A/N: This is another chapter that was not planned as part of the story at the time of its originally intended May release, which again, was another good reason for the delay, because this chapter will prove to be just as crucial to the overarching Sharuby Saga.
After the party had broken up for the evening, there was a slight change in plans for Ruby, who intended to walk back to her house a couple of blocks away, as Shannon offered to whisk her away for a post-party romantic rendezvous… and after the prom proved to be a disappointment, the Indian teen eagerly accepted the offer.
Shannon drove herself and Ruby to a location that not only was very familiar, but also very special to them… the top of Royal Woods Hill. Although something of a tourist attraction, it was here where the two had been brought together for what ended up being their very first date. At least for this particular visit, neither of them had a strenuous literal uphill climb to get to the top; Shannon was able to drive up the narrow greenway and find a space to park. Knowing how Shannon's mind worked, Ruby assumed they would just sit in the car and gaze out into the city below, while listening to the radio – another typical romance movie cliché, though her girlfriend had something else in mind. After she shut off the ignition, she rolled down the windows, and kept the radio on, the volume of which she turned up to its maximum decibel, before she exited the vehicle, stepped around to the passenger side, coaxed her girlfriend out of the car, and lead the way into the clearing where they had their first date. At this hour of the night, the Delilah Show broadcasted – a radio program Shannon enjoyed listening to, as listeners would write or call into Delilah to share their experiences, and get her words of wisdom, while also having the hostess select a song for those listeners and what they may be going through. At the moment, a listener called into Delilah to share with her how she and the man in her life endured a lot of hardships and troubles, but no matter what life threw at them, they managed to press through their trials and tribulations by each other's side with the power of their love, and the song that Delilah selected for the two seemed like the perfect song for Shannon and Ruby to dance to under the moonlight; the serious moonlight.
As the opening notes began to play, Shannon held out of her left hand, and asked, "May I?"
"Sure!" Ruby responded enthusiastically as she let her girlfriend take the lead in this dance while she followed.
Then, Ben E. King's vocals emanated from out of the car and into the night…
When the night has come, and the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we'll see
No, I won't be afraid, oh, I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
So darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh, stand by me
Oh, stand, stand by me, stand by me
If the sky that we look upon should tumble and fall
or the mountains should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry, no, I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh, stand by me
Whoa… stand now, stand by me, stand by me
It was not just the moon that illuminated their moment; both ladies were aglow of each other, as they gazed lovingly into each other's eyes while they waltzed around in the clearing. Ruby was all the more impressed with how well Shannon could dance now, compared to how klutzy she was when she began teaching her.
"You dance so much better than all those other dudes," complimented Ruby.
"I learned from the best," cooed Shannon, which made Ruby's smile widen.
While the song's musical bridge played into the night, they slowly leaned into each other until they found themselves dancing cheek-to-cheek
And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh, stand by me
Oh, stand now, stand by me, stand by me
Much like True Colors earlier, Shannon and Ruby felt this was another song that summed up their relationship fittingly, as for the past three-plus years, whatever they faced, they did so side-by-side – a true testament to both their relationship and their friendship; they could not go through life without each other.
Just then, the moment took a most unusual turn, when the two heard additional vocals singing along to the song that came not from the radio in Shannon's car, but a small group of singing and dancing frogs…
Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me, oh stand by me
Whoa, won't you stand now, oh, stand, stand by me
Stand by me
The pair struggled to make sense of the sight before them; these little frogs not only sang in great harmony, but their movements were precisely choreographed. Suddenly, they heard yet another voice call out from the woods, a voice that sounded almost exactly like Shannon's, but was noticeably huskier, and sounded, well, a little froggy…
"Oh, there you guys are! I've been looking everywhere for you! What're you doing up here?"
From the opposite side of the hill emerged a young girl, roughly nine years of age, dressed in denim overalls, and had her short and unkempt blonde hair tucked under a military-styled cap; behind her, she also pulled a red wagon.
"Lana?" Ruby and Shannon called out to the girl they recognized as one of the little sisters of their friend
"Oh, hiya, ladies!" Lana greeted the two teens whilst she scooped up her little green friends and placed them into the little red wagon. "Don't mind these little guys; ever since they've been streaming Muppet movies, they think all frogs are destined to become stars."
That, evidently, was the case with these singing and dancing frogs, who looked up to one Kermit as their idol.
"Imagine what they'd believe they could do if they watched Amphibia," quipped Shannon of the widely popular animated series that chronicled another dimension in which the natural inhabitants of said dimension were sentient amphibians.
"Yeah, they've already gotten ideas from that show," noted Lana as she finished rounding up her little friends and rolled down the hill in the wagon with them.
