Elly In Bloom

by Colleen Oakes

  Kim narrowed her eyes. “Right. This is a trade off so that she does not have to be ANYWHERE near them. Is that clear?”

  Snarky Teenager and Ardelle nodded. Elly felt a lump in her throat and wiped her brow. She was already sweating and it was 5:30am. Great.

  There was a sudden knock at the shop door and Snarky Teenager opened it. A delivery driver, adorable in his white cap and apron, stood before them with a handful of colorful balloons and two boxes of donuts. He brought them inside, a bright smile on his face.

  “Delivery for the Posies staff?”

  Kim clapped her hands as she helped herself to a brightly sprinkled donut. “Who are these from? They’re wonderful!”

  The delivery man handed her a card. Kim opened it and read it out loud, “Knock it out of the park today. I’m sending good thoughts to each of you, but especially Elly. I’m sorry I can’t be there. Love, Anthony.”

  All four women sighed and then proceeded to feast on the donuts, even Ardelle, who eyed them with suspicion before giving into delicious frosting with a tiny, bird-like bite. They enjoyed their morning snack, talking over the details and gushing over the twenty-five lavish centerpieces that sat at the entrance to the store.

  Reluctantly, Elly rose up from her seat. “Okay, I guess we have to get started. The drivers will be here soon. We can do this, people!”

  Everyone headed to the back. Kim grabbed Elly’s shoulder softly. “You’re going to be fine.”

  Elly gave a quick nod of her head and started wrapping Gardenias in tissue paper.

  At 7 am, the five hired laborers arrived. All except one had the ruddy look of dock workers; greasy hair and fingernails, and they smelled slightly of milk. They were somewhat surprised when Elly gave them each a white collared shirt with “Posies” embroidered on the pocket. One by one they went into the bathroom and changed, pointing at each other and laughing as each one emerged looking…well, still not great. They babbled away in Russian, looking at the massive centerpieces gathered in the storefront and shooting Elly suspicious looks.

  Snarky Teenager sidled up beside her. “These are the guys that Keith uses?”

  “Yeah, thanks a lot, Keith,” Elly replied dully. He had been in her mind all morning. Somehow, today of all days, she missed him. It seemed that he should be here, as her friend. Elly felt that she wanted him to witness all these things – the donuts, the funny way the workers were slapping each others’ butts. She wanted to pull him aside, whisper and laugh. Her confidant should be here today. Keith…It was a strange feeling and it made her uncomfortable. She shrugged it off. One of the men burped loudly.

  Elly grimaced and reassured herself. “They just have to carry things and drive to the hotel. How hard can that be?”

  Snarky Teenager bit her lip, causing a stir amongst the men, who watched her with hungry eyes. “I’ll keep them in line.”

  “I bet.” Elly circled the drivers around her. “English, yes?” The men nodded. Elly was unconvinced. “Okay. We,” she gestured to her workers, “are going to load these centerpieces into your vans. Two of you will be making trips to the,” she pointed toward downtown Clayton and enunciated her words, “Hotel La Vie Courtyard. The other two of you are making trips to the reception, which is in the Hotel La Vie Grand Ballroom.”

  She pointed to the remaining worker, a rakishly handsome man with caramel skin and black eyes. “You will be taking all the rest of goods: Candles, mirrors, extra crystals, wire and tape, scissors, clippers and all the branches.” He nodded. The workers listened with amusement as Elly described their duties in detail, emphasizing careful carrying and respect for the flowers. “You comprehend? Yes?”

  The handsome young man with dark eyes snickered – he was obviously king of the workers. “Yes ma’am. We speak English. We are students at Washington University. My name is Behir.”

  “Oh.” Elly felt an intense wave of embarrassment. Way to go, she told herself, piss off the workers before the day has even begun.

  Snarky Teenager snapped her fingers. “Students, whatever. Load these into the van. Now!”

  Ah, the power of a beautiful young siren. The men practically fell over themselves getting the centerpieces disassembled and into the air-conditioned vans. Elly’s neighbors peeked their heads out of their doors, wondering about all the noise and suspicious unmarked vans. Elly waved to them as she handed the drivers their directions and headed back in. None waved back.

