Twists, Turns and Surprises

"So Ruby, what are your plans for the weekend?" inquired Hambut as she dropped him off at his house Thursday evening.

"You know, Hambut, other then helping the constabulary out a little on Friday and Saturday, I really don't know what I will be doing", she replied.

Ruby loves weekends that begin like this, unplanned, a blank slate. It turned out to be a weekend full of twists, turns and surprises.

Ruby's first surpise occurred when she checked her E-mail on Friday morning. In it she found a note from Chalky Bluegill. Chalky along with his wife Sapphire were her closest friends when she went to college the second time around. Chalky and Ruby were both in the education program, and they shared their joys and sorrows as they were processed through methods classes, student teaching, and recieving their respective teaching assignments. Sapphire and Ruby did meals on wheels together as a community project and during that time in college all three were as close as a family. The summer after graduation, Ruby was a bridesmaid in Chalky and Sapphire's wedding. Chalky and Sapphire moved south to start their new lives, and Ruby moved north to start hers. The last time Ruby saw them they had two very young children and a brand new baby. That was about 10 years ago. Needless to say the e-mail set a pleasant tone to Ruby's day.

Ruby arrived at the constabulary a little before 1 o' clock. Bluebell Mayweather was waiting for her along with her daughter, Diamond. As Ruby was hanging up her coat she thought she heard police scanner noise, but then Bluebell smiled discretely, and said "Oh! excuse me!"

"Oh that's okay", said the always polite Ruby.

Bluebell and Diamond laughed, Ruby laughed too, although she wasn't so sure at what.
Then Bluebell turned away, and made an unmistakable flatulent sound again, and said "Oh! I don't know what's wrong with me, I am so sorry!"

"If you didn't let on, I would think it was the police scanner making noise" said Ruby, trying to soothe Bluebell's embarrassment as she waved her hand in front of her nose to ward away any odors.

Bluebell and Diamond laughed harder, so did Ruby, although she didn't quite see what was so funny.

Once more Bluebell "cut the cheese".

Ruby said, "My goodness Bluebell, you must be feeling better now!"
At which point Bluebell and Diamond nearly dropped to the floor in hysterical laughter.

Finally Ruby was let in on their little joke, a "fart machine." Bluebell pushed a remote control and a hidden machine made the noise. As far as Ruby was concerned, this was the best April Fools joke she had received all day.

On her way home from the constabulary Ruby stopped off at Mungo and Myrtle's house to deliver some blank videotapes and hopefully to pick up some new TV recordings. Myrtle invited Ruby to stay for dinner, and that she did. The remainder of the evening was spent with Mungo, Myrtle and Bramblerose, watching TV and making plans for next weekend.

Saturday morning Ruby was scheduled to help out the Bywater Constabulary at "The Celebration of the Child" open house. She arrived at 10 o'clock. The job was handing out constable badge stickers, registering bicycles, and providing free fingerprinting. Now Ruby knew why she took her fingerprinting class. Ruby and one of the community service officers spent the entire morning, non-stop, inking little fingers and rolling them on to a form, and giving it to the parents for safe keeping. "That looks like a bad sore you have on your arm there." Ruby said to one little gentleman. "I know, he said, I scraped it on the concrete." "That must have really hurt" said Ruby. "Oh yes, it did", he said, "but I didn't cry, I'm very tough." Ruby let him know that she was suitably impressed. It was a very fun morning for her.

Ruby cruised the nearby farmers market after she left the open house. She then stopped here and there on her way home, having lunch in a cafe, checking out some of the new stores in the mall, getting her car washed, picking up a few groceries. She finally arrived home about 4 o'clock. She was just laying back in her magic chair and on the very brink of an afternoon nap when the phone rang. It was her boss, Dimple Grubb.

"The early morning person for tomorrow has called in sick and I need you to replace her if you will." she said. Ruby agreed to do so. When she hung up the phone her head was swimming... "I have to let Hambut know he needs another way home tomorrow."
"I have to get to bed early tonight."
"I have to turn the clocks ahead."
Soon, however, she had all of these dilemmas dealt with. She went to bed early Saturday night, and got up at 5 o'clock the next morning and headed to the infirmary for work.

There was a lot of work to do at the infirmary, and she busied herself with it. At about 9:30 there was an announcement over the intercom "CODE-GREEN". This is the code that means there has been a mass casualty and the infirmary will be expecting many patients and all employees are to switch into disaster mode. Later more information was provided. There had been a derailment of a passenger train along the gorge. Ruby called Dimple Grubb to inform her. Later the "CODE GREEN" was announced as all clear. The injuries, it turned out, were mostly minor ones and were taken care of at the scene.

When Ruby got back to her cottage from work, she sat back and reminisced about her weekend. "I think I enjoy the unplanned ones the best" she thought.