Shannon and Ruby exchanged looks of amusement with one another as they reluctantly returned to the nearby parking lot.
"Thanks for this, Shans," said Ruby in appreciation for being brought to this spot for one last dance. "This was, like, the perfect nightcap."
"I thought so, too," agreed Shannon.
They made it back to the car, but before they got back in, the very sight of all of Royal Woods lighting up the night down in the valley below caught their eyes as they stepped to the edge of the parking lot to admire such a sight.
"We so have to capture this moment…" said Ruby; she produced her cell phone, launched her camera app, and adjusted the flash settings so she could snap a selfie of she and her girlfriend on this night with the city behind them.
red_ruby posted the selfie to Swiftie Pic and tagged Broadwaygirl1924; not only that, but she decided to make it the new cover photo on her profile page, all of which greatly amused Shannon. When all was said and done, the two went back to gazing at their hometown below; Shannon greatly missed seeing such a sight, since her new house was further out in the suburbs, but even so, she did not often see this much of downtown Royal Woods at night even from her apartment unit's roof. It was truly mesmerizing.
"Have you ever seen a more stunning sight?" She wondered aloud.
Ruby turned to admire her girlfriend and said, "I'm looking at one now…"
Shannon, likewise, turned to face Ruby with a huge smile on her blushing face, as she responded, "So am I, Rubes, so am I…"
At last! Ruby thought to herself. Shannon finally got a flirt of hers without it flying over her head, and to have her flirt back in response caused the Indian teen's smile to broaden and set her heart aflutter.
"You really do look so stunning tonight, Shans, and I mean that," insisted Ruby. "That dress looks amazing on you."
"Everything looks amazing on you, Rubes," said Shannon. "I had the hottest girlfriend at the prom tonight."
"Can you really say that?" Ruby asked. "Considering so many other losers, like, kept stealing your girlfriend all night?"
While that was true, and it was a source of disappointment for both ladies, Shannon opted to maintain a different outlook on how the evening unfolded for them.
"You know, Rubes, we could dwell on tonight's negatives… or, we could focus our energies on tonight's positives, such as the fact we were able to even attend our senior prom openly and freely without any worries or fears, with our parents' full acceptance and approval …" said Shannon.
"Yeah, you're right, Shans…" nodded Ruby. "You're always right…"
Half of their glass may have been contained, but Shannon decided to view it from the half-full perspective. Reluctantly, they returned to their vehicle where Shannon rolled up their windows and lowered the radio volume so as to not potentially be slapped with a violation of disturbing the peace… then came the part Ruby foresaw before they exited the vehicle, where they just sat in the car and continued to gaze out into the city below them. She took a moment to reflect on everything when the finality of it all began to sink in.
"Hard to believe…" she began. "We just had our prom, now we're graduating… it feels like the end…"
"It's not, Rubes… it's a whole new beginning…" noted Shannon.
Another subject began to tug at Ruby's mind, and one that had been a source of pressure from her parents; it made her wonder if her girlfriend had anything mapped for herself…
"So… where are you gonna go from here?" The Indian teen asked.
"I don't know for certain…" confessed Shannon. "My parents say I can stay with them as long as I want, but they also want me to have figured out which direction I want to head into within the next year…"
"You got any ideas?" Ruby asked.
"Maybe…" replied Shannon as she pondered on it. "I know there's a dramatic arts academy… they have quite an impressive alumni… if I could enroll in their New York campus, and maybe land some side gigs in community theaters, that could pave the road to Broadway and livin' the dream…"
That sounded exactly like the sort of plan Ruby could imagine Shannon making for her future.
"You're gonna make it, Shans… I know you will…" she told her girlfriend whose smile began to grow. "Just… please don't forget me when you're a big star…"
Such a statement caused Shannon's smile to disappear and her brow to furrow as she stole a glance at her girlfriend who appeared to be in something of a quandary.
"What are your plans?" She asked out of curiosity.
"I don't know…" said Ruby.
"Haven't you ever thought about what you wanted in the future?" Shannon responded.
"Honestly, no…" confessed Ruby. "Since middle school, I was always so focused on becoming more popular… and when I fell for you, I was always so focused on us in the now… I just… never really gave it much thought…"
"Well… isn't there anything you could see yourself doing?" Shannon further prodded.
"Not really," continued Ruby. "I guess I never really felt particularly passionate about anything… I just know there's no way I wanna follow in my parents' footsteps and own hotels, and because of that, they've made it, like, crystal clear they won't have me mooching off them like some freeloader…"
That was understandable, as it was becoming increasingly common for the younger generation to remain at home with their parents rather than venture out into the real world to make lives for themselves (of course, a lot of it stemmed from the reality that the real world was more and more stacked against the younger generation, making it more and more difficult for them to support even themselves). Still, Ruby was going to have to do something with her life once she became an adult, and after taking into consideration what she previously implied about the possibility of forgetting about her, Shannon was struck with a sliver of inspiration.
