Amber Stigmatized

by Viktor Redreich

  She sniffed and kept pouting. “I don’t like coffee.”

  “I know. I brought you some orange juice. And I didn’t know what kind of muffin you would like, so I bought many different kinds. You can have two.”

  There was a bakery only a short walk from campus. Most college students went there for the half-price day-old donuts and cheap stale bread, but Amber had had a scone there once for lunch and it was fantastic. She perked up a little bit at the thought of the different kinds of muffins Daddy could have bought. “I want three.”

  “Two,” he told her. “You can have a third in a little bit. Why don’t you put a shirt on while I get everything out?”

  It was so good to have instructions, to be guided. The last of her sadness and fear faded out. She kissed her Daddy on the cheek and then went to get a shirt, a pretty button-up denim blouse with a star pattern. He hadn’t told her to get pants on so she didn’t and went back to him, feeling cheeky.

  Daddy gave her a gentle pinch on the cheek and she squirmed away, giggling. He had taken her orange juice and his steaming coffee out of the drink tray he brought and set them on her bedside table. An array of wrapped muffins sat on napkins in the middle of the bed, studded with chocolate chips, berries, and nuts. Some were vanilla-flavored, others chocolate. All the different combinations boggled her mind. She chose a chocolate muffin with chocolate chips, and then an apple-blueberry muffin with sugary crumble on top. Both were fantastic, but her orange juice tasted bitter afterwards compared to the sweetness and she drank very little of it.

  She noticed Daddy frowning at her cup, but he didn’t say anything. He did put it away in her mini-fridge for later.

  After their breakfast, Amber noticed Daddy looking at his watch a lot and started to get worried again. “What time is it?” she asked.

  “It’s about time for teacups to take a shower and get dressed properly, so we don’t wind up being late.”

  “Late to where? Wait. We?” Her hopes lifted. He didn’t intend to leave her yet.

  “Yes, we.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “While I was out, I canceled all my work for the day. I don’t want you to be left alone and scared today, so we’re going to go see a movie. And then I want to take you to the mall and buy you something special. I think that will be fine with you?”

  “Yes!” She clasped her hands together. “What movie?”

  “No movie, unless you take a shower.”

  Amber jumped to her feet and ran for the shower. She heard Daddy chuckling behind her and it made her smile.

  She hurried through her shower as fast as she could, then threw on a cute bra and a new pair of panties. She put on the denim shirt again, plus a pair of faded jeans.

  “You look very cute,” Daddy told her. He held out his hand. “Ready to go?”

  “Not yet.” She dug through her drawers and brought out one of her headscarves. She started to wrap it around her hair when a light touch on her back brought her spinning around.

  Daddy took the scarf in his hand and frowned, rubbing his thumb over the material. “Why do you put these things on your head? I couldn’t help but notice.”

  No one had ever asked before. She felt a little tongue-tied. “I don’t like it when people see my hair.”

  “Why not?” His eyebrows lifted. “Your hair is beautiful.”

  She brightened. “Thank you. But I don’t like when people make comments on it because of how long it is.”

  “Do you want it cut? There will be a hair salon at the mall.”

  “Never! I’ll never cut it.”

  “Then you like it how it is?”

  Amber nodded a lot. She didn’t know how to explain it. She loved her hair how it was and wouldn’t change it for anyone. At the same time, leaving her hair out in the open for others to have their own opinions on it made her nervous. She’d rather enjoy it in private.

  Daddy folded the scarf up and handed it back to her. “Put that in your drawer and come along. We still have to drive to the theater.”

  “But…”

  “Don’t argue with me on this,” he said firmly. “I think your hair is beautiful. It doesn’t matter to me what other people think about it and it shouldn’t matter to you, either. Please don’t cover your hair again as long as you’re around me.”

  Her stomach fluttered. He liked her hair. Suddenly, that was what mattered to her. Amber looked down at her scarf and nodded to herself. She stuck it back in the drawer, leaving her hair free to flow and flutter around her body when she walked.