  Snarky Teenager and Ardelle were packing up the personal flowers into lined boxes, wrapped in thick layers of newspaper. The bouquets were all stuck into thick glass cylinders and given a generous spray of water. The bridal bouquet would be carried by Elly until the hand-off at the hotel.

  Elly looked around her disheveled shop. “Do we have everything?”

  Kim waddled over with a clipboard. “I think so. I have everything marked down for the second pick-up, and I loaded all the emergency supplies into your van already. Our fearless young worker and Ardelle have all the extras arrangements for the parents’ room, the bride’s room, the bathrooms…” Kim ran down the list. She got to the end and remarked, “This is simply ridiculous.”

  Elly laughed. “Tell me about it. Okay, we’re ready.” Her voice quivered at the end. “I wish you were coming.”

  Kim’s eyes brimmed with tears. “I wish I could be there. I feel so stupid, stuck here behind the desk, doing nothing.”

  Elly grabbed her hand. “You are running things, and you have no idea how much peace you have given me. I would never have made it here if it wasn’t for you.”

  Snarky Teenager walked into the store and rolled her eyes. “Okay, LAME. You guys are best friends. We get it, let’s GO!!”

  Elly smiled in spite of herself. “I need another donut.”

  “No you don’t,” replied Snarky Teenager. “You need a carrot.”

  Elly took a bite of a powdered sugar donut, blowing white powder all over her face.

  Snarky Teenager called out to Ardelle. “We’re finally going – she needed to eat! Let’s get this trainwreck on the road!”

  Elly dusted off her hands. “Alright, alright, I’m ready.”

  She wasn’t.

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  At 8:30am, Elly pulled the Posies van up to the garden entrance of Hotel La Vie. Hotel La Vie was the most posh hotel in Clayton, an already rich area. The French Art-Deco style lent itself out perfectly to the most highbrow of society events, and its minimum for renting out the ballrooms was rumored to be in the six-figure range. The rooms in the hotel went for five hundred a night or above, and Elly had heard that each room came with a personal butler, chocolate mints with tiny gold flecks on the pillows, and a dirty martini at check in. She had never stayed there. Obviously.

  The path to the outdoor gardens was long and completely inconvenient. It wound through a grey stone alleyway, up some stairs and through the hotel’s graveyard for old serving trays. Her arms full with two large urns, Elly uttered a low moan of relief when the courtyard came into view. It was the one of the loveliest places she had ever seen.

  A long brick wall arched over yellow tipped maple trees. On either side of an aisle sat long, low fire pits filled with pretty river rock and charcoal. Two hundred and fifty bamboo-backed chairs flanked the fire pits, with a simple white ribbon tied across the aisle. The breeze blew, bringing a slight chill in the air. The day could not be more beautiful. Birds twittered happily away in the trees, and the warm sunshine flooded the small gardens on either side of the courtyard.

  “Shoot,” muttered Elly. “I was hoping it would rain.” Her hired hands had already been here, as was evident by the massive flower piles on either side of the aisle. Everything was strewn about in chaotic fashion, but Elly was still glad that her carrying would be minimal. Lord knew, she had enough to do.

  Sitting against the corner of the fire pit, Elly took a minute to catch her breath. She gazed up at the hulking hotel, a postmodern glass and steel high-rise that mingled gr
acefully with its stone entrance. Somewhere, inside that building, Aaron was putting on a tuxedo, getting ready to marry Lucia, the love of his life. And Elly was sitting here, in the hotel’s backyard, looking up through the windows, pondering the sad irony of it all. Her thoughts were interrupted by a handsome waiter.

  “Ma’am? Miss Sunny Kepke ordered this to be delivered to you here.”

  He set down a black tray laden with a dripping glass of lemonade and assorted scones. Elly felt foolish, sitting out on the fire pit when there was so much work to be done. She jumped to her feet and wiped her hands on her bright yellow Posies apron. “Thank you.”

  The waiter bowed to her, as Elly reached for the tiny note on the tray. Her head smashed roughly into his. “Oh my gosh – oh, I’m sorry, are you okay?”

  The waiter scurried off, holding his head. Elly stood perfectly still. This was the kind of day she was going to have. She let out a disgusted sound and opened the note.