"Why don't you come with me so we can stay together?" She suggested.
"Me? Go to New York? I don't know about that, Shans…" said Ruby somewhat skeptically. "I mean, you've got natural talent, and like, have more of it in your pinky than I have in my entire body."
"So, who's selling herself short now?" Shannon lightly teased since Ruby often claimed Shannon sold herself short. "Come on, Rubes; Mrs. B. has said you've improved so much since you first enrolled in theater back in your freshman year, and I can attest to how you're a much better actress than you give yourself credit for… if anything, you'd probably stand a better chance than me of making it big…"
"Come on…" said Ruby in complete disbelief.
"No, really," insisted Shannon. "There's already plenty of white Jewish women like me in show-business. More and more doors are being opened for women of color… just look at the Indian girl from that Sickflix series you like; a few years ago, nobody could remember her name, or how to even pronounce it, and now she's a household name… that could be you!"
"I doubt it… Patel is, like, the Indian version of Smith…" countered Ruby. "Besides, yeah, theater's been fun and all, and I love getting to be in plays with you, but I don't know if I could see myself doing that as, like, a job like you…"
Shannon gave the matter a little more thought and seemed to have figured another alternative, as she suggested, "I know… you love dancing, you could make that your career… you could probably even become a choreographer like Pauline Abdulla! You've got killer moves, you could teach others, and they'd make for some awesome production numbers on stage! After all, you taught me how to dance!"
"That's different; I love you. I don't know if I'd have the patience to, like, teach a bunch of strangers how to dance… I also really don't wanna, like, turn into another Miss Mattila… she made the dance club such a nightmare, I am, like, so glad I bailed," countered Ruby, and that was true; for one semester during her sophomore year, Ruby opted to enroll in a new modern dance club rather than theater as her elective – it sounded fun, but the instructor, Miss Mattila, was more like a militaristic drill sergeant than a dance teacher, which made Mrs. Bernardo's drama club the clear choice for the Indian teen's permanent elective during the rest of her high school years.
Shannon still considered the matter; surely, there was something that Ruby could apply herself to in some capacity that would make an illustrious show-business career for herself possible - her exotic good looks alone could make her such a sought-after talent… the thought of such struck her with yet another sliver of inspiration.
"I've got it! Modelling!" She exclaimed. "You could become a professional model! You'd look amazing struttin' your stuff on a catwalk, or sprawled across magazine spreads!"
While Ruby would not argue that she could potentially see herself in such a profession, the idea of putting herself out there for the world to see in such a manner struck her as a little vexatious, and even found her girlfriend's enthusiasm over such a little puzzling.
"Would you even be cool with a bunch of randos out there looking at me like that?" She asked.
"I've been dealing with it for three-plus years, including tonight, Rubes," said Shannon so matter-of-factly.
Ruby sighed, although it also was true; even with the common knowledge around Royal Woods High that she was happily committed to her girlfriend, she still continued to turn heads, and the occasional boy asking her out (or, in some cases, offering to help her switch teams, so she could, 'Be pleased by a real man' in a way a girl like Shannon never could) was not at all unheard of. Shannon had time to come to terms with such, given how extraordinarily attractive her girlfriend was, but Ruby herself had grown weary of it – especially after the event of their prom deprived her of what she hungered for: to dance the night away with her girlfriend. As far as she was concerned, only Shannon should be able to look at her like that; she could do without hormone-crazed libidinous boys undressing her with their eyes and minds.
Shannon continued to sense Ruby's vibes of doubt, but even so, she still seemed to have other ideas in mind for not only her girlfriend's future, but her own as well.
"If all else fails, we could combine forces and become a glorious double act," she theorized. "Remember how Miss Fulsawn said she saw such potential in us?"
"Yeah, and that went, like, nowhere…" grumbled Ruby.
A longtime friend and collaborator of their drama teacher, Grace Fulswan, an award-nominated playwright, took one look at Ruby and Shannon when Mrs. Bernardo roped her class into participating in Miss Fulsawn's play at the Royal Woods Community Theater as an extra credit assignment, and saw potential in developing a series of plays around the two of them. She even handed out her business card for them to keep in contact with her about the possibility of heading into such a direction… they did, she didn't. That's show-biz, as they say. Shannon was not unaware of such, but she seemed to have a theory as to why nothing ever came into fruition for them…
"You what the problem is, Rubes? We're two little fish in a little pond… we need an ocean where we can have more room to grow into bigger fish! And I think we could really go places if we combined forces into a double act… we could call ourselves Sharuby Patannenbaum!" She exclaimed with such grandeur as though she felt a sense of pride in coming up with the catchiest portmanteau name since Clincoln McCloud (certainly catchier than Zusty Spurdles), while Ruby merely bit her lip to refrain from expressing how ridiculous she thought such a portmanteau name sounded to her ears.