  “Good girl.” He reached for her and she took his hand, curling her fingers into his. “We’re going now.”

  A few girls standing out in the hallway gawked as Amber emerged from her room with a much older, incredibly handsome man. Daddy put his finger to his lips, warning Amber not to say anything. Amber nodded, but she had noticed Cherry in the crowd, the student who debated her in Sociology class. When Daddy wasn’t looking, Amber stuck out her tongue at the other girl. Cherry’s eyes widened and she jerked her head away, scoffing.

  Laughing, Amber followed Daddy out of the dorms and to the parking lot. He took her to his expensive car and opened up her door for her so she could climb inside. When she was seated, he reached in, buckled her seatbelt securely across her lap and chest, and then stroked her under her chin with one finger. “I saw what you did,” he murmured.

  Amber widened her eyes very innocently, pretending she had no idea what he was talking about. He caressed her, his touch making her squirm, and then left her to go around to his side of the car.

  The movie they saw was the latest Disney film and it was as amazing as ever. Amber sat enthralled for almost two hours, eating popcorn, drinking her soda, and then having some of Daddy’s when hers ran out. Occasionally, he brushed his fingers over her lips and fed her pieces of candy.

  They emerged from the theater into the dazzling brightness of the day. Amber admired the sky and the clouds for the whole drive, enchanted by how vivid everything seemed after sitting in the dark for so long. Daddy drove her to the mall and guided her straight to a jewelry store. He positioned her in front of one of the many long counters and patted her butt. “Pick out something you like and I’ll buy it for you.”

  She didn’t understand at first, caught up in the way his hand had felt on her rear. She got it and jumped a little in surprise. “Really?”

  “Of course.” The salesperson watched them curiously. Daddy drew in front of Amber and whispered into her ear. “I want you to have something that will always remind you of me, so you will wear it and know that you’re mine and loved.”

  She drew in her breath, gasping with delight. “Oh, Daddy!”

  He kissed her forehead and pulled back so she could look.

  She spent hours in the store, staring in the cases at all the beautiful pieces of jewelry. There were so many different colors and varieties she hardly knew what she liked best. Gold and silver, and white gold, and rose-gold, and gemstones like sapphire and emerald and ruby and opal; necklaces long and short, with thick and thin chains, and earrings, and rings, and bracelets.

  She found herself drawn to one piece in particular, out of all the hundreds. It caught her eye, held her attention, lingered in the back of her mind even when she had moved on and looked at other things. It was a silver ring with swirls of diamonds around a large pink stone.

  Daddy noticed the way she constantly went back to that one ring and lifted his hand to the salesperson. “We would like to take a look at this one.”

  “Certainly,” he said.

  Amber hurried over and stood in front of the counter, fidgeting impatiently as the man found a key to unlock the case. Her mind was dazzled by all the pretty things. She could hardly believe that she could be allowed to touch one, to even get a little closer to it.

  The salesman drew the ring from the inside of the case and placed it on top of the counter. “This is an 18k white gold ring in a weave style. See how the band forms twists, like chains, on the sid
e, as well as around the stone?”

  “What sort of stone is it?”

  “It’s a tourmaline. Very beautiful. They come in so many different colors.” The salesman motioned for Amber to take the ring from its box. “The pink version is very popular. It’s a rather nice, mellow pink. Not too girly, but charmingly feminine.”

  Amber lifted the ring, delicately, from its bed of velvet. It was much, much heavier than she would have expected. It felt expensive. She slid it onto her finger. The metal was cold enough to be shocking and she gasped, then gasped again in delight at how it looked on her finger.

  Daddy leaned over her and took her hand, turned it this way and that. “It looks like a perfect fit. Does it feel okay to you?”

  Amber nodded, beyond words. Everything felt amazing.

  “We’ll take this one, then.”

