I have been around a long time. You might say many lifetimes. But only one decade truly captured my heart, my soul, my being. It was the 1960’s, when Audrey Hepburn made her mark in the golden age of Hollywood. I was obsessed. I loved everything about her. Her elegance, her beauty, her charm. She owned the spotlight wherever she moved. It was a time period like no other. Full of glitz, glamour – everything seemed to sparkle, especially around Audrey. The lavish parties where everyone dressed to the nines. It was perfect, except for timing. I did grace her presence on several occasions, for you see, I was – and not to brag – a handsome man, and money was no object. I knew the ways of the world and was used to wining and dining, used to the finer things that life had to offer. But I met her too late. If only I was in Hollywood when she debuted in Roman Holiday, when she was only twenty-four. She would have been closer to my age and nothing would have stopped me. I did get one moment and a smile from Audrey at one swanky get-together in Beverly Hills. “Hi, I’m Audrey. Have we met before?,” she said. Her eyes gazed into mine and she was everything I had hoped she would be in that quick and fleeting moment. “My name is William, William Gatsby, and I so very wish we had.” We made small talk for another minute or two, and “It was a pleasure meeting you” was the last words she spoke to me. It took a lot for me not to make a scene. But I held my composure, which part of me regrets.
I wanted more from her, to be up close and personal with her. To talk to her, look deeply into her eyes and throw all abandon to the wind. To live an eternity with her. But I was only a young adult. Twenty-one to be exact. But a very old soul trapped in a young man’s physique. It wasn’t fair. If only my ageless soul could have been in an older man’s body. Say a decade older, the exact same age Audrey was when she starred in my favorite film – Breakfast at Tiffany’s. If only I was thirty-one, I would have frozen her in time. She would have remained the vision of beauty I saw glimpses of during the 1960’s. But I couldn’t be selfish at that moment. I couldn’t step out into the light and change the woman I adored forever. The stars didn’t collide. Our fates were not meant to be.
Time had crept by, almost like it had stood still for decades. Never in love all these years, just in lust. Each decade grew further and further from those glory days. I still followed Audrey Hepburn’s career and life until her passing. It was as if my heart was torn in two that day. I attended her funeral, no one knowing of course. Sixty years had passed since the 1960’s before I would once again find myself feeling like I did so long ago. Women caught my eye, but not my soul. No one compared to Audrey Hepburn, until one evening in The Village. I had lived in New York for the better part of fifty years after living in Hollywood. I loved the hustle and bustle of city life. People coming and going. Always something to look at and do. The energy was like no other and on this Fall night, fate finally stepped in. Brisk air hit my face and the temperature was just right for a long sleeve. The leaves were turning the most beautiful of colors. The outside just beckoned you to explore the great outdoors. It was Halloween night, and boy did I enjoy this once-a-year extravaganza. People actually enjoyed dressing up again. Not many people cared about dressing up and looking sharp and beautiful on a day-to-day basis anymore – not like the 1960’s – but at least on Halloween they made an effort. I got to be myself on this special night, for it didn’t take long for me to be in costume.
TO BE CONTINUED
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