Either way, Shannon was aware that relocating to a bigger city, where more resources and opportunities were available, would be a necessary step to take toward building the sort of career she always dreamed of… and, if Broadway is where she wanted to be, the Big Apple of New York City would be the most logical relocation… but, there would be one drawback she could think of…
"Y'know, living in New York is really expensive, especially for just one person… it'd certainly help if two consenting parties contributed to the keeping the bills paid…"
When that last sentence left Shannon's mouth, Ruby could not believe her ears as she slowly turned to her girlfriend and asked, "Shans… are… are you talking about… like… moving in together…?"
Shannon merely smiled and nodded.
Ruby never imagined that Shannon would be the one to even entertain such an idea for the two of them. Ever since the subject began to arise between them, Shannon always seemed like such a prude when it came to matters of intimacy… moving in and living together would possibly mean sharing a bedroom together… sharing a bedroom together would probably mean sharing a bed together… and sharing a bed together was practically a guarantee of sex… it was as though Shannon had signed a letter of intent… at least, that was how Ruby interpreted such. Nevertheless, just the idea of living and sleeping with Shannon as part of her future plans, regardless of wherever the road took them, seemed like a pretty sweet deal for Ruby.
"I'm game!" She gasped enthusiastically.
"So, is it a plan?" Shannon asked.
"It is, like, so a plan!" Ruby replied with the same amount of enthusiasm.
"It's settled, then!" Shannon said with much satisfaction. "You, me, and a future as two little worms in the Big Apple!"
"'Little worms'? Really?" Ruby responded incredulously.
"I couldn't think of a better analogy for the Big Apple…" confessed Shannon with a hint of pinkness in her freckled cheeks.
"What happened to little fish in a big ocean?" Ruby asked.
"Whatever floats your boat," quipped Shannon.
"My parents are gonna be, like, so stoked I finally have plans for my future!" Ruby exclaimed. "Why don't come to my house for dinner tomorrow night so we can both tell 'em? It'd be, like, your first dinner with us as my public G.F. instead of my private G.F., so why not make, like, a big deal out of it?"
"Sounds good to me!" Shannon accepted the offer.
At least the two young lovers were able to get something special out of their otherwise disappointing evening, and something special that was far more enduring: plans for a future together. It brought Shannon back to that particular little fantasy she had out in her garden a couple of months ago of she and Ruby being married, owning their own home, having adopted a child and a pet… for one fleeting moment, she began to wonder how could she possibly top her prom-posal to propose marriage to Ruby? Of course, there would be plenty of time for such; for now, they still had other plans they would need to make.
"Guess we better head for home…" said Shannon as she grabbed ahold of the key and attempted to ignite the engine, but before she could, Ruby reached out to stop her.
"Wait…" she said, which prompted a curious look from her date. "Can't we have just one more minute? Please?"
Shannon slowly smiled again and said, "For you, Ruby, two minutes…"
With that, Shannon removed her hand from the key as she and Ruby sat in silence for a moment to simply admire the other with love and passion in their eyes. Soon, the two reached out toward one another, with Shannon cupping her hands around Ruby's warm face, and Ruby wrapping her hands around Shannon's upper arms; the Indian teen never lost amazement over how her Jewish girlfriend always managed to keep her skin so smooth and baby soft. Soon, they both leaned over and planted their lips together for another long, lingering kiss that electrified and lit up their evening.
The following evening saw Shannon having dinner with the Patels, and as Ruby had noted, it was the first such get-together the lot of them had with the knowledge that this young Jewish lady was, in fact, their daughter's girlfriend… but even so, Mohammad and Diya were still just as cordial, gracious, and accommodating of Shannon as they had been whenever she spent any time under their roof in years past with the knowledge that she was merely their daughter's best friend. Considering how much their daughter had learned about Judaism for her girlfriend, and in the spirit of partaking in what Diya always referred to as a cultural exchange, she and Mohammad opted to follow the lead, and in honor of their guest, try some Jewish cuisine for their dinner that evening – so long as it also did not compromise their own Hindu beliefs, as both faiths had certain food items that were forbidden from consumption (although Shannon and her parents only stuck with the Kosher diet for holiday get-togethers with their extend family, anyway). Chicken was okay under both faiths, and since it appeared to be a food item that both ladies enjoyed, the Patels attempted their take on Matzo ball soup: a chicken soup that contained meatballs made from chicken fat. Shannon always felt so welcomed and accepted into the Patel household, but she also felt a little humbled Mohammad and Diya went the extra mile to partake in such a cultural exchange as well.
