Elly In Bloom (13 page)

Elly took a sip of wine. “He’s introspective. Smart. Artistic.” She grinned. “Passionate. I feel like he woke me up. I never want to work again. I just want to be kissed. By Isaac. All day long.”

Kim clapped excitedly.

Elly continued. “You should see the way he talks to people. He just oozes this confidence. At the jazz club, he would take my hand and count out the beats with my fingers. He ordered drinks for me. And he seemed to know everyone!”
Still
, Elly thought to herself,
he couldn’t keep his eyes off me.

“Let’s just say, I certainly wouldn’t mind being his instrument.”

Kim grinned. “Naughty girl, you are glowing.”

“It feels…” Elly trailed off.

“Yes?” said Kim.

“It feels like falling in love. I haven’t felt this way, not since Aaron.” Her heart felt a pang at the name. She smoothed it over with the memory of Isaac’s soft lips against hers.

“I’m so happy to hear it. Just be careful.”

Elly was jerked out of her kissing daydream. “What do you mean ‘be careful?’”

“Nothing. I didn’t mean anything. He sounds amazing. I can’t wait to meet him. You look so happy.”

Elly smiled. “I am glowing. I feel alive for first time in years. He’s coming over for dinner on Wednesday.”

“Fantastic!” Kim replied. Elly hailed the waiter for another glass of wine. “You should make your red wine pot roast. That will make him want to kiss you all the more.”

Elly winked. “Oh, I’m not sure I need it…”

“Also?” said Kim, “Don’t wear your reindeer pants.”

Elly made an exaggerated sad face. “Well, he’s going to have to get used to them eventually.” They laughed and continued working on their pasta.

“So,” asked Kim, “What’s our week like?”

Elly felt the mood sober immediately. This week was Kim’s last week
and
the kick-off of wedding season. She groaned.

“This week is going to be absolutely horrible. I’m sure you remember that its Brooke London’s wedding. You know, our resident bridezilla? I’m buried in tiny details bordering on insane. I want to shake her. She’s giving me stress dreams in shades of wisteria. Thank God I have you for the weekend.”

Kim circled her plate with her finger. “I have something to tell you.”

Elly looked up in alarm. “Please do not tell me that you won’t be around this weekend.”

Kim frowned at her. “Elly, just LISTEN. I know that you don’t understand why I quit so suddenly…”

Elly interrupted her. “We don’t have to talk about this, we’ll just fight again.”

“Elly.
Listen
,” Kim said softly. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t give you more reason. It broke my heart not to. I can tell every time I look at you that it still bothers you. And I regret that I abandoned you to shop with our young apprentice.”

“Yes” said Elly bitterly, “That was…a new experience.”

“Elly.” Kim smiled and paused. “
I’m pregnant
.”

Elly sat in shocked silence. She noticed Kim’s water glass next to her wine glass.

“Oh my GOSH!” she shrieked. Her voice was so loud that restaurant patrons held their forks aloft and stared. She leapt up from the table and threw her arms around Kim, kissing her cheek. “What?! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!! A baby!” she put her hands on Kim’s flat belly. “How long? How far?”

Kim face was beet red. “Please sit down and stop groping me!”

Elly laughed and sat back down. She felt tears on her face. Elation mixed with love flooded her body. She looked at Kim in amazement.

“How did this happen?”

Kim laughed at her. “Well, by the sounds of your night on the doorstep with Isaac, you have an idea.”

“No, I mean, I’m sorry, I’m just so shocked! How far along are you?”

Kim smiled. “About three months. Don’t hate me.”

Elly gasped. “I DO! How could you not tell me?”

“Well, we only found out about a month ago. Sean and I were surprised, to say the least. We had no idea. I had felt…off, but just thought that I was moody. I started getting suspicious when I almost murdered Sean for forgetting to bring me Chinese food one night.”

“I love Chinese food…” murmured Elly.

Kim shushed her. “We went to the doctor, and found out that I was about two months along. Sean was thrilled, he’s wanted a baby for a while. I kept putting it off, as you know. He could not have been happier – he’s absolutely beside himself. But…it has taken awhile for me to get used to it.”

Kim paused and ran her fingers over the tablecloth. “I didn’t have an ideal childhood. My mom wasn’t really mom material. I took care of
her
most of the time, the reverse of the way it’s supposed to be. She was very unstable, very narcissistic. A terrible mother in most respects.”

Elly nodded. There had been many long conversations covering this topic between the two of them.

“I wasn’t sure I ever wanted a child. I always was afraid that I wouldn’t be a good mom, and that my child would suffer the same way I did. I’m still a very selfish person, Elly.” She took a deep breath and her watery eyes smiled. “I knew Sean wanted one and so I thought to myself that maybe someday – in the far future – we would talk about it. I didn’t expect to be pregnant. We were using protection.” She put her hands on her belly. “What I’m trying to say is that it was very, very shocking for me. I didn’t tell anyone right away because I didn’t feel the way that pregnant women are supposed to feel. I was scared and upset, and I felt more like weeping that jumping for joy. I felt like some sort of parasite was taking over my body.”

Elly took her hand. “Kim, you could have told me. I would have understood.”

“I know you would have. But I wasn’t ready to hear the words out loud. I needed time. Lots of time to adjust to this new idea. This new…life and the idea my body that wasn’t mine alone anymore.” She took a drink of water. “But then one day, I just woke up and went for a walk. I saw a little girl running around her front yard with her mom. I watched them for an hour. They probably thought I was a stalker. The little girl looked a lot like Sean –blond hair, deep laugh. She made me smile and when I got home…” Her eyes filled with tears “…I was in love with my baby. I really struggle to put it into words. It’s an overwhelming and totally encompassing love. And I knew right then that I wanted to spend every moment with this little person.”

