Audrey Hepburn's Pearls: Part I

Chapter 40.2: 1995, Ruiz

Chapter 40.2: 1995, Ruiz

 

"Hello?"

"Hi..."

"Who is this?"

"Its Ruiz..."

"Oh. Your voice does sound familiar. How are you?"

"Um..."

Tony sounded very shy on the phone. But he was always shy when he wasn't on stage. 

"I didn't know you had my number," he said. His voice was very quiet, just like in person. "I have to go to work in a minute, but. What's up?"

"Well..."

He didn't respond. I knew he didn't like awkward situations, but I had to know one thing. He had the answer, if only I could bring myself to ask. So far, it was going a lot more difficult than I had imagined. 

"Well," I said finally, pressuring myself to talk, "Veronixxxa gave me your number. I asked her, so..." I swallowed. My hand clung over the receiver. I was in the kitchen, pressed against the wall. Miss Cha Cha was in the living room reading as usual. Why couldn't she be watching TV? Something noisy so there was no chance she could overhear what I was saying? If there was one thing I wanted, it was to not be asked about this conversation.

"Why?"

"Um, well, she mentioned you saw Ambrose at the Tunnel the other night. Is that right?"

"Oh. Yeah, I saw him." He seemed to hesitate, but he always hesitated. 

"So, he was there?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Um...no reason."

There was a pause, and I heard him shuffling around on the other end, probably getting ready for work. I felt so bad to be bothering him, but I had to know these answers. I couldn't be left in the dark anymore. Even so, I felt guilty...

"Uh...can you tell me who he was there with?" I asked, almost going to a whisper. 

"Hum...it was these two guys. Maybe three, but I don't know if that guy was actually with them or not. They were like you guys, you know, Mexican?"

"Puerto Rican," I corrected quickly.

"Oh. Yeah, sorry. Puerto Rican."

"What were they doing?"

"Uh, dancing. They went into one of the lounges for a while. I really wanted to join them, but I don't know. Ambrose didn't seem like himself with those guys. He was dressed like we do, kind of more like a club kid, though, you know, that sort of style."

Club kid? I remembered this, I thought. It was coming back to me, the truth of his words plausible. I closed my eyes and silently groaned. He'd looked like a sexy yeti a few days ago, his entire torso exposed from just below his nipples to the defined lines below his belly button leading downward. The white leather shorts, the furry white boots and black fishnets on his arms and exposed thighs. The furry white bolero. That furry hat with long black horns on his head. I didn't understand why he'd go to Club Her Majesty like this, and he said he was going for "cute". I remembered the soft sensation of the hat against my cheek as he'd cuddled with me.

"Look, I don't want to cause anything between you two. But those guys...they were all dancing kind of freaky on the dance floor. It kind of creeped me out. I know he's sweet on you. I'm kind of glad you called me, because I wanted to tell you...but I didn't want to tell you. Do you know what I mean? I think..." he seemed to gain some momentum here, bravery in his voice, "I think you two need to have a talk, because that's not okay, right? I'd think it wasn't okay." This last sentence had the usual shyness, unsureness. 

"Yeah..." I sighed, not knowing what to do.

"He looked really happy. Really energetic. After a while he'd had too much to drink. They kept doing shots. One of those guys...did a shot out of Ambrose's belly button, too. I kept watching them because I was mad that he hadn't said hi to me when I said hi."

Feelings of disgust built in me and I didn't know what to do with them. I didn't know what to do with any of this. I was regretting having called, but I couldn't hang up. I noticed I was breathing slowly, raking in controlled swoops. 

Tony breathed into the phone, causing the sound to go cloudy for a second. Then he spoke again, sounding more final. "I just know...if he was my boyfriend I wouldn't want him to do that. I don't know about you guys. But if he was my boyfriend..." He sounded nervous. Very nervous.

Then I remembered Tony had had a crush on Ambrose. Everyone did. I closed my eyes, breathing out myself. I remembered what Veronixxxa had said about what she'd do if she got him in a room alone. It was too much. Jealousy plumes floated up in me, but also fumes of despair, because Ambrose...what was Ambrose doing? What was he doing with those guys? I didn't want to think about it, didn't want to know about it, but it was growing like kudzu over my brain. Here now and out of control.

The sound of Miss Cha Cha's bunny slipper heels clicked on the hard wood of the sewing room just off the living room, sending panic spirals up my arms and into the phone. My hands clenched the receiver in fear. I didn't want her to know about any of this stuff. She always wanted me and Ambrose to be happy together. But Ambrose was out of the house now, so when else was I supposed to call Tony about this?

"Thank you, Tony." 

"No problem. You call whenever you want. Its okay."

"You're a nice guy, Tony."

"I try. I have to go to work. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay. Good-bye."

"Good-bye."

I hung up, my hand still pressed against the receiver. I slumped against the wall, staring at its yellow prairie flower wallpaper pattern. Studying the tiny flowers. Trying to make sense of what Tony had just told me. Was it real? I hadn't been prepared for something like that. Those guys. Who were those guys?

The image of the man with the gun in the car flashed in my mind, and I closed my eyes, shaking my head. They'd been Latino like us. But were they Puerto Rican? And Tony...he couldn't identify if somebody was Puerto Rican or not, so...could that guy have been one of them? 

What had they been doing at the Tunnel? Why? Why had he hidden this...but obviously...that shot...the dancing... My fist pressed against my chest, squishing against my bosoms. I could feel them going up and down so fast. I was breathing too fast. And these reminded me. Ambrose loved me. He loved me for me. But he lied about so much. He-

Ambrose...what had he been doing at the Tunnel with those guys?

"Ruiz?"

I jerked up from my position, standing straight. 

Miss Cha Cha was staring at me, holding some of her knitting in her hand. It looked like the beginnings of a light blue scarf in her knitting needles. "You okay?" She looked so concerned, her face almost sad. 

My face crumpled at this. I couldn't help it anymore. All of Ambrose's deceit and lies. Where was the boy I knew? I couldn't keep it to myself anymore, my doubts. So I did the only thing I could do, my heart opening up to her, one of only two people now whom I felt I could trust. 

"No. No, I'm not okay. I need to talk..."