Ruby and I first met at Sugar Town College of Arts and Technology where she was studying photography and I was doing a creative writing course. I was also studying journalism on a late night course and working at a comic book store, “Cosmic Comix!”. Ruby worked in a cafe called Lucilles at nights and on weekends. I still lived at home with my parents in the suburbs but Ruby shared a flat with a couple of other girls on the cheap side of Sugar Town.
How we met was quite stupid and clumsy on my part. I was in the cafeteria at college, trying to read and carry my lunch on a tray at the same time. This wasn’t the brightest of ideas and I walked straight into Ruby spilling Dr Pepper and the rest of my meal all down her. She could see I was incredibly sorry and I thought she was going to knock my block off but she was VERY COOL about it. Ruby noticed I was reading Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King and asked me which short story was my favourite. I told her my favourite story was “Dolan’s Cadillac” and Ruby said she liked “The Moving Finger”. We spent the rest of lunchtime talking about books, films, what we were studying and hopes for the future. Ruby was the coolest person that had ever talked to me. God only knows why she liked me…
to be contd…
