A monologue from the play by August Wilson
RUBY
My mother sent me a letter from Elmore. He had the nerve to write me. I can’t stand no jealous man. I ain’t done nothing to make him jealous.
He was always like that. He was jealous when I met him. He don’t know that just make you wanna leave him quicker.
He trying to hold on to you and end up driving you away. Elmore started to get mean, so I left him. Everybody seen me and Leroy together and knew I had quit Elmore.
I told Leroy Elmore was jealous of him. He say he didn’t care. Say he still loved me. Asked me who did I love.
I told him the truth. I didn’t love neither one of them. They both was nice in their own ways. Then they got into a fight.
I tried to tell them Ruby don’t belong to nobody and Ruby ain’t gonna take but so much of anybody. After the fight I saw Elmore and he asked me where Leroy was.
Say he wanted to go make up. I told him Leroy was at the barbershop and he went up there and shot him before Leroy could have a chance to say anything.
The problem with Elmore was he never could get enough of me. He used to tell me he wanted to take it all so nobody else could have me.
He wasn’t gonna leave none for nobody else to hear him tell it. That make you feel funny to be with a man want to use you up like that.
