Goodbye Ruby Tuesday by A. L. Michael

me to marry him.’
    ‘Before you’d even been on a date?’ Evie asked.
    Evelyn shrugged, ‘I didn’t say yes right away. But I knew I was going to. Sometimes, after a few mis-steps, things work out. We had twenty-seven beautiful years together. And I got to know that I made at least one good decision in my life.’
    ‘Do you have kids?’ Esme piped up, looking at the collection of children’s books on the bottom shelf. Evelyn smiled softly, shaking her head.
    ‘No, and that was fine for a long time. I had a very full life, and even after Reggie passed away, I had my groups and my charities. But I do have a tendency to take in strays and waifs…’ Evelyn shook her head a little.
    ‘How did you meet Ruby?’ Evie asked bluntly, the question she’d been dying to ask since they’d arrived.
    Evelyn smiled, ‘It seemed fated actually. We’d seen each other at a few parties, and of course I’d heard of her, the new golden child on the scene…’
    Evie leant forward from her perch on the edge of the Chesterfield, and Evelyn sat opposite her, sinking into one of the armchairs.
    ‘I remember it exactly.’ Evelyn grinned. ‘She was wearing this leopard print catsuit, with these red sparkling stilettos, and she walked straight up to me and said “you’re Evelyn Glass and I’ve looked up to you forever”.’
    Evelyn laughed, and Evie nodded, realising that she’d remembered correctly. ‘I thought that was you, she’d mentioned you when we were younger. I remembered because of our name.’
    ‘She talked about you too, all of you,’ Evelyn smiled softly, ‘and the miraculous thing was, I’d been looking for her for years, I’d wanted to meet her desperately. She reminded me so very much of myself.’
    ‘I’m sure she would have been honoured to know that,’ Evie patted her hand, ‘she was always looking for role models and proof that it could turn out all right. She was Lula Mae in
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
and Dorothy on the yellow brick road. Although she hated the idea that anyone would choose to go back to monochrome. Badgeley was always black and white, before and after her.’
    Evelyn shook her head, ‘She always wanted everyone to see a girl who was a mixture between Lolita and a dame from a forties noire movie. I knew she was hurting. The record company was putting so much pressure on her towards the end, threatening to sue if she didn’t produce the album she’d promised them.’
    ‘Was she at the studio a lot?’
    ‘Who knows with Ruby? She rented the space for a couple of years, but barely used it. I knew she was running out of money, so I asked if she minded if I rented out the downstairs to Killian. I think they became good friends for a while. But she doesn’t keep people close for long,’ Evelyn shook her head, ‘or didn’t, rather. She didn’t keep people close. I don’t know the last time she used the space, I’m afraid. She’d already started retreating by then, wasn’t taking anyone’s calls.’
    ‘She was good at running,’ Evie shrugged, looking at Esme in the corner, wondering how much of this she was taking in.
    ‘I should have done more. I saw her falling apart, I’ve seen what this industry does too many times, and… well, I got to know the real her. At least for a little while. That was a gift.’
    They sat in silence for a moment.
    ‘You don’t know how much the space means to us…’ Evie took her chance, and leaned over to squeeze her hand ‘… to all of us.’
    Esme walked over, still clutching a dusty book, ‘We’re going to make it special for Ruby. My mum’s going to make cakes.’
    Evelyn looked up, ‘I hear your mum is quite the actress too. What about you, Esme? Any arty skills?’
    Esme shrugged, ‘I’m an okay dancer. And I like to paint.’
    ‘She’s also a pretty good actress when it comes to crying wolf to get out of doing the dishes,’ Evie winked and stuck out her tongue, relieved to lighten the mood.
    ‘It’s not lying if you