King Hedley II By August Wilson – Ruby Monologue

RUBY

Context: Ruby reflects on her complex relationship with her son, asserting that only God knows why people are brought into this world.

RUBY: I done tried everything I know. King don‘t believe I love him. It‘s a mother‘s love. It don‘t never go away. I love me but I love King more. Sometimes I might not love me but there don‘t never come a time I don‘t love him. He don‘t understand that. King don‘t know he lucky to be here. I didn‘t want to have no baby. Seem to me like I got off to a bad start. I wanted to have an abortion. Somebody sent me up there to see Aunt Ester. I thought she did abortions. It didn‘t take me long to find out I was in the wrong place. She was sitting in a room with a red curtain. A little old woman wearing a stocking cap. I can‘t say if she had any teeth or not. She was just sitting there. Told me to come closer where she could put her hands on my head. I got real peaceful. Seem like all my problems went away. She told me man can plant the seed but only God can make it grow. Told me God was a good judge. I told her that‘s what scared me. She just laughed and told me, ―God has three hands. Two for that baby and one for the rest of us. That‘s just the way she said it. ―God got three hands. Two for that baby and one for the rest of us. You got your time coming. I never will forget that. I used to look at King and try and figure it out. But I ain‘t seen nothing to make her say that. I thought maybe she was just telling me that but she ain‘t supposed to lie about nothing like that. I just ain‘t never seen nothing that would make him that special. That‘s what I‘m telling you about that baby you carrying. You never know what God have planned. You can‘t all the time see it. That‘s what Louise used to tell me. You can‘t all the time see it but God can see it good.