Audrey Hepburn's Pearls: Part I

Chapter 36.2: 1967, Georgina

Chapter 36.2: 1967, Georgina

 

When I woke up the next time it was to strange, familiar sounds.

Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink.

Then an Eden.

I blinked a few times, my bleary eyes, and the image still didn't make any sense. My lips felt funny. I swiped at them and when the back of my hand came into view it didn't make any sense either. 

Jungle peach lipstick. There was jungle peach lipstick on my hand. 

Clink. Clink. Clink.

Blinking. My eyelids felt funny, too. Restricted. My fingers rose to feel them, and felt brushy... I was wearing fake eyelashes. But...what...

Then I realized I was also wearing a wig.

"Good afternoon!" 

Ow. Ow...who was that.

"I made strawberry milk for you. And eggs. I put cheese in them. Do you like cheese in them?"

Eggs...

Surge and release.

"Oh no, are you okay?"

Frankie's image swam into my eyes. Oh.

"That's okay. The carpet's being replaced next week. Right. I was supposed to tell you that. Well now you know."

"I don't want eggs."

"Okay."

His strong arms gripped my shoulders, lifting me into a sitting position. It occurred to me that I was fully clothed. Sort of. The rough texture of a cotton dress next to my bare skin was an experience. No underdress to interrupt it. Had he...wait...

"Did you...dress me?"

He broke into an embarrassed grin. The blush bloomed on his face. There was a mountain of flowers behind him, tons of lilies. So that had been the Eden I had peered into. It was like looking into a storybook, not real life at all. 

"Yeah, but...I don't know what all you do. I don't think I did a very good job. You're beautiful, though, so I didn't have to do very much."

"My eyelashes are crooked."

"So are your eyebrows."

"My eyebrows?"

"Haha, yeah."

"Boyyy."

"Hahaha!"

I couldn't help laughing with him. It felt so good to laugh. 

"Here, I'll help you up."

"Okay."

His strong arms wrapped around me and I let him lift me, enjoying feeling his warmth and sheer strength protecting me. I drank in his smell so close to me, fresh baby powder and musky cologne. There was not a package of baby powder in this world that did not remind me of this man. This man. 

It occurred to me that I was on the floor. On the white carpet. Why was that? 

"Wait, why was I on the carpet?" I was on my unsteady feet now, barefoot. The raw cotton brushed against my legs, breezy and summery even though it was dead winter. He loved these long, white cotton dresses so much. Of course he'd dress me in one.

"Oh. You don't remember? You got up around 5am. I followed you." He was behind the bar now. I leaned against the wall to steady myself. From this vantage point, I could see all of him except for what was hidden behind the bar. He looked so fresh. He picked up the long spoon on the dark wood and started to stir a tall glass of pink stuff. Clink. Clink. Clink. So that had been the noise. He looked thoughtful. "You didn't come back for a while, so I went out into the living room to check up on you. You had laid down on the carpet and you were sleeping. I didn't want to wake you up."