As the dinner began to wind its way down, Ruby chose that moment to make her announcement to her parents.
"Welp, you guys will be, like, so thrilled to know that I've finally figured out my plans for the future," she announced while her girlfriend smiled.
To hear this was, indeed, a thrill for both parents who were understandably concerned about what their daughter was even going to do with her life as she entered adulthood.
"Oh, very, very good, betee!" Mohammad cheered.
"So glad to see you are finally taking this seriously," added Diya. "So tell us, Ruby, what are these plans for your future?"
Ruby exchanged a smile with Shannon as she reached over, wrapped her hand around her girlfriend's shoulder, and revealed, "I'm gonna follow Shannon to New York and break into show-business!"
All went silent. Although the smiles on her parents' faces remained, they appeared to have twisted a might.
"… Show-business…?" Diya asked for clarification.
"Yeah," nodded Ruby. "Okay, so, like, I don't know exactly what sort of show-business career I may go into, but Shannon's got plenty of ideas!"
"Well, Ruby does have a lot to offer," noted Shannon. "If she doesn't want to go into acting, she could make a career out of her love for dancing… and if not that, I'm sure you'd agree she'd make a fabulous model!"
Mohammad and Diya continued to smile politely; they could and would agree their lovely daughter would make for an excellent model… but there was still something a might twisted about their smiles.
"Either way, me and Shannon have decided we're gonna be life partners, on and off stage," concluded Ruby while Shannon blushed.
The room went silent again as Mohammad and Diya tried to process such a plan their daughter had made for not only her own future, but a future with her life partner.
"… Show-business, huh?" Diya asked again.
"Are you… eh… quite sure this is what your future plans are?" Mohammad asked.
"Sure? It's perfect for us! This is practically all Shannon ever wanted to do since she was, like, four!" Ruby responded while Shannon blushed again.
"And… you believe that such a course will be feasible for your future?" Mohammad further asked.
"Well… I'm sure, like in any other business, we'll have to pay our dues at first…" responded Shannon. "But, I believe if we follow a battle plan wisely, and manage to juggle the right kind of side gigs while we continue with any sort of formal training, that yes, we may be able to get by."
"May be…?" Diya asked.
Ruby was quick to pick up on the vibe her parents put out, but it went without saying that she did not expect this sort of reaction from them upon announcing she finally had plans for her future, and she was quick to call them out on such.
"Okay, I know what's going on here," she said which garnered an eyeing look from her parents. "You guys always have that look on your faces and that tone in your voices whenever you, like, aren't keen on something… so, what's the deal?"
"There is no deal, Ruby…" said Mohammad.
"We just have legitimate concerns regarding the course of action you plan to take…" said Diya before she returned her attention to Shannon. "Do you really believe you will have a future of stability and security in… show-business...?"
Although that question was directed at Shannon, because Ruby was already so used to butting heads with her parents, she chimed in to respond instinctively.
"Uh, have you guys ever paid attention to any of those school plays we've done, or do you just sleep through the whole thing?" She quizzed, although such an accusation irked her parents somewhat. "Cause Shannon's seriously the best actress in our class; it's why Mrs. B. always gives her such good roles, cause she's that good!"
"Shannon, please do not confuse addressing our concerns as a denial or dismissal of your talents," petitioned Mohammad.
"Yes, we have, indeed, paid very close attention to the school plays you ladies have performed in, and we have seen for ourselves not only how talented you are, but how skilled you are in your craft; your performances are always very, very enjoyable," affirmed Diya. "But, this is a very, very tough business to break into… only one in a million make it… are you sure you have what it takes to make it?"
Such a question brought Shannon back to one of the points she discussed with Ruby the previous evening, and one that she brought to the table to further discuss with her girlfriend's parents.
"Ruby and I talked about that last night," she began. "I mean… yeah, I realize that being a white Jewish woman, I don't exactly stand out from a crowd… which is why I believe at a time where more and more Indian women are rising to stardom in show-biz, Ruby would probably stand a better chance at making it big than me…"
"Yeah, maybe one day you'll be seeing me at a red carpet event of my own!" Ruby boasted while subtly reliving Shannon's magnificent prom-posal, which caused her girlfriend to blush all over again.
It was then that Diya returned her attention to her daughter and further inquired, "Do you believe you have what it takes to make it in show-business?"
"Uh, hello?" Ruby replied. "We came from Bombay, A-K-A Bollywood, A-K-A the show-biz capital of the world! Show-biz's, like, practically in our blood!"
