Copyright 1997(c)

	Froggie Goes a Courtin'

A Ruby D. Begonia adventure from the anals of the S.W.A.M.P. Thaing series.

	Ruby strolled that hip-sway walk into the office and stopped abruptly. The abrupt cessation of forward movement caused a chain reaction.  
	She stopped like a freight train in contact with Mount Rushmore and quivvered, like a target-lodged arrow, her gaze riveted on the Bud in front of her. This, she thought, could well be her bud. This Bud might well be for Ruby.
	She said his name in her mind like she felt it, drawing the Bud out like Reva Shane calling Josh Lewis's nickname on the Guiding Light.  "Buuhhhhddhh," she murmered mentally as though it stuck to her tongue and she was flicking the last of it off with her teeth.
	Ruby, the freelance legal secretary, author of the electornic secretarial guide entitled "S.W.A.M.P. Thaing" (how not to hire the wrong boss), looked at her very own Bud and thought, as Reva so often whispered aloud: "Forever, Budddhhd."   
	Bud thought he sniffed something in the wind but he wasn't sure exactly what it was and had spent the morning trying to remember if he'd seen the cat lately. Ruby didn't care, she had her Bud in her sights and it was Katie bar the door. Ruby the freelance temporary was fixing to become Ruby the fixed.
	Bud, though, had indeed sniffed somthing in the wind and he thought it might be intellect and ability. Well, by golly nobody was going to bring bud any semblance of their best effort. He'd get the best, by gumption, or his name wasn't Buuudddhhhhhddh, and it was.
	Ruby began to notice that he had ever-increasing expectations of her and she was shoveling a lot of stuff. She wasn't sure she had an equitable load, but if  that was just the lay of the land, forever suddenly seemed like a much longer duration if she was gonna do it with this Bud.
	Bud hired her to can-can and being a dancehall girl, Ruby could do that, but then he wanted her to learn about world affairs, to research just how many companies were manufacturing a plastic hair do-bobbit under a name similar to Topsy-Tail, and to stop saying  ain't'. She began to suspect this Bud was not for her, after all.
	Ruby suggested a separation, and explained that she needed to get away  because she needed to be out there, searching for her a bud that didn't have warts on a mirrored shoulder so they wouldn't chafe when the two danced. "Some frogs prefer a Bud lite," she said.
	Bud was very good at what he did and what he did was get what he wanted. He nagged, cajoled, wheedled, bribed and charmed. Bud was determined to change Ruby's taste in beer and Ruby, stubborn as any frog ever, was determined to keep it lite. It got plumb frustrating for Bud, who began to wear it frustration like a new hat, and it got to where that really annoyed Ruby. Ruby's temperament was not conducive to a character overhaul and Bud was fixated on the niche into which he would fit her, even if a little bit poked out and it wasn't a smooth fit. He knew what he needd and he knew Ruby could be it if he could just make her want to be.
	"Sorry, got to go," said she. 
	"But you promised to stay," said Buddhh.
	"I considered it," said Ruby. "Don't wanna," said she.
	Ruby left in quest of her Bud. She still had not located him the following year when the Bud of her former life's dreams called and asked her back. 
	Ruby sang two choruses of  If you've got the money honey," and agreed.
	"Cool," said he."Plan on it." He wanted to talk about her coming back for good and Ruby said she'd consider it. Ruby went back to freelance, and after the first few days she told Bud it was a Pasadena. 
	"That can-can," said Ruby, "just wears me out. I'm old and I'm very tired."
	"Impossible," said he."You've only been here a few days. You can't possibly have fairly considered staying here."
	"This time," said Ruby. "I considered it last time.  All I have to know this time, is it hasn't changed. If data input hasn't changed, the conclusion hasn't either, yes? I can't stay to Macarena after that can-can." 
	Ruby smiled sweetly at her former Bud.
	"I didn't come for another remake, Bud," she said. "I just dropped by for a beer."

	-30-