Audrey Hepburn's Pearls: Part I

Chapter 32.2: 1994, Ruiz

Chapter 32.2: 1994, Ruiz

I leaned in and met Ambrose's lip brush as he painted on a bold red for me. His face was full of hope, his eyebrows raised with a small smile. I knew he was trying to make me feel better, putting make-up on me to make me feel pretty. His brush clicked onto the counter of the vanity and a black liquid eyeliner replaced it between his thin, professional fingers. I closed my eyes as he started to draw on Audrey Hepburn wings. My lips rubbed together in the meantime to even the cherry color up and he blew on my left eye.

The room was silent as well as the house. Though it was Christmas Eve, Miss Cha Cha still had to go to work. She had wanted me to come with her, take my mind off of the events of the morning, but I had declined. The idea of happy, bouncing little girls in leotards and tutus didn't sound appealing to me. They'd just remind me all the more that I had never been one.

I felt bad, knowing she was going to work with my troubles on her mind. She should have had no other thoughts than teaching those little girls how to dance. Instead, she had hugged me tightly at the door, rocking me back and forth like one of us was going off to war. "I'm so sorry, Ruiz," she'd said sincerely to me, "what do you want to eat tonight? I'll bring it home."

Home.

I'd started crying again when she'd said that. Ambrose had come up behind me and asked her to make canon de cerdo and bunuelos since its Christmas Eve after all. I was so sad I kept forgetting it was. She hugged me again and promised to make some sweet things as well, that she was sorry she didn't know many Puerto Rican dishes, but there were some very yummy Colombian food she could make for me for Christmas.

I knew what she was avoiding saying, but I got the message: she wanted to say she was sorry my Mama wouldn't be making me familiar Puerto Rican things for Christmas. I just hugged her again and then watched her wave as she drove away in her pink Barbie car. Ambrose had taken my hand afterwards and led me to his room, and now he was doing my make-up to cheer me up.

"You can't cry now, you have eyeliner on," he teased lightly. As he rose matching red lip liner to my face his lips did a little pop, something cute I noticed he often did when doing my make-up. It made an ease start to bloom in my heart.

"Mm," I agreed, trying to please him.

"I love you, you know," he said matter of factly, slowly tracing my lips and scratching away stray feathering with his pink pinky nail very finely. 

"I know. I love you, too," I said quietly. He had taken the lip pencil away at that moment, knowing my answer. He smiled at it, a deep blushing forming on his cheeks. 

"Do you want me to do your nails?" he asked, inspecting his handiwork quickly then setting about with the lip liner softly again.

"Mm," I agreed. In truth, I didn't want him to stop touching me, paying attention to me. Adoring me. He made me feel so special, like I was his Princess. He was my Prince in Princess' clothing.

"Choose a color, okay?" he said, his hazel eyes following the line of his pencil with care. I watched the progress of his lovely eyes, mesmerized.

The door opened slightly and in the mirror I saw a white and grey little figure slink in around the doorframe.

"Hey, Baby Doll, what you doin'?" Ambrose cooed casually at his cat in the mirror. It made the edge of my mouth curl up a tiny bit and at this he broke into a beam. My heart melted at his beam. His pencil left my lips and he screwed on the tiny clear cap over the tip. He picked up some black mascara and began shaking it like a Polaroid picture. I watched his slender, elegant wrist as it flipped the mascara up and down. 

"Look up, darling," he told me sweetly. I obeyed with the lingering tiny smile still on my face.

Baby Doll jumped up on the bed in the mirror and settled down in a kitty sleeping pose, folding her legs under herself. In the calm silence, my ears picked up on her purring. It comforted me like a motor trying to lead my heart away from sadness. 

Working on my eyes, of course Ambrose saw them shifting to Baby Doll. "If you want, we can move to the bed and you can hold her. I don't need the mirror, and you trust me, right?" he offered lovingly, his face soft and glad.

"Yeah," I smiled.

"I'm so happy you're smiling again," he sighed in love, putting down the mascara and pulling me to himself by the shoulders, pressing me against his beautiful body. I wrapped my arms around him and rested my chin on his strong shoulder. "You look pretty," he whispered. I tightened my grip on him. "You always look pretty, but you know what I mean," he added quickly with the tone of a little boy who made a mistake.

A sound escaped my throat and then more. He started giggling. "You're laughing! I want you to laugh more," he said into my hair and settled into me, his body weight leaning on me as I leaned on him, becoming one. 

"You're just too cute, Ambrose," I whispered over his shoulder. He snorted in a laugh which made me giggle again. Parting from me, he swept away a stray curl from my face and stared at me adoringly, his eyes wider, drinking me in. He loved me so much and his staring made me blush more than before.

His finger touched my cheek, then his hands cupped my face. His beautiful plump lips parted in the way I liked. 

"Ambr-" I started, but he leaned in and kissed me. "Mmm," I finished in a moan into his mouth in the suddenness of it. His tongue slipped into my mouth and pushed on mine, causing my breath to come harder, my heart to beat quicker.

He parted from me again and I felt the intense heat in my cheeks building as I beheld his beauty in full. "I think you need some loving, my darling," he whispered near my ear as he leaned to me, causing my breath to catch.

I didn't say a word as he picked up Baby Doll from his bed and put her outside the door as he closed it. I let him lead me to the bed.

As he slipped the sleeve of my red dress down my arm, I tried to only think of him, to forget about what was happening to me in reality. Let him lead me into a dream, I thought as he climbed onto the bed behind me and began to kiss down my back. At least for a while, if he could make me forget everything, that would be the best Christmas present of all.