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Daisy was the eldest daughter of the Miller family.
She led her younger siblings by example. She prayed by the cross every morning and evening, spent her free time reading the bible, and working tirelessly on the farm. She enjoyed the routine, she was the good, proper daughter, and she was proud of it.
But the day she got her permit, it all changed.
That morning, she went down the stairs to begin her day with a cup of milk and a cool window breeze. She fantasized about her first drive on the road, alone and free, moving faster than she ever could on her horse.
Her little sister tugged on her sleeve and whispered to her in the dark.
“A girl, her name’s Ruby, she’s staying at our home,” she informed.
Daisy furrowed her brows.
The girl snored peacefully on a pile of hay in the barn. Her brown curls blanketed her face, tangled over her body. Daisy scolded her for not finding her a better place to rest. Only in her head she criticized her father as well.
She did her morning prayers, her ritual interrupted with thoughts of curiosity about the girl. Where was she from? What was she doing here? Daisy had never seen her before, in fact she rarely saw strangers let alone a new face in her home.
At breakfast, her and her family bowed their heads in another prayer as usual, except a new hand intertwined with theirs, Ruby’s.
That was where she learnt that Ruby was a college girl who drove down Texas, documenting rural towns like theirs for a college paper.
Her goal was to expose the “pure evil” that’s pouring across the borders—or the drugs being smuggled into “their great nation of the United States” from Mexico.
With every word she said, Daisy was drawn into her like a magnet. Ruby was in no way proper, and it was embarrassingly obvious that she was not from the area.
She looked like those “wild” people her neighbors would describe at church and school—people who didn’t comb their hair and steam every crease in their clothes, people who didn’t pray and would be in the hands of the devil.
“Chaos will never lead you to the peace found within God.”
But Ruby wasn’t like that at all. She announced a “thank you” to every offering by her family. She never failed to show manners. She made her siblings smile and even made her father laugh.
Daisy didn’t know why, but a stranger so kind made her want to melt inside.
The drive she fantasized all morning about was more euphoric than she could have ever imagined.
She was behind the wheel, driving Ruby to the nearest bus station. Her curiosity overcame her shyness around the girl. She listened to her talk about college. It was a whole new world to her, she could never imagine being surrounded by so many different people her age.
Ruby was an attentive listener as well. Daisy talked about her family and farm life. She was scared she would find it boring, sheepishly smiling as she talked to cover the fear, Ruby remained intrigued.
One thing Daisy would never forget was her smile. It was unique to her and almost like a smirk; it was cute, a trait now solely associated with her.
She dropped Ruby off at the bus stop and said goodbye. Her heart sank when she stepped out the truck door. Ruby waved with gratitude in her smile.
Daisy didn’t want to ever leave that moment. She couldn’t bring herself to press on the gas until she watched her brown curls fade into the street. A warm feeling in her chest that would linger for months, a feeling she had never felt before.
———
Every time Daisy checked her mail, she would pray for a postcard from Ruby.
Ten months had passed, and yet again, she hadn’t met a stranger since then. She went about her routine, centering her life around the farm and religion.
At some point the disappointment from the void of Ruby’s postcard shriveled away with time, but never the feeling, the warm feeling.
Of course, Daisy felt warmness with family, friends, her animals, and with God, but what she had felt sharing a laugh with Ruby was different; she was unsure what kind of different it was.
The unfamiliarity wrecked her at night, especially when her friend thought she was describing a boy.
So every morning she prayed for the devil to not reach her, but inside she knew God could hear her pleading to see Ruby again.
Daisy thought her silent prayers were heard when a truck pulled up by their house, the only vehicle they had seen on that road in weeks. She immediately darted out the door, but kept a calm and presentable disposition once the sun touched her skin.
She anticipated Ruby and seeing her climb out the door, her heart leaped with excitement.
But who she saw step out of the truck was not that tall wild girl with that quirky smile. It was a broad man with soft eyes that squinted when he greeted her with a smile. He looked to be perhaps a relative to her.
Daisy took a step back, still wary of the unfamiliar man despite his benign demeanor.
“Hello,” she greeted, awaiting more information. This is all she had been dreaming about for the past few months, she couldn’t afford to feel guilty.
Her father emerged from behind her. “How can I help you?” he asked.
The stranger didn’t invade their space. he stood close to his truck, his hands fidgeting together.
“My daughter stayed here awhile back.” he paused. “She said it was the most peaceful place she’d ever been.”
“Ruby?” Daisy announced. that was her girl and to God she knew it. Hope fluttered within her; she was incapable of holding back a grin. “How is she?”
The man looked up from his ball of hands. It was only a second between her question and his response, but it was enough to stir concern.
“She’s in a better place,” he said with a nod.
Daisy choked on her breath, her smile retreating. She felt every muscle tense in her face and a frown curved her cheeks.
Ruby? How could Ruby be dead?
She replayed the memory of the two, driving in their family pickup truck with Ruby in the passenger seat. She remembered looking over her shoulder and watching her dark curls dance wildly in the wind, covering her laugh.
Ruby was only twenty-three. She could recall every last detail. She was a college student—journalism. She was sweet to her, and she believed in God.
So when her family joined hands and bowed for prayer that night, she couldn’t help but glance upwards to that empty seat at the table. The sun hit the chair perfectly, as if Ruby’s radiance was there emitting her glow.
A tear fell down her face at the memory of her.
Ruby, may your soul rest in peace.