This morning on my drive to work my Aunt Ruby came to mind. She is actually my great-aunt, my grandmother's sister. At family functions, we would always sit together. Even in my family I attracted the craziest person in the room. I adored Aunt Ruby. She was one of the most interesting people I have ever known. Even in her 80s she was very entertaining. She had an apartment in an assisted living complex in Greeneville. I would sometimes spend the weekend with her.
She drove a blue Andy Griffith car that registered 150 mph. How would I know that, you might ask? Because my crazy aunt let me drive it when I was only 13. It was my very first driving experience. I floored the accelerator and we whooshed down the hill of her apartment complex going about 60 mph. Aunt Ruby got down in the floorboard and yelled "slow down." I actually drove around Greeneville and the sad part is, I drove better than Aunt Ruby. She was driving down the emergency lane at one point when I suggested she might want to get over. She giggled and over we went, drivers behind us honking because she pulled out in front of them.
One Christmas at my brother's house, she received a bud vase and two bottles of Mad Dog 20/20. (Did I mention I come from a long line of happy alcoholics?) When Aunt Ruby opened the bud vase she said "Oh look, a shot glass." and then proceeded to use it to drink a fifth of wine while the rest of us were opening gifts. Later she accused one of us of stealing a bottle of her wine when she discovered one was missing (the one she drank). Like I said, a little crazy. I kept telling my family that I thought Aunt Ruby had Alzheimer's but everyone assured me that she had always been that way.
One day we were at a family function, she was perched in the chair beside me and asked "Who is that?" pointing to my nephew, Josh, who is one year younger than me. I said "That is your great-nephew, Josh - Larry's son." Aunt Ruby asked "Who is Larry?" She somehow managed to remember me:) A few minutes later she asked "Is that your son?" again referring to my nephew. I was like "He's only a year younger than I am! NO, he is not my son he is my nephew."
When my cousin Rick got married we all journeyed north to Ohio to attend the reception. Aunt Ruby was drinking Long Island tea when I last saw her at the bar. She got drunk and lost her false teeth. Luckily she found them the next day before we all headed back to Tennessee:)
I have discovered that our family has this weird chemistry. We attract the strangest people and the strangest things happen to us. I don't know why but it does. Aunt Ruby lived in New York City with her husband years before I came along. She went to the movies one day and the gentleman beside of her fell face-first into her lap. She yelled at him to get off her. He had had a heart attack and died in her lap! Every guy she dated at the retirement community she lived in died. Of course, they were all in their 80s but still...
Aunt Ruby always gave me change (she once gave me $30 in coins), a laugh, and her love. I miss her so much - she passed away years ago from Alzheimer's. I can't wait to see her again. I wonder if she will still be that crazy in heaven.
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