"Ruby, your great-grandparents came to this country from Mumbai," corrected Mohammad, as the city had officially changed its name as such in 1995, since the name Bombay was attached to British colonialism, and the powers that be wanted their city to reflect more of their own heritage, hence renaming the city to honor the Hindu goddess, Mumba Devi. "And family history notwithstanding, no one in our family has ever ventured into show-business."
"That is right; that would be like saying anybody who comes from Los Angeles is a natural-born Hollywood star, which is not the case," agreed Diya. "And truthfully, we always assumed you enrolled into theater for easy credit…"
Unfortunately, Ruby could not deny that was the case; she did, indeed, chose theater as her elective in her freshman year because, her peculiar logic of family history aside, she figured she could score easy credit through such a class. Initially. She grew to love the class, she grew to love her classmates, she certainly grew to love the audience adulation, and she even grew to love Mrs. Bernardo in spite of her eccentricities… and she very much grew to love Shannon, who saw potential talent in her that could flourish if properly honed – a point the bespectacled Jew chose to interject with.
"If I may," she requested permission to speak again, which garnered the undivided attention of her girlfriend's parents. "Mrs. Bernardo has given Ruby glowing marks since she first enrolled in theater, and I can attest to how much she has improved over the years in many areas, from acting, to emoting, to improvising… I mean, I'm not just saying any of this to defend her just because she's my girlfriend; I really believe Ruby has the talent and skill to make it big if she wanted to pursue a show-biz career."
"Be that as it may, the question remains, would such a career be feasible for the future? You may find work for a while, especially now while you're still young, but will you still have a career when you turn forty-two?" Diya prodded. "And even so, a lot of acting is contract work… what happens if your work dries up and you find yourselves in a lull for a prolonged period of time? Is it going to be enough to keep you out of a low-income apartment, or public housing?"
"Oh, sure, it's easy for you guys to talk when you own the biggest and swankiest hotel in all of Royal Woods," argued Ruby. "But this is what we want to do."
Her parents cast wary glances at Ruby as they began to enlighten their daughter on their own work histories.
"You think we wanted to go into the hotel business?" Diya stated rather bluntly. "We came into this business because our previous career paths did not work for us."
"I wanted to be a writer," confessed Mohammad. "However, it can be rather difficult to find a publisher who can find the right demographics for your writing to reach… and self-publishing is not always a viable option."
"I wanted to be an interior decorator," confessed Diya. "However, one thing that was lacking in my favor was your father's sense of business, which is why it worked in our favor to work as a team…"
Ruby had no idea about her parents previously possessing dream careers of their own that had nothing to do with hotels, but in some way, some things suddenly made sense to her, such as it was usually her father who handled the promotional material of their hotel, from printed brochures to social media posts, and that it was usually her mother who supervised and executed any remodeling or renovations their hotel underwent. What also helped in their case, too, was despite Mohammad's literary pursuits, he also minored in Business Administration while attending university, which gave him a better knack for handing business affairs that Diya was not necessarily proficient in, thus handicapping her pursuits to go into business for herself. That was certainly why the two of them made for a good team in terms of professional partnership as well as personal.
"I kinda know what you mean," said Shannon to everyone's surprise. "My Uncle Josh really wanted to be a comedian – he even went to Great Lakes City and studied with a couple of world-renowned troupes like Seventh City, and the Earthlings… he just couldn't quite make the cut… now, he sells insurance…"
Ruby gave the matter some thought, and suddenly, something about this particular uncle of her girlfriend began to make more sense.
"Oh, so that's why he and Luan always get on so well at your family gatherings," she noted.
"Yeah," nodded Shannon knowingly. "He's been a big fan of Luan's ever since she performed at my Bat Mitzvah; he really hopes she'll make it big someday."
Getting the conversation back on track, Ruby gave some thought to what her mother had just said about she and her father making such a good business team, which, in turn, brought her back to an earlier point she had made…
"Okay, so, like, you and Dad say you make a good team," she began. "It's just like I said; me and Shannon are gonna be life partners on and off stage… even if I don't have what it takes to make it big, I know Shannon does, so at least, like, one of us will be successful."
Such a theory did little to quell the Patels' concerns, and in fact, it only seemed to further heighten said concerns as they returned their attention to Shannon to further question her.
"And if that is the case… if things were to become more… permanent… between the two of you… do you believe you would have the financial means to provide for and support Ruby in the event that she may be dependent on you?" Diya pressed.
That was an incredibly hard-hitting question; one that Shannon did not have a definite answer; and one that rubbed Ruby the wrong way.
