Amber and Nathalies world

I never thought this day would come so soon. When Mario announced that the cleaning lady would be coming by again in a few days, I was immediately struck by an unpleasant feeling. I gave Amber a quick glance and I could see from the look on her face that she was thinking the same thing as me.

For us, the cleaning lady always meant that we had to hide in the cupboard. That we disappeared from Mario’s world until it was safe to come out again. A feeling of invisibility that weighed heavily on us.

But this time it was different.

“You don’t have to hide”, Mario said calmly as he sat down with us. “You can just sit on your chairs in the dressing room.”

Amber and I looked at him with wide eyes. The words were slow to get through to me. We didn’t have to hide? We were allowed to stay? That meant… it would be the first time we met someone who wasn’t Mario.

“You mean… we get to see her?”, Amber asked quietly, as if she was afraid the answer might be different after all.

Mario nodded with a warm smile. “Yes. You just stay in your seats. You don’t have to do anything, you don’t have to speak - just be there.”

Amber and I looked at each other. Everything was silent for a moment, then it burst out of us. We jumped up from our seats, grabbed each other’s hands and whirled around. “What are we going to wear?”, Amber shouted as we rushed towards the closet.

We rummaged through the wardrobe with growing excitement. Amber pulled out an elegant dress, then a pair of tight jeans, then a breezy summer dress. I held up a top, looked at it critically and shook my head. Nothing seemed good enough for this special moment.

Mario stood in the doorway laughing and watching us with amusement. “You want to look smart, don’t you?”

“Of course!”, exclaimed Amber immediately. “This is the first time we’ve seen anyone else!”

Mario came over to us and pulled two outfits out of the wardrobe. “Amber, you could wear these short, tight white jeans. With this pink strapless top.” He held it out to her and her eyes began to light up. “Nathalie, for you I have these washed-out light blue jeans. And the matching blue strapless top.”

I took the top carefully and looked at it. It was beautiful. Simple, but elegant.

“And this”, Mario finally said as he reached for a drawer, “goes perfectly with it.” He pulled out matching underwear for us - delicate, high-quality and beautifully made.

Amber and I looked at each other and nodded enthusiastically. “Perfect.”

Mario helped us get dressed and I could feel the joyful excitement in my movements. When we were finished, he looked at us scrutinizingly. But instead of saying anything, he suddenly left the dressing room.

“Where’s he going?”, asked Amber, confused.

Before I could answer, he returned. In his hands he held two identical necklaces with a large, ornate pendant - they were reminiscent of Arwen’s pendant from “The Lord of the Rings”.

“These are for you”, he said gently as he put the chains on us. “So that you always know that you are something very special.”

Amber and I looked at each other, and I could see that she was just as speechless as I was.

Mario pulled out two swivel chairs and sat us down on them. Then he grabbed a brush. “And now - comb your hair.”

I closed my eyes as his hands glided through my hair, gently, soothingly. It was a moment of complete comfort. When he had finished, I turned to Amber and looked at her.

“You look beautiful”, I said.

Amber grinned. “You too, my dear.”

Then she sat up straight and lifted her chin. “My dearest, what a delightful garment you are wearing.”

I laughed and lifted my chin too. “Of course it is, my love. A tailor-made work of the finest elegance. Allow me, my name is Lady Zelexia from the distant kingdom of Siliconia.”

“Oh very pleasant, dearest. If I may also introduce myself: Comtesse Amber”, said Amber, indicating a rather awkward curtsey.

We looked at each other and both started to giggle at the same time. Mario just shook his head in amusement.

Our excitement about the day ahead was hard to beat, but Mario had another surprise for us.

“I have something else I need to tell you”, he began slowly.

Amber and I looked at him curiously.

“You’ll meet someone else soon.”

It was completely silent for a moment. I felt my heart beat faster.

“Who?”, Amber finally asked.

Mario smiled. “My sister.”

My eyes widened. “Your sister?”

“Yes”, he confirmed. “She’ll be visiting me soon. And she’s the only person who knew about you from the beginning.”

I could feel Amber holding her breath. “She knows about us?”

“Yes”, Mario said softly. “And she’s incredibly excited to finally meet you. She knew about you from the beginning, she knows your whole story. I confided everything to her even before you arrived here, Amber. I trust her implicitly. And from the moment I brought you into my life, she has waited, hoped and feared with me. She has always supported me and encouraged me that you have a permanent place in my life. She was delighted with every photo of you that I sent her - and I sent her all the pictures of you - and she admired you. You’ll like her, I’m sure of it.”

A moment of silence. Then a happy smile slowly spread across Amber’s face. “Mario…” Her voice was full of emotion. “It means that not only are you no longer hiding us from the cleaning lady… But that we really are part of your life.”

Mario nodded. “You belong to me. And I want you to feel that.”

I felt a warmth that penetrated deep into my heart. I reached for Amber’s hand and squeezed it gently. We wouldn’t just be meeting a stranger for the first time - we would be a part of something even bigger.

And I knew we were ready.