Ruby (Landry 1)

then he began to speak like one in a trance. "It was a

nice day when we started out. I wasn't anxious to go at

first. Jean kept taunting me, making fun of me for

being so unathletic. 'You're as pale as a bank teller,' he

said. 'No wonder Daphne would rather spend her time

with me. Come on, get yourself into the fresh air.

Let's test those muscles and limbs.'

"Finally, I gave in and accompanied him to the

lake. The sky had already begun to change. There

were storm clouds hovering along the horizon. I

warned him about it, but he laughed and said I was

just trying to find another excuse. We started sailing. I

wasn't as ignorant about it as I pretended and I didn't like my younger brother telling me to do this or that

like some galley slave.

"He seemed particularly arrogant to me that

day. How I hated his self-confidence. Why didn't he

have any doubts about himself like I had? Why was

he so secure in the presence of women, especially

Daphne?

"The clouds mounted, expanding,

mushrooming, darkening, and the wind grew fiercer.

Our sailboat rose and fell as the water became rougher

and rougher. Every time I urged Jean to turn us back

to shore, he laughed at me for not being adventurous

enough.

"This is where we test our manhood,' he

declared. 'We look Nature in the eye and we don't

blink.'

"I pleaded with him to be more sensible and he

continued to mock me for being too sensible. 'Women