Elly In Bloom

by Colleen Oakes

  He grinned back. “Hey, I have some friends over upstairs – Tifah and Gene and Michael – and we’re working on this amazing track. I was wondering if you wanted to come have a listen, have a glass of wine. A beautiful woman always makes the music better. Also, we have carry-out.”

  This did not sound appealing at all to Elly, but she was pretty sure that she could never say to no to Isaac’s brown eyes. “Sure – just give me a few minutes to close the shop up.”

  Isaac ran his hand through her hair. “You can be my muse. I just want you to sit and be lovely.”

  Elly rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay. Enough with the flattery.” Her heart danced inside her chest. “Let me put Cadbury away.”

  Isaac squeezed her hand. “I’ll see you up there.” Then he leaned forward. “Tifah is drunk again. Watch your shoes.”

  Elly smiled and pushed him in the direction of his apartment. She closed the door after him, locking it with her antique key. Cadbury and Elly lazily climbed the steps to her apartment, and stepped inside. She looked in the mirror. She normally would be upset that Isaac saw her this way, looking so disheveled, but when she looked at herself tonight, Elly saw her mother staring back at her. And she was fine with that. I’ll love you forever, Momma, she whispered and began her transformation into Isaac’s evening muse.

  CHAPTER

  ELEVEN

  “The tablecloths are being handmade by Wildflower linens. They will be an ecru with gold beading and paisley swirls in copper and pearl. On top of those, I was thinking of gold candelabras with the white orchids and gold metallic votives. Between the candles, I would like ivory gardenias leaning against the favors. Each napkin will then be tied with some birch branches accented with a cattalaya orchid.”

  Elly was typing furiously, trying to keep up with Sunny’s intricate details. This was her third conversation of the week with Sunny Kepke, prepping for her daughter’s big wedding.

  “Elly, you are so wonderful. Do you have any recommendations for the cake? We were thinking of shipping one in from New York – Weinstock cakes – but if you knew someone who could give us what we wanted, we would prefer to have it made in town.”

  Elly took a quick gulp of her green tea. “Yes, Sunny, I absolutely do. Original Icings in the Central West End makes absolutely amazing, over-the-top cakes. Make sure you ask for Rachael, and try the pineapple poppy cake filled with raspberry. It’s mind-blowing.” Mental note, thought Elly, go buy cake.

  “I’m not sure what mind-blowing means, sweetheart, but I will give them a call this afternoon. Okay, I think that’s everything for today! We updated the buffet table arrangements, and talked over the centerpieces, so…all that is left is the ceremony décor. Can we have a meeting next month to talk about those?”

  Elly nodded. “Absolutely.” Of course I’ll have a meeting with you, she thought. For $45,000 dollars I’ll do anything you ask me to.

  “Wonderful!” cooed Sunny. “My daughter will be joining us. I can’t wait to tell her all about you. She’s been in Paris the last few weeks.”

  “Well, the feeling is mutual,” said Elly, twirling her cup, “I can’t wait to meet little Miss Lucia.”

  “It’s a date then. I’ll email you with the details. Have a great day!”

  “You too,” said Elly, dropping the phone onto its hook. She groaned. More updates for this wedding. They seemed endless. “Oh well,” she sighed, and then repeated under her breath, “$45,000. $45,000.”

  Snarky Teenager strode up to the front carrying a bright bouquet of teddy bear sunflowers and coral godetia in a square glass vase.

  “More stuff for the Kepke wedding?”

  Elly rested her head against the cool surface of her desk. “Yes. It’s going to be a lot of work. A massive amount of work. I can’t talk about it. I’m already getting stress-related breakouts.”

  “Do you know I’ve never even HAD a zit? Clear skin just runs in my family.”

  Elly rolled her eyes under her eyelids.

  “Anyways, don’t worry about it. I’ll be here to help,” Snarky Teenager reassured her.

  Elly lifted her head with an amused smirk.

  “What? Since Kim left, I’ve been super helpful. I delivered 20 arrangements last week, I did the ordering for the Sorrentino wedding, and I just finished the foyer piece for the art museum.”

  Elly bowed her head. “You’re right. Thank you. I appreciate your dedication”

  “I think I need a raise.”

  Elly erupted in laughter. “Not today. But I’ll keep it in mind.”

  Snarky Teenager sulked to the back. Elly snickered. A raise? Not until I can’t see your belly button ring all day long.

  She glanced at the clock. It was lunch time, Elly’s favorite time of day. She skipped to the back. Anthony was filling dozens of buckets with hot pink gerbera daisies, and Snarky Teenager was unpacking glass bubble bowls.

  “Hey, I’m going over to Keith’s for lunch – anyone want anything?”

  Snarky Teenager tossed her shaggy blond bangs out of her eyes. “Are you hungry already? We had pumpkin bread for breakfast only, like, four hours ago.”

