Audrey Hepburn's Pearls: Part I

Chapter 88.2: 1995, Ruiz

Chapter 88.2: 1995, Ruiz

All was quiet in the house. The hallway was dark, my door open to it. The light in my room seemed too bright, because the way the diamonds on my mama's pearls were dazzling was too bright in my hands. Too bright for my mood.

Today had been too awful. It had been wordless, moving like a machine. Together, Alejandro and I had been like robots just doing a job put before us like automatons. Like we weren't human at all. It wasn't only that we weren't allowed to talk in Spanish, it was recommended that we not talk at all. Alejandro seemed to take this seriously, so he offered not a word after his informal shouted greeting. 

My hands were raw from the bleach, and my nose felt like it was burning after four hours from it. I'd have to remember to bring rubber gloves because they were definitely not provided. At least at McCrory's we'd had rubber gloves. But also at McCrory's, things were not all done by hand. We'd just rinse and get the gunk off and then stick the dishes into a big machine that would roll the dishes into a hot steamer or something along a line, then we'd stack them however on the shelves when they came out. My hardest job at McCrory's had been running around to stack the dishes in their right places.

Not so at this diner.

My arms hurt, but I didn't think they'd be sore in the morning. At least, I hoped. Now these same arms which had struggled to scrub dishes after four hours were holding up pearls and diamonds, so different. 

I had to admit, I was thinking about my Nana. She'd tell me to stick it out, think of the dream. She'd believed in me so much. Her loving face. Her face had been round, not so much wrinkles but her face was definitely puffy in all the right places. She'd had large bags under her eyes, probably looking back at it now from staying up all those nights working late to sew those ladies' dresses. She was a hard worker. So I had to be a hard worker now.

She'd definitely liked to eat well, and didn't believe in not eating well. That was one of the joys in life for her, and for me way back when. She'd said, "when you've got troubles, thank God for food. That's one of the reasons why God put such delicious things on earth. It didn't have to be delicious, but he made it delicious so we feel happy. You feel happy eating this, right? That's why." 

I missed her Sunday dinners the most. What I wouldn't give to attend just one more Sunday dinner. She'd invite the whole neighborhood sometimes it seemed, all these old ladies who came from church who didn't seem to have anything better to do. And she'd invite Ambrose... And now I knew Ambrose didn't have anything better to do either. 

Ambrose and I would sit at the end of the table together, playing with little dinosaur figures or action figures or whatever we had that particular day. We'd make a game, the food would be our figures' world. Nana didn't mind if we played with her food, that was part of the happiness of it all. As long as we ate it in the end, getting all that nutrition she'd lovingly put in there for us.

I missed playing with Ambrose. I missed Ambrose, period. 

Right now, I missed Ambrose a lot. These pearls... I remembered when I first wore these pearls with him. 

I was wearing the first outfit Ambrose had ever made for me. It was Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's, my now signature outfit. That black dress, from the first scene in the movie. He'd done my hair up, did my make-up. He was smiling at me, already all done up himself in this dark purple vinyl sort of dominatrix looking outfit that showed off his body. His hair was done in a long black curly ponytail and faux fringe, hair pieces that he still had in his closet. They were up there on the top shelf along with his other wigs and hair stuff right now.