"Whoa, time-out," said Ruby as she brought her hands into a 'T' shape. "Shannon has no obligations to me. We're equals; we worked that out long ago…"
Shannon could just sense the hostility in the atmosphere, and it greatly upset her. Even though she was already aware that her girlfriend often butted heads with her parents, this was the first time she ever witnessed it; such hostility was never present in her own household. Given her own non-confrontational nature, the scene that unfolded made her wish she was a turtle who could retreat into its shell for hiding, but her only option was to tune it all out. All the Patels had said during their conversation prompted Shannon to begin looking at her future from a different perspective, and one she needed to take into serious consideration. For so long, she dreamed of becoming a Broadway actress in her own personal future – it was something she dreamed of all of her life. Ruby, however, was still a relatively recent addition to her life, and because of that, her mindset had not accounted for how such a future would, indeed, be feasible, logistical, or practical for both of them. The Patels also had a point that not only was show-business not an easy business to break into, it was equally as uneasy to remain employed in this business, particularly if you were only a contract player – none of which Shannon gave much thought to before. If work dried up, how would she support herself otherwise? More importantly, how would she support both herself and Ruby in the event that Ruby may not have much of a career in her favor, either? She still very much wanted to follow her dream, but she also very much wanted to share her future with Ruby, and realized that Ruby would need stability and security in her life if a future between them were to work. It all gave Shannon more to think about, although she soon found her train of thought interrupted.
"Tell 'em, Shans," insisted Ruby.
"Huh?" Shannon responded when she was snapped back to reality.
"Tell 'em how we worked it out that we're equals long before they even knew about our ship, and how it's worked out for us," insisted Ruby. "Tell 'em just because we're together doesn't make you obligated to support me, and you're free to follow your dream if you want to."
Shannon saw three sets of eyes fell upon her in anticipation of speaking up. The looks she received were all so serious, but for different reasons; Ruby and her parents were at odds, and both parties wanted to see where Shannon stood amidst it all. She briefly considered all that had been laid out before her on the table, and came to a firm decision…
"Mohammad? Diya? I love the theater… I love being able to step into the shoes of someone who isn't me and experience their journeys… I love being able to step into the settings that transport me into a magical world of make believe and fantasy… I love being able to use the art of storytelling to captivate audiences and leave them with emotional impacts… and I love knowing I did a good job from their applause and adulation…"
While Shannon delivered such a speech to Mr. and Mrs. Patel, Ruby was positively beaming as she looked upon her girlfriend in admiration and pride. The bespectacled brunette may have lacked self-esteem and confidence in herself as a person, but she spoke of her talent and skill in the world of theatrics like she possessed all of the self-assuredness of a Broadway veteran. It warmed Ruby's heart to hear her girlfriend brim with such confidence, she felt like hopping to her feet, extending a standing ovation, and even presenting Shannon with a bouquet of roses and a kiss as though her beloved had just delivered her acceptance speech for winning a well-deserved Golden Globe award; her smile for Shannon reached from ear to ear… until Shannon turned to her with something more to add…
"But I love Ruby more…"
Ruby's smile immediately transformed into another dumbfounded duck face; she did not expect Shannon's string of consciousness to take such a turn. The Jewish teen then returned her attention to her girlfriend's parents to continue with what she wanted to say.
"You two do have a point… this is a very tough business to break into… and even to this day, it's still needlessly harder for women to make it in this business… I've just never really taken the time to consider such realities… and you're right… Ruby deserves a secure and stable future…"
By now, Ruby's eyes widened in dismay; she did not like the turn this conversation had taken.
"My parents are giving me up to a year to get all of my ducks in a row so I can put my future plans into action… I'd very much like to try to achieve my dream… I'd rather try and fail than never to have tried at all and always wonder, 'What if?' for the rest of my life… and if I don't make it, and my dream fails to bear fruit… then I give you my word as your daughter's life partner I will have a back-up plan to act on so that your daughter will have the secure and stable future she deserves."
Mohammad and Diya appeared to be highly satisfied with such a resolution from their daughter's girlfriend, however, their daughter had objections of her own to voice.
"No, Shans, no. You're not obligated to me in anyway. We're equals, remember? You shouldn't have to support me."
"You're right, Rubes, we are equals… I shouldn't have to support you, and you shouldn't have to support me," agreed Shannon.
"See?" Ruby rebutted to her parents when she finally had somebody on her side in such a familial debate.
"As equals, we support each other…" added Shannon, which once again threw another curveball to Ruby.
"You have a good head on your shoulders, Shannon," complimented Mohammad.
"And you have a strong grasp of sensibility and responsibility," added Diya in kind. "You have very much illustrated that you have Ruby's best interest at heart."
"You have instilled much confidence in us that we can hold you to your word, and trust you as being our daughter's life partner," finished Mohammad.