  Elly – I cannot wait to see your amazing talent in full force today. The best decision that I’ve made in this whirlwind of planning was to hire you and your extraordinary team. Your patience and glowing enthusiasm for this wedding… Elly gave a curt laugh …have made this experience the highlight of my year. Thank you, my dear.

  Elly folded the note and pressed it against her heart. It was good to have a reminder of her reasons for doing this as she gazed at the intimidating pile of ceremony décor. She greedily gulped the lemonade down and got to work.

  It had been an hour and a half before she took a five minute break. Flushed with sweat, Elly stood back proudly to look at her work in progress. The back of the ceremony site had been transformed from an outdoor living space into an elegant utopia of orchids, branches and dripping urns of flowers. The fire pits had been filled with beeswax candles and pale pink peonies and lined with gold votives. Each bamboo chair had been draped with a satin chocolate brown ribbon and covered with a cascade of gardenias and tulips in different shades of white, from diamond to a creamy ivory. Blown garden roses and gladiolus lined the aisle, making a heavenly path to the altar area. At the front, two gigantic urns overflowed with antique hydrangeas and hanging Dutch tulips, giving the courtyard a whimsical effect as they blew slightly in the wind. She was only half done.

  Her hands were covered in charcoal as she flipped open her phone and dialed Isaac for the ninth time in the last hour. It went straight to his voice-mail. Again.

  “Hey, it’s Isaac, give me some love! If this is a booking for Everest Oppressed, press one, everyone else, press two. Leave a message or do whatever your soul compels you to do!”

  Elly rolled her eyes. Her soul was compelling her at the moment to be pissed off. “Hey, it’s me. I was just wondering if you got lost, or if you were confused about the time…I can’t wait to see you and…” She paused, trying to keep the edge out of her voice, “I could really use the help.”

  She hung up the phone with irritation and looked at the monstrous job before her. She began gathering thick manzinita branches into large bunches and placing them in their respective urns. In a large black bucket, she soaked her light green floral foam until it guzzled up the water, turning it a hunter green and giving it the consistency of a sponge. She shoved the heavy foam into the urns to secure the branches in place, and covered the foam with a thick, green moss. She stood up and brushed off her face. One down, five to go. She felt like crying. She plunged the second bunch of foam into the water, enjoying the cool splash rising up to her elbows. Her phone vibrated against her thigh. She snapped it opened, annoyed.

  “Isaac? Where are you?!”

  She heard Isaac chuckle and murmur to someone in the background. “Hey baby! I’m so sorry that I didn’t get back to you sooner. You will never guess what happened this morning!”

  Elly felt her fingernails pressing into her palm. “What?”

  “Stanley from Gemini Records called, and he needs an opening band for Valentine’s Marine on Sunday night and they asked us! Isn’t that SWEET?”

  Elly pushed the phone closer to ear. “Yes, that’s great, but WHY AREN’T YOU HERE?”

  She heard Isaac’s joyful mood go somber. “Well babe, we have to practice if we are going to be opening for them on Sunday night! The whole band is here – Tifah made veggie lasagna, it’s so awesome…”

  “Isaac!” Elly heard her voice on the edge of tears. “I told you that I needed you here with me today! I am setting up this ceremony site all by myself, and it’s taking forever because I thought I would have an extra hand today.” She choked. “Not to mention I wanted you here to take my mind off the fact that this is Aaron’s wedding!” Elly hissed the last words.

  Isaac was silent. “Babe…who is Aaron?”

  “Forget it. And don’t call me babe,” Elly snapped, a wide surge of anger pouring out of her. “I depended on you today. I never ask anything of you! I do everything you want me to do. I go to your shows and sit through your four hour practices with your stupid band!” She took a deep breath and starting yelling. “I cook for you, and I take you out to dinner, and I just asked this one little thing of you, and you couldn’t even do it. Do you even care that this is the most important moment of my year? That this could mean everything for my business? Not only that, but that my emotional well-being is dangling from a thread?”

  Isaac inhaled sharply. The background noise had vanished, and Elly was sure that everyone in the room with him was now party to their conversation. His voice changed when he spoke again. Now, it sounded like a pleading child, rather than a grown man.

  “Don’t be mad at me. Are you breaking up with me? You can’t. Elly, you’re my muse.”

