Audrey Hepburn's Pearls: Part I

Chapter 41.1: 1968, Georgina

Chapter 41.1: 1968, Georgina

 

Walking from the front of my building to Carl's car, my eyes were scanning the backseat for any signs of upset on Cha Cha's face. There was a fine misty cover of rain, something Paulie would call a "shroud". Paulie. I sighed, my brain flitting to him. But I couldn't think of him right now. All I could do was hope he was in good hands, as good hands as mine should have been.

Cha Cha gave me a cute smile and waved to me from the backseat. I returned with one of mine. My black shoe hit water, a shallow puddle from the rain. I tip-toed through this, my hand going for an invisible skirt. Strongly aware of the doorman behind me, I shook my hand to hide my habit.

"Come on, kid. Those Wednesday fuddie-duddies won't wait," Carl called from his rolled down window. 

"Some of those Wednesday fuddie-duddies come from my building, believe me I know," I sighed again. Cha Cha leaned over on the backseat and opened the door for me. He took my suitcase bag.

"Thank you, precious," I said quiet enough so the doorman couldn't possibly hear me and slid in next to him. He immediately took my hand, squeezing it. I was grateful for its comforting warmth. Our hands laid together on top of my suitcase between us, casual as can be.

"You eat anything?" Carl asked, his face intent on the slick road before him. "You know you gotta eat before the rush. There's no time with just the two of you for breaks."

I closed my eyes. Such a reminder of Paulie not being here. But that was just it, wasn't it? He wasn't here. There was nothing we could do about it. It was just fact, and there was no telling when he'd be back. "No, I didn't eat anything. I was too nervous."

"Nervous? What're you getting nervous for? You've done this how many times?"

Cha Cha squeezed my hand again and I saw his face turn to me. He was giving me an encouraging smile. He was so brave for one so young. If I didn't know him, I'd think him naive, but those innocent days were over. 

"I'm nervous about Eddie." My eyes fell to my knees. The bottom of my ugly, brown wool coat was draped on them and I wanted to shift it away so I couldn't see it but even after five days my bad hand was still zinging and pinging with pain. In all honesty, I wasn't really sure how I was going to serve drinks. But who else was going to do it? Who?

"Oh, Eddie. Right. Hmm..."

The truth of the matter was Eddie probably would not enjoy Cha Cha, whom he awfully called nigger like it was his name, to wait on him and he definitely wouldn't want me to (and I didn't want to either, god no). So what were we going to do? Paulie was the only one who would have been acceptable to him now, though he didn't like Paulie being Jewish. Yes, he saw Paulie as being one of us "girly men", but what else could we-

"Shoot!" Carl's hands went flying, turning the wheel to the left like crazy, shifting rapidly on the rainy street as a car slid towards us on the Wintry ice. 

"Ah!" I cried out in a burst, unhinging my hand from Cha Cha's, and slapping my arm in front of his chest to prevent him from jolting forward into the passenger headrest. His eyes were wide like he was seeing death, straining on my arm in the opposite gravity. 

Our car came to a full safe stop, throwing us back in our seats. I leaned forward, inspecting Cha Cha all over. "You okay, baby?" I asked him gently, my eyes flying over him. 

"Si," he said like a little scared child. 

"Its okay, no harm done. Goddamn ice. Don't they salt the roads anymore? How much do we pay in taxes for them not to salt the goddamn roads?!" Carl spouted, fuming like a chimney and for good reason.