Birds were singing in the trees as she made her way through the labyrinth of paths to reach her grandmother's grave. She smiled when she spotted it basking in the warm sunshine with its gorgeous view of the surrounding countryside.
Kneeling down in the lush grass, she removed the dead flowers from the vase at the base of the headstone and replaced them with the fresh wildflower bouquet she had picked that morning. Carefully she arranged them so that sat evenly in the vase.
"Oh, Grandma," she sighed. "I miss you. Miss your words of wisdom. Miss your smile. I wish you were here."
Her eyes filled with tears, "Alex left me. He's been having an affair with a woman from work. She's pregnant with his baby."
A small bird came to sit on the headstone, its head cocked to one side as if it was listening.
"He told me he never wanted kids!" The words were spoken with the taste of bitterness that she felt inside echoing through them. "I want kids!"
The bird looked at her.
Burying her face in her hands, she sobbed, letting out all the hurt and anger, rage and disappointment. In her mind, she could visualise her grandmother placing her hand on her shoulder and saying, "These things happen for a reason, Ruby. If you'd been meant to be a pair for life, he wouldn't have been the odd shoe."
"Odd shoe?" she whispered the words as she held onto the image of her grandmother.
"Never liked that boy. Didn't make any effort to fit in. He wasn't a good match for you. I told your mother that."
"Mum did say you'd be relieved. She told me you weren't Alex's biggest fan."
"He's a selfish arrogant…" a bird screeching nearby drowned out a string of profanities.
"Grandma!"
"You need someone unique. Someone whose odd shoe matches yours. Don't waste your time with Alex. You're too good for the likes of him, girl."
"Mum said the same thing," sighed Ruby, drawing comfort from the ghostly conversation in her head.
"Odd shoe, Ruby. Mark my words."
As she sat by her grandmother's grave, Ruby dried her tears and reflected on the five years she had spent with Alex. His shoes had always been perfect...as had his clothes and hair and even his nails. He had been the well-polished Gucci loafer to her colourful Converse. In the early days of their relationship, he had adored her quirky sense of style but as he had climbed the career ladder, he had become increasingly critical of her clothes, her hair and her figure…and her job…inf act as she sat in the sun, Ruby recognised that he had found fault with everything that made her who she was.
"You're better off without him, Ruby."
She heard her grandmother's voice clear as a bell.
"I need to go, Grandma," she apologised as she got to her feet. "I'll be back next week."
"Watch out for odd shoes, angel."
Smiling at the ghostly advice, Ruby headed back to her car. Checking the time, she realised she'd be late to meet her friend at the new coffee shop in town. As she reached her car, a beaten-up vintage VW beetle, she sent her friend a message, "Running late. Be with you in ten, X".
There was only one parking space left outside the coffee shop. It was beside a read 1970's VW camper van. As a teenager, Ruby had always dreamed of touring the country, living like a gypsy, in a red VW van. Every time she saw one, she regretted not following that dream.
"Sorry I'm late," she apologised as she slipped into the booth to sit opposite her friend.
"You say that every time, Ruby," laughed her friend, used to her tardiness.
"Have you ordered?"
"Not yet. I was waiting for you."
Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the waiter.
"Ladies, what can I tempt you to today?"
Looking up, Ruby found herself gazing into a pair of twinkling haze eyes. He smiled. Without taking her eyes off him, Ruby placed her order.
As he walked away, she noticed he was wearing odd shoes.
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