  Elly was bewildered. He truly was taken aback by her anger. “I’m not breaking up with you, but I’m…” She took a deep breath and looked up at the impassive job still before her. “I’m overwhelmed and exhausted and I can’t fight about this right now. I have more work to do then you could possibly imagine.”

  Isaac’s voice wavered. “I love you, Elly. I told you that. I’m sorry. Do you want me to come there right now?” He paused. “Do you really think my band is stupid?”

  Yes.

  “No. I can’t really talk right now. I will call you later.”

  Isaac rushed into his sentence. “I can come. I mean, the band is here, but I will leave now. You are the most important thing to me. They can wait.”

  Elly frowned as her words were twisted around. The pleading tone in his voice pulled at her heartstrings, and she found herself relenting. “No. Don’t come. Be with your band. I’ll talk to you when I’m done.”

  “Elly…” Isaac said pleadingly.

  Elly hung up the phone and wiped a tear off her face. As she looked over the half finished terrace, she felt a wave of nausea run over her. She knelt on the ground, her head between her knees. For the next ten minutes, she focused on breathing and letting the sun beat down on her, warming her skin and pulling her out of the depths of despair. Shakily, she stood, resolving that she would finish the job, Isaac or not. She plunged the third batch of foam into the water. There was a soft thudding sound to her left. She heard footsteps echoing down the narrow alley and turned around, a surge of joy pulsating through her. A man’s khaki pants strode toward her, his face and chest covered by a white box, which Elly knew contained white dendrobium orchids strung onto fishing wire. She wiped her hands on her bottom, instantly regretting the action, as she knew the back of her pants were now covered with wet green handprints. Thank you, Lord!

  “Hey! You came!” A wave of relief crashed over her. “I didn’t think you would actually leave everyone. I’m sorry for the things I said. Give me a kiss!” Elly cried.

  He turned around, putting the box down gently. Keith’s face broke into a grin. “Are you sure?”

  Elly gasped. “Keith? What are you DOING here?”

  Keith’s blue eyes widened. “So does that mean I don’t get a kiss?”

  Elly stopped awkwardly. “Er – no.” She gave him a
tight hug. “I, uh…”

  Keith chuckled. “Never thought I would see you speechless. I came to help, of course. What, do you think I would stay at this ridiculous place?” He waved his arms at the lush hotel. “I’ve catered here before, so I know the layout. Kim told me where you would be. She didn’t look so great.”

  “What do you mean, she didn’t look so great?”

  “Oh, she looked tired.”

  “Keith” Elly grinned. “She’s eight months pregnant.”

  “That must have been it.” Keith put his hands on his hips. “Well, what can I do?”

  “Didn’t you have your niece’s christening today?”

  Keith bowed his head and fidgeted nervously. “Yes, I did. I got halfway to Kansas City when I turned around. I knew that you needed help, and what kind of friend would I be if I left you when you needed it most? Besides, my niece doesn’t need my help to get christened, but it looks like you need my help to get this…” Keith looked around, baffled. “Whatever THIS is, done with.”

  Elly felt adrift in confusion. She was still wishing that the man behind the box had been Isaac, and yet…she was so happy that Keith was here. It felt right, as if his arrival guaranteed that things would be okay. Gazing at his wide smile, she realized that it wasn’t that she couldn’t do it alone – she could – but that she had someone who believed in her, who knew without a doubt that she would succeed. Keith had always given her the gift of believing in her, more than she did herself. She was staggered by this revelation, but had no time to dwell on her thoughts. She was already an hour behind, and the reception was waiting.

  “Okay. These are manzinita branches. They go in these urns…”

  “Before we begin,” noted Keith, “you should know that you have charcoal all over your face.”

  They worked for an hour, quick and furious. Elly gave rapid directions and they moved well as a team. The forest made of manzanita trees went up first, followed by pink cymbidium orchids that were tucked into their rough nooks. With Keith on the ladder and Elly passing them up, they hung dangling curtains of white dendrobiums from a gorgeous wood arbor, bathing the outside aisle flowers with a shower of tiny white blooms. Buckets full of white and pale pink rose petals were spread down the aisle in the couple’s monogram: A large letter L crossed over a smaller A. Elly was tempted to write out some other choice words, but Keith gently reminded her of Sunny and her job stability.