipe. They, like her friendship with Vi, would always be a heart treasure for Ruby. Ruby settled Vi into a seat by the window. Ruby knew

she liked to look out the window and see what was going on out on Colorado Avenue. She liked to ‘people watch’ the tourists.

“Foot traffic is a little thin today,” Vi said, “do you think it will pick-up?”

“It better. If it doesn’t I just might have to rob a bank!” came Ruby’s standard reply.

They the official tourist season was still to come, when the streets brimmed with people. Ruby was confident it would pick-up here in the next month or two, especially the closer it got to summer. Miss. Daisy’s always opened a few months earlier than the other Ave. restaurants, just to make her presence known. Ruby excused herself and went to get Vi some ice water with lemon.

“Here you go, Vi,” She said as she set the glass down.

“Oh! I didn’t hear you come in,” came Vi’s startled reply. She had been deep in thought but now she looked away from the window and up at Ruby. Just then the door opened and laughter followed the slight breeze in as three more ladies joined Vi at the table. Ruby left them to their ‘hellos’.

Back in the kitchen, Betty was pulling hot scones out of the oven.

“Ten more minutes on the quiches,” she told, Ruby, “how we doin’ out there?”

“Great! All but two of them are here.”

They worked in silence for a few minutes.

“What time did Kate say she was coming in today?” asked Betty

“She didn’t. Does she ever?”

They both chuckled at the joke. They loved Kate, what wasn’t to love? They just didn’t like her unreliability. Ruby finished spreading the cold curry chicken salad onto the croissants. She cut each sandwich in half and neatly arranged the pieces on the serving tray. Next she took the chocolate covered strawberries off the wax paper they had been sitting on and placed them on the bottom tray.

The cooling scones were last and placed on the middle tray. Each table was also treated to a tray with three wells in it filled with cream, lemon curd and jam, one each in each well. Checking on the ladies again, Ruby saw they were ready to begin. Each of the tables of four had a three tiered tray of delectable finger foods on it for the ladies to enjoy with their tea. The menu for today was chicken curry sandwiches with grapes, celery, apples and almonds added, lavender scones, chocolate covered strawberries, and Earl Grey tea with lavender flowers. Herbal teas were also available upon request. She took the last of the trays of food and tea out to her ‘guests’ and after a little explanation about the food, she let them be so they could enjoy themselves without interruption. She always referred to the customers as her guests. She would have loved to be the owner of Miss. Daisy’s. Ruby had tried several times to get Cora to jazz up the menu or serve an exotic tea or plan a special chocolate tea. All her ideas had been shot down. However, since Cora was rarely at the restaurant, Ruby would sneak in some of her ideas whenever she could. They had all been a hit with her customers except for the most stubbornly unadventurous. Ruby was always pouring over tea books for new recipes and tips on how to do things better or to add variety.

Ruby helped Betty clean up in the kitchen while the ladies were having their meeting. The occasional sounds of laughter would find it’s way down the hall and into the kitchen. Ruby loved it. Being single and alone, she was sometimes lonely too. Remembering the voices and the laughter from the day helped her at night when she was feeling blue. All she had to do to feel better sometimes, was to think about the day. The happy faces of the customers, the smells from the kitchen and especially the laughter, helped ease some of the emptiness in her life. All that, plus Maxine, made her feel blessed but there were some things missing in her life that friends, food and pets couldn’t replace. Ruby wanted her own business. She desperately wanted something to call her own. Her friends at work thought she

needed a man. THAT was the furthest thing from her mind. She put the dishes in the sanitizer a little too hard earning herself a raised eyebrow from Betty.

“Something on your mind, Kid?” Betty asked.

“No. Nothing!” Ruby’s reply was a little enthusiastic for Betty. She grunted and turned back toward the rack she had taken out of the oven. The next reservation had wanted quiche and although there was plenty in the freezer from the day before, they knew the supply would be wiped out and none would be left for the lunch crowd, if there was a lunch crowd. The bell to the door rang interrupting her thoughts. She looked around the corner and saw five ladies walk in. She greeted them with a warm smile as she confirmed they were her next reservation. Kate was still missing in action. Ruby felt herself getting nervous. Ruby and Betty had been unable to convince Cora that she needed to let Kate go and find a replacement who knew how to tell time. Ruby took the ladies to their seats and set them up with menus and flatware. When they were ready, Ruby put their order in with Betty and went to check on her Red Hatters ™. She was greeted with a happy cheer as she entered the room. Everyone was smiling and seemed to be having a great time, and more than one of the ladies complimented her on the food. Ruby smiled to herself. The gamble of jazzing up the usually bland chicken salad had paid off. She had read about the lavender sugar used to make lavender scones in a magazine, and, since it was Vi’s Red Hat (C) group, and she knew far enough in advance they were coming, Ruby had made the lavender sugar herself a week ago. She fairly skipped into the kitchen on the wings of praise she had received and shared the kind words with Betty.

“You oughta be running your own restaurant,” said Betty, “you have the know how-”

Ruby cut her off before she could get too far.

“There’s a big difference between know how and funding, Betty, you know that. Until I win the lottery,

I’ll just have to make due with the way things are.”

Betty started to protest.

“No, Betty, let’s not even go there. I just don’t have the money and talking about something I want when I know it’s out of reach is too painful for me.”

Vi was passing by the kitchen when she heard what Ruby said.

“Hope deferred makes a heart grow weak, Lord. If it is your will, show me how to bless Ruby.” she prayed as she shuffled down the hall way.

Vi’s red hat group stayed for three hours until they wore themselves out talking and planning their next gathering. Other than the reservations, no other customers came in all day. Right on schedule, the door opened at 3 pm. and in walked Cora. Kate had not come in, nor had she called to say she wasn’t coming in.

“How’d we do?” asked Cora leaning on the counter.

Ruby had just finished counting the drawer and handed the envelope over to Cora so she could see for herself. They had barely hit $300.00 and that was even with some of the purchases from the Red Hat(C) ladies. If she was disappointed, Cora hid it.

Ruby took her apron off and hung it on the hook. Her day was done at the tea room but it would still be awhile before she made it home. Since her tips at the tea room were getting smaller due to the lack of customers, she was on her way to a job interview for another restaurant on the evening shift. She hated the idea of leaving Maxine alone so much but if she didn’t start bringing in more money she wouldn’t even be able to afford Max’s food. Though it wasn’t required of her, Ruby usually stayed late to help clean up the kitchen. Not today. Cora didn’t know about the interview but Betty did and gave her a reassuring wink as she left to get into her car. As she walked across the parking lot, Ruby saw the

owner of the building talking to a man she had never before seen. They were pointing to different areas of the building as the spoke to one another. Their conversation came to a halt as she walked by and

resumed after she had gotten into her car. She briefly wondered what they were talking about but was soon too busy driving to think about it anymore.