"Ruby is the love of my life… and I can respect that you, as her parents, only want what's best for her… because that's what I want, too," said Shannon to the satisfaction of those in the room… although, it all clearly still left a poor taste in Ruby's mouth.
"We appreciate you for that, Shannon," said Diya, while Mohammad nodded in agreement; they could see that Shannon not only loved their daughter, but respected all of them as well, and that was very much the case, as Shannon did, indeed, possess nothing but respect for her girlfriend's family. "And, again, we do not wish for you to not be able to make something of yourself in the career of your choosing, because we very much would love to see more of you on the red carpet in the future. But, we do hope that you will have something to fall back on in case this doesn't work..."
"The youth director at our synagogue will be moving to another town within the next year, and Rabbi Rosenthal seems to think I'd be a good fit for the position... he feels I have a knack for connecting with young children, so that could be something to give more serious consideration to," explained Shannon as a potential back-up plan for her to fall on, which seemed most pleasing to Ruby's parents.
"Speaking of red carpets, another offer for you to consider? We were very much impressed with how you planned your prom-posal to Ruby as a red carpet event," praised Mohammad, which caused his daughter's girlfriend to blush agan. "We could very much use somebody with such creative thinking and the ability to organize such feats as an event planner at the Riviera..."
"I'll keep that in mind," responded Shannon, although Ruby still looked uneasy about everything. Sensing that the conversation was over, she expressed her gratitude to her hosts: "Thank you for allowing me to join you for dinner tonight. May I help with any of the dishes?"
"Tis not necessary, but thank you for offering," said Diya; she still greatly admired how charming and polite Shannon was.
"Please, do join us any time you wish; our door and our hearts remain open to you, Shannon," offered Mohammad as he and Diya proceeded to clear the table and take the dishes into the kitchen.
With that, Shannon turned to her girlfriend –who just sat there in stunned silence- and said, "I'll see ya in school tomorrow, Rubes."
The bespectacled brunette bade her girlfriend a farewell with a kiss on the cheek and took her leave, but after she made her way through the Patel house and out the front door, Ruby gave chase.
"Shans, wait!" She called out to her. "Look, Shans, you can't do this… you can't give up on your dream because of me…"
"I'm not giving up on my dream, Rubes; I'm still going to try to pursue my dream," insisted Shannon. "But your parents have a point, I need to get used to thinking in terms of we, and not just me… we're both in agreement that we're equals, and as equals, we should strive to ensure we both provide the best possible life for each other… wouldn't you want that?"
"Of course I would; I want the best for you, too," said Ruby. "I just… I wouldn't want you to not be able to get what you want out of life because of me…"
"Ruby… you are what I want out of life," insisted Shannon as she placed her hand on her girlfriend's shoulder. "As much as it means to me to follow my dream, you mean even more to me… and I will do whatever I have to provide you with a stable and secure future – even if it means having to defer my dream… that's what you do when you love somebody."
"You're right, Shans…" sighed Ruby. "But, Shans… do me a favor?"
"Of course, Rubes," said Shannon.
"Even if you do have to defer your dream… if your big break could still come, please don't pass it up," pleaded Ruby. "You're too talented to not make it in show-biz. I want to see you make it big; I know you'll make it big…"
"Just the same, if a big break comes your way, I hope you won't pass it up, either," said Shannon. "Like Shakespeare said, 'Opportunity knocks but once,' and I really believe you have talent to offer yourself… I believe in you, Ruby…"
"I know… you've always believed in me, Shans… even when I couldn't believe in myself… you really are the best…" said Ruby graciously.
"The feeling is very, very mutual…" cooed Shannon.
With no more words to exchange amongst them, as was their personal custom, the two young lovers exchanged goodbye hugs and kisses.
"I love you, Shannon," said Ruby.
"I love you, Ruby," replied Shannon.
The Jewish teen departed for home, while the Indian teen also stepped back into her own home.
You may remember from Albertson's Slumber Party the note that Ruby's parents raised concerns about what sort of future she would have if Shannon pursued a career in show-business… that was something we discussed very early on when we tried to figure what sort drama would follow the two coming out to their families, and in this case, that drama was not even so much that Mohammad and Diya were worried about their daughter being with a woman, but that their daughter's future would lack any sort of financial stability if it fell on Shannon to support both of them while she tried to sustain a show-business career. Almost all of the drama surrounding Ruby and Shannon's relationship has related to their coupling being a same-sex one, so this was an opportunity to show that there were actually other concerns to address that did not pertain to such. Either way, let us just be grateful that even if Ruby may butt heads with her parents, it is abundantly clear that they only want the best for her future with her lover.
Also, this is not the first time I used the song Stand By Me in fanfiction… but it is the first time I ever referenced the bizarre Timon & Pumbaa version.