Who is Rocky in "The Color of Water" and what did he train Ruth for?

In
, Rocky is the manager of the Hi Hat Barbershop. He is described as a
heavy-set, light-skinned man in his fifties. The author also describes Rocky as being a
well-dressed man.

In the book, we learn that Rocky hired Ruth after she
entered the barbershop to apply for a manicurist position. For Ruth's part, she was pleased that
the manicurist job paid her fifteen dollars a week. She did notice, however, that many
entertainers and musicians patronized the Hi Hat Barbershop on a regular basis. These men warned
Rocky that he would get into trouble for hiring an under-aged girl (Ruth).

Their warning was ominous in more ways than one. The truth is that Rocky was grooming Ruth to be
a...