Audrey Hepburn's Pearls: Part I

Chapter 40.1: 1995, Ruiz

Chapter 40.1: 1995, Ruiz

 

Beep, beep, boop, beep beep

I had been staring at the back of the little grey handheld Charlie had been pumping away at for about five whole minutes, listening to the soundtrack and sounds of the game he was playing with interest. It didn't seem like he had heard me step up to the counter, and I wondered how long it would take him to notice me there.

"Gawdammit, you little dawg," he swore. Immediately, the beeping sounds started up again. 

"Uh, hello," I said. My arms were full of heavy groceries and I couldn't take it any longer, but I felt no ill will towards him. 

"Oh! Hey, Ruiz!" he gasped, lowering his Gameboy to the glass topped counter with a click. 

I started giggling. "What are you playing?" I leaned over the counter, trying to see the little green-grey screen.

"Its just Snoopy." He began grabbing things from my hands as I handed them to him, seeming a little embarrassed. 

"Was that from Hannukah?" I asked, still trying to see the little screen.

He grinned, using a hi-tech looking new handheld scanner to scan my purchases. Must have been the New Year. "Naw, this is from Mrs. George. She gave it to me a couple of days ago, said it was a late Hannukah present. She never gave me nothing like this before. It was surreal. Kind of a baby present, but I'm not complaining. I love the arcade."

"That's really cool. I wonder why she'd give you something like this? Its so expensive."

He shrugged, looking sheepish. "I don't know. I really appreciate it, though. My dad woulda never gotten me something like this."

"Wow. Its really amazing," I said, leaning over far enough to see the little dog blinking on the screen finally. It looked like a Game Over screen. Oops. "Did I make you lose your game?"

He laughed. "Haha, naw. I was already losin'. You didn't do nothin'."

"Oh, okay."

Smiling at me, he packed my purchases in a bag. Then he noticed the brown paper grocery bag still under my arm. "What's in that?" he asked, packing the last strawberry milk in a bag with its fellows. 

"Tamales. They're for Mrs George. My...friend made them for her." I had almost said "my drag mother". But there was no way Charlie would know what that was, and I didn't exactly have time to explain. 

"Your friend, huh? That's very nice of them."

"Yeah." I became hesitant and didn't know why. "She um...knew Mrs George back in the day, actually."

"Wow, really? Is she a drag queen, too?" 

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"Well, I'm just assuming. Oh wait...is that wrong of me?" A small pink blush formed on his cheeks. He was awkwardly holding my two grocery bags now. I slid them across the counter to hold them myself.

"No, its not wrong. Its an educated guess," I chuckled, taking the bags off the counter and feeling their adjusted weight. I started fumbling with my purse, but all of the bags jostling made it really hard.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Charlie said, his hand up.

"Huh?"

"I'll pay for it. Ain't nothin'. Just ten bucks."

"What?" My heart started to race. Though he'd done this so many times I'd lost count, I never expected it.

"Yeah. You go visit Mrs. George. Don't worry about it."