Ruby and the Tree

I truly believe that people come into our lives for a reason. One such person for me was Ruby Merle White Majors, a Texan by birth but truly a West Virginian in her heart, who passed away today. How can I tell in words how I felt about this special person? How can I put into words how important she always was in my life? Let me start back a few years…like 1977, when I was in the seventh grade at Poca Middle School. I remember the day as if it was yesterday when I met my best friend for life, a person who has been a vital and important part of my life for the past forty years, Debbie Majors, now Debbie Bailey, or as I call her, Lou. My daughters only know her as Aunt Debbie. We were in Mrs. Phyliss Reynolds English class, remember the makeshift room with the sliding vinyl doors in the cafeteria. Debbie always sat on the wall side under the pencil sharpener, of all places. I had gone to sharpen my pencil and when I reached over her to do so, a pencil, her pencil, kept stabbing me in the belly. Of course I stood back and waited for this bully to stop stabbing me, but every time I tried to sharpen, again the pencil to the belly happened. Mrs. Reynolds saw me at the pencil sharpener and began to scold me on why it was taking me so long to sharpen a simple pencil…”Do you not understand how to operate it” she yelled in front of everyone. Debbie, of course had turned back around facing the front of the room as angelic as if she had nothing to do with my inability to sharpen a pencil. I sharpened the pencil then proceeded to return to my seat, head hung low, avoiding eye contact…and you know what…I felt a pencil jab me in my backside, I turned and all I saw was that smile, the same smile that can cheer me up no matter how bad I’m feeling. We became the best of friends and all through high school I probably spent more time at Bill and Ruby Majors’ house in Bancroft than I did my own. I ate so many meals there that I had my own seat at the table. The very first time I ever ate Monkey Bread was at the Majors’ house on a Thanksgiving. Jackie, Debbie’s oldest sister had made it and it was a holiday tradition for them, I of course had to force myself away from that heavenly cinnamon brown sugar coated mound of goodness! The best memory of all that has given me so much comfort this morning after finding out that Ruby had passed away was a memory of a Christmas tree, probably around 1980. Debbie said that she wanted a big live tree for Christmas, of course I piped up and said I knew where some were…free at that! Debbie brought her mom’s little blue hatchback Chevette to my house on Scott Ridge Road. On a hillside on land not belonging to my family was a grove of pine trees that Mrs. Beatty had planted. We searched out the perfect tree, always ducking when we would hear a car drive by. Now mind you in a field on a hillside out in the wide open that tree looked to be the perfect size. It took us forever to saw it down, using a rusted hacksaw I had found, the trunk must have been eight or ten inches in diameter. Stuffing it into the back of that small car was another problem, seeing that there was no way it would fit and we could close the hatch, we simply found some rope and tied the hatch down the best we could, Debbie was worried about driving with a glob of pine tree sticking out the back of the car, I told her she’d be fine – just drive slow! I couldn’t wait to see the tree the next day, a stolen tree, a gigantic 12 foot tall 10 foot wide tree up in the Majors house. The size of the thing required Bill to wire it to the walls on both sides, just so it would standup. I’m pretty positive that it also flattened out the tree stand like a pancake. Did Ruby like it? oh yes she certainly did and for all the work it took to get, seeing her eyes light up as she looked at it made everything worthwhile. We had made a happy memory for Ruby. Over the years as life moved on and I moved away from West Virginia I saw less and less of my Majors family, Debbie and I would call each other in the days before texting and would visit each other as often as we could and no matter where we are in life, we’ve always been able to pick right up on our lives as if we had just seen each other the day before. Through Debbie I kept up with Ruby’s life and health tribulations; always keeping her in my prayers and thoughts. Memories can always ease the pain – there are days I have to stop what I’m doing when I remember a story Debbie had told me about her Mom because I start laughing out loud. Like when Ruby regretted allowing Noelle, her granddaughter to help navigate her car out of Debbie’s driveway or when Ruby and Billie were eating at Ada’s Diner and the car just rolled across the road. I have so many wonderful memories of Ruby, today I’ve been wrapping myself up in them. Whenever Debbie uses her Ruby voice to tell a story it’s as if I’m right there – hearing Ruby tell me! This week as I remember my own mom and her passing I’m now coping with the passing of Ruby, whom I loved so much and I know she loved me too, it’s been a tough week. So to my sisters from another mother and another father, Jackie, Becky, Billie and especially Debbie my heart is broken and the pain you feel at this time, I’m sharing with you. May a Christmas tree memory fill your heats with happiness and peace. As I write this I remember and honor my other mother, Ruby Majors…Rest in God’s comfort …I love you and will miss you for all my days.
In memory of Ruby, I’m including a recipe for Monkey Bread – it may not be the exact same one as the Majors family used, but it’s very close, I’m calling it “Ruby’s Monkey Bread”.