Elly smiled proudly, so desperately happy for her. “So that’s why you quit?”

Kim nodded. “I needed time to prepare, and I get so tired designing. I can’t be on my feet for very long. And I’m having problems remembering things. Like, the other day, I made three of the same corsage. They only needed one!”

Elly laughed. She had seen the corsages in the trash and wondered what that was about. Of course, she had blamed it on Snarky Teenager.
Oops.

“Kim, I am SO happy for you. Have no fear - you are going to be the most incredible mother. I have no doubt in my mind about that. Besides my mother, I have never known a more loving or generous person. You saved my life, and your child is going to be very, very lucky.”

She looked up at Kim, her long toffee hair flowing over her tan shoulders, her blue-green eyes shimmering with tears. She had never been more radiant, and Elly wondered how she had never noticed this pregnancy glow before.

“Your child is also going to be ridiculously good-looking.”

“You mean your god-child is going to be ridiculously good-looking,” corrected Kim, and the two started crying all over again, each soaking her checkerboard napkin.

CHAPTER

NINE

Two days later, Elly was still basking in the light of what might just have been the best week ever. She had been kissed, Kim was pregnant, and Cadbury had only pooped in the house once. The dinner with Isaac had been spectacular. There had been music, perfectly cooked meat sautéed in wine, great conversation, candles and some serious snogging on the roof deck. Elly had never invited a man up there before. She had never imagined her roof deck to be a romantic place, but it turned out that the cool air, the plants and comfy couches made for the ultimate ambience. Isaac had played his guitar for her, and Elly lounged back on the soft fabric and watched his hair in the moonlight. A perfect night. A perfect kiss at the end. A perfect…..

“Look at this jerkbag!” Elly suddenly remembered that she was sitting in the car with Snarky Teenager, who was swerving all over the road.

“Look, I know you got your driver’s license, like, YESTERDAY, but try not to kill us on the way to the wedding!”

Snarky Teenager leaned on the horn. “Get out of the way, you FREAKS!” Elly covered her eyes, trying to forget that the Posies label was plastered on her back window.

In one hand she held Brooke’s bouquet – a breathtaking cascade, with cream gardenias, lavender sweet pea, periwinkle scabiosa, and rich purple ocean song roses that had blown open to perfect centers. Pearl acacia wisped over the sides. It was glorious…and it was swinging all over the place.

“STOP driving like a maniac. We’re almost there!”

Snarky Teenager pulled the van up to a screeching halt in front of the City Museum. The City Museum in St. Louis was another one of Elly’s favorite wedding venues. The main hall was an oceanic wonderland, filled with glistening fish scales of glass and resin. The room was dominated by colossal statues of twisting fish that hovered below a mosaic ceiling. It was romantic, different and beautiful in an edgy, urban way. Elly had enjoyed it for about two seconds before she heard the clattering of heels rushing down the hall.

Brooke was running towards her. Her eye make-up was smudged and messy, and her veil was hanging crookedly on her head. She was wearing a thin white tank top with the words “Bride” in rhinestones across the chest, with purple sweat pants that read “Mrs. Penkitt” across the butt. Several concerned bridesmaid were trailing behind her.

“Elllyyy….” she wailed.

Elly stuck the bouquet in front of her in a defensive measure. Brooke stopped dead in her tracks.

“Oh …it’s AMAZING! Oh my gosh, it’s so beautiful!”

All her bridesmaids circled around her making cooing sounds. “Is it real? What are those? It is
so
gorgeous.”

Brooke clutched it to her body. “Elly. It’s perfect.” She paused dramatically. “Too bad nothing else is!”

She grabbed Elly’s arm.

“The venue floor looks like it hasn’t been swept. They just told me that the minister is wearing a black suit instead of navy, and they ran out of jumbo shrimp so they are just serving regular size!” She let out a loud cry and leaned against Elly. Elly pushed her away with a gentle arm.

“Brooke. Where is your wedding coordinator?”

Brooke gestured to a young, alarmed looking woman. “This is my friend Tara. She’s my wedding coordinator.”

Elly glanced over Brooke’s shoulder. Tara appeared to be about fifteen years old and was wearing a very short bright red dress. She was obviously NOT a wedding coordinator.

“Okay. I need to get your flowers set up and ready. After I’m done, I will come back to your room and see what I can do. Does that sound alright?”

Brooke nodded frantically.

“Okay. Go fix your make-up and get into your dress. You are getting married today.”

Brooke hurried off, bridesmaids and Tara in tow.

Snarky Teenager came in behind Elly, carrying the ceremony décor. “Whoa. What a train wreck,” she breathed, giving a subtle eye-roll.

Elly turned on her. “She might be a crazy bride, but she’s my bride. Don’t be mean. Let’s go set up the ceremony.”

Setting up flowers always took longer than Elly imagined it would. In front of a line of white chairs with lavender bows, Elly and Snarky Teenager hung up dangling white dendrobium orchids strung on fishing wire. Each aisle chair got a small bundle of wildflowers: black velvet delphinium, grape hyacinth, vendella roses and white stock that made the air in the museum smell of fresh cinnamon. They lined the aisle with white football chrysanthemums, which gave an appearance of poofy white clouds. Shimmering with the spinning fish, the room looked like an underwater meadow. Snarky Teenager snapped a picture behind Elly.

“It looks nice!” she declared. “Okay, let’s go get the reception set up.” Elly wiped some sweat off her brow. Even here, in the air conditioning, she was…moist.