  “Of course. Follow me over here, please.” The salesman moved out from behind the counter, heading for the register. “You’re incredibly lucky to have such a generous father, young lady.”

  Amber looked up at her kind, strong Daddy and smiled. The ring on her finger seemed to pulse in his presence. “I know.”

  She kept herself busy while Daddy paid for her ring, looking at the jewelry in the cases another time. The ring had been the right choice, she decided. It was so much prettier than even all the other beautiful things combined. Maybe she only felt that way because Daddy had been the one to give her the ring, but she felt that was the whole point of jewelry. Sure, it was fun to look at, fun to have, but when someone gave it to you, that was always the best.

  Once the ring was paid for, Daddy came to her and took her hand in his. “We have enough time to look at a few more stores before I take you back.”

  “Why does it have to end at all?”

  “The mall will close eventually,” he told her kindly. “And I need to go home. The day after tomorrow, I’ll be flying to Berlin for a business trip. I’ll have to catch up on the work I didn’t do today, and prepare for that as well.”

  Amber grabbed his hand hard in both of hers, her heart pounding. “You can’t leave me, Daddy!”

  A group of people walking by looked at her strangely.

  Daddy wrapped his arm around her shoulders and drew her aside, next to the bathrooms. “It will be fine, teacup. It’ll be exactly how we used to do things.”

  “No it won’t!” she cried. “I didn’t have you before. Now I know what it’s like to have you and I need you more than ever. Please don’t leave me alone.”

  “Amber…” He rubbed his face and gave a long, slow sigh. “I have to go. I can’t help that. Maybe you could come with me, but you don’t have a passport.”

  “Yes, I do.” She started to get excited. “I got one because I was going to go on a hiking trip with the other club members, but it was canceled. Now I have a passport and it should still be good.”

  He nodded. He looked a little conflicted though, and she didn’t really like that. She wanted him to be happy. “In that case, would you like to come with me?”

  “Yes!” She threw her arms around his neck and squeezed tight. Now she could see how things were for him without him having to take pictures and send them to her. She could experience what he did.

  Chapter 13

  Virgin

  Amber hadn’t ever been on a plane before in her whole life. She’d heard a lot of bad things about them though, like how cramped they were and how rude the people could be. She quickly learned that wasn’t the case. She sat in the very front of the plane in a window seat next to Daddy, and there was enough room for her to stretch out and do whatever she wanted. The flight attendant was nice and addressed them all by name, and at one point the co-pilot came out to greet everyone.

  After the co-pilot went back into the cockpit, Amber turned to Daddy and tugged on his arm. “Why didn’t he go all the way through the plane?”

  He looked up from the book he was reading. “Because we’re in first-class.”

  “First-class? Is there a difference?”

  Daddy slid a bookmark into his book and set it down on his lap. “Yes. I paid a lot of money to get us these seats. First-class is for people who can afford to be here.”

  “You mean the rest of the plane isn’t like this?”

  “It isn’t at all. You see that curtain?” Daddy gestured behind him. “Behind that is the rest of the plane. The quality of service goes down the further back you go. Of course, that’s the way it has to be.” He picked up his book again. “There are a lot more people back there to take care of. Not everyone is going to be seen in time.”

  Amber nodded. “I see.” So, the rest of the plane was the breeding ground for all the horror stories she’d heard. She felt bad for the people who had to go through the whole flight eating peanuts and drinking half-cups of soda.

  Daddy watched her. He put his hand on her leg. “Don’t feel bad.”

  “It doesn’t really seem fair.”

  “Think about it this way, my little girl. I make a lot of money. Would it be fair if I couldn’t spend my money to get the things I want?”

  She frowned and thought hard about that. She could see how it would be really annoying if Daddy wasn’t able to buy what he wanted. “Does that mean we’re better than them?”

  “God, no.” He looked startled. “The world isn’t as black-and-white as some people would have you believe. We are no better than anyone. I can afford first-class, but I can’t afford to charter a private jet. They can afford to fly which means they don’t have to spend weeks crossing the ocean on a cargo ship. Everyone has a different station in life, and knowing that there are things just out of our reach gives us something to strive for.”

  Amber rubbed her eyes. “I feel like I’m in college right now.”

  He chuckled and opened his book, and gave her his bookmark to hold onto. “That’s good.”

  How?

  She kept from asking more questions and bothering him. He really seemed interested in that book he was reading. She didn’t really see why, since she didn’t even understand the title, but she did like to watch his strong face as he read.

  The flight took an incredibly long time. Ten hours. Even though she’d done little more than sit the entire time, Amber discovered she was exhausted when she finally exited the plane. Daddy supported her with his arm around her shoulders, almost carrying her through the massive airport. She couldn’t focus on much of anything, the airport was so big and noisy, filled with the sounds of people talking and yelling in all different languages. Cooking smells perfumed the air as they passed restaurant after restaurant, some of them quite savory and appealing.

  Daddy got their bags and took them to a far part of the airport, where he rented a car. Amber climbed into her seat and looked out the window, eager to get her first glimpse at someplace so much newer and stranger than what she was used to. However, it was hard to keep her eyes open. There wasn’t much to see at first anyway, since they first had to get out of the airport. She tilted her head against the window and closed her eyes.

  I’ll open them again in a little while.

  The next thing she knew, Daddy was leaning over her, gently shaking her shoulder. “Teacup,” he urged. “Teacup, I need you to wake up for just a little bit. We’re at our hotel.”

  Amber rubbed her eyes and sat up. A huge yawn pulled from her throat. “Huh? Hotel?”

  “Yes.” He reached in and undid her seatbelt, and helped her out. “You slept pretty much the whole drive. I’ve already checked us in, and our bags are in our rooms.”

  “Rooms,” she mumbled. She woke up a little bit more. “You mean we won’t be in the same room?”

  Daddy guided her into the hotel, which was a beautiful golden palace filled with dapper men in suits and women in dresses that would put fairytale princesses to shame. He brought her to the elevator and pushed a button for their floor. Once the doors shut, he turned to her and held her by her shoulders. “They’re connected rooms, with a door on each side in
the middle. We can still get to each other.”

  “What’s the point?” she protested.

  “Kitten, this is a business trip. Please try to understand.” He kissed her forehead and looked intensely into her eyes. “These people are expecting the absolute best of me. I’m going to tell everyone you’re my assistant. It’s only proper that it looks like we’re staying in separate rooms.”

  The elevator doors opened, leading out to a wide hallway. Huge canvases depicting gorgeous buildings lined the walls, broken apart at sparse intervals by doors. The carpet had a strange overlapping oval pattern that made Amber dizzy to see. She stumbled sideways into Daddy and clutched at his arm to keep from falling over. She pouted. “I don’t understand why you have to tell everyone I’m your assistant.”

  “Yes, you do,” he said calmly.

  She did, even though she didn’t want to admit it. His clients and business partners might not appreciate their relationship. “Okay,” she sighed.

  Daddy stopped in front of one of the doors and used his keycard to open it. He led her inside.

  She forgot about her complaints for a moment as she looked around. She hadn’t known rooms such as this one could be found in hotels. For one thing, the room was divided into two areas, a huge living room with bronze patterned wallpaper and gold trim, and a cozy bedroom with a faux fireplace. Four twisting columns surrounded the bed, from which draped filmy white canopy curtains.

  Amber hurried over to the bed and flopped herself down onto the cloud-soft mattress. “Wow,” she breathed.

  He walked into the room and stood by a door set deep into an alcove in the wall. “This is where the connecting doors are,” he informed her. “You open yours and I open mine, and it will be as if we’re together. Okay?”

  “Okay,” Amber agreed. She curled up on the bed and stuck her hands under the pillow. Daddy came over and sat down beside her. “So tomorrow we’re going to go to a meeting and I’ll be your assistant?”