  Elly ignored her. “Anthony, you?”

  He grinned. “Nope. I have a homemade salad with arugula, apples, pine nuts and feta. It’s going to amazing.”

  “It sounds like it. Are you sure you don’t have extra?” Elly chided.

  His smile faded. “No, I’m sorry…I only brought enough for myself, Elly.”

  Elly realized that her joke had fallen flat. Awkward.

  “Okay!” she said brightly, and walked back to the front, slapping her laptop shut with relish.

  As she swung open the door to Keith’s, she let the sweet smell of split crust cheddar bread waft around her head. The tang of peppers mixed with sweet pepperoni overpowered her senses. She barely saw Keith coming, a clean white apron tied around his waist.

  “Elly! To what do I owe the pleasure? Let me guess – a large Italian Mama sandwich, with oil and extra cheese and cucumbers? Side of potato salad?”

  Elly groaned. “That is truly sad. I mean, a new low. You know, the Chinese food lady knows my order. I really need to stop eating, like forever.” She glanced down at her curvy figure.

  “Naw,” said Keith, busying himself behind the counter, “You know, some guys LIKE curves. You’re perfect the way you are. Not unlike this sandwich.” He gave it a liberal squirt of oil and began wrapping it up. “So, are you and that guy that lives above this place…dating?”

  Elly smiled at the thought of Isaac. The night she had gone over to be his muse had ended up with lots of kissing on his balcony. The stars overhead, his hands on her waist, his lips…his delicious berry lips…

  “ELLY!”

  “Huh?” Elly jerked back to attention. “Yeah?”

  Keith stood looking at her, a scoop of potato salad in his hand. “Do you want potato salad?”

  “Oh, um, yes – I’m so sorry.”

  Keith grimaced. “That good, huh?”

  Elly tucked her hair behind her ear. “It’s good. It’s new. I’m not sure what we are, but it’s wonderful. He’s incredibly gifted. And his hair…” Keith looked like he was about to vomit. Elly reminded herself that he was not Kim. She couldn’t help it. There was something so easy going about Keith that made her want to put on her pjs and dish with him for hours. “Uh yeah, he has nice hair. We’re taking it slow. So far, so good. I haven’t dated anyone…since, well, since my ex-husband cheated on me.”

  Keith nodded furiously as he chopped onions. “I understand that. It can be hard to move on.”

  Elly ran her fingers down the counter. “I’m not really sure about how to talk about that with him. It seems like an intense subject.”

  Keith packed her sandwich into the bag and tied it into a violent knot. “If he’s as great as you say he is, he will understand and care about you all the more.”

  Elly blushed. “Thanks, Keith. You only say that because I buy so many sandwiches from yo
u. If you didn’t say that, I would have to shower the St. Louis Deli with love.”

  Keith grabbed his heart and pretended to faint. “You wouldn’t! That would be cheating on me. His meats are processed! And he only has one flavor of bread and low-fat mayonnaise. What kind of tool uses low-fat mayonnaise?” He seemed to be honestly offended. “Plus, who else is going to give you extra cheese just because you’re so cute?”

  Elly flicked his shoulder. “Everyone gives me stuff because I’m so cute. You just don’t realize it.”

  Keith smiled and handed her the sandwich. “It’s on the house today. Oh, and tell your guitar playing BOY-friend that he’s late on the rent.” Elly groaned as she walked out the door, swinging her sandwich.

  Later that afternoon, Elly wiped down the glass table, eliminating the few crumbs of evidence that there ever was a sandwich. After that was done, she spent twenty minutes re-cutting and taping the ends of rolls of satin ribbon that hung on the wall, and wiped down the cooler. She flipped the sign to closed and turned out the lights. Gathering up lose stems here and there for her tiny bathroom vase, she headed upstairs.

  As soon as she opened the door, she knew something was wrong. The stench was overwhelming, a punch to the sense. Puddles of brown fluid trailed about the room. The corner of the couch was ripped open, and Elly noticed vomit in the corner. She stepped inside.

  “Cadbury?”

  Nothing.

  “Honey, I’m home…C’mere Cadbury.”

  From the bathroom she heard a small cry. Throwing down her bag, she raced to him, carefully avoiding the diarrhea trail down the hallway. Cadbury was lying sideways across the bathroom rug, his stomach heaving violently. His eyes were squeezed shut in pain and his body was shaking.

  “Cadbury! Oh NO!”

  Elly knelt beside him, lowering her face to his. He opened his eyes slowly and looked at Elly, with a palpable relief.

  “We’ll get you help. Oh, sweetie.” Elly stood up. Call the vet. Immediately. She told herself not to call 911, even though she was tempted to. She ran to her bag and found her cell phone.

  “Ladue Vet Clinic.”

  “Yes, hello. My dog Cadbury is having some sort of seizure.”

  “What kind of dog is it?”

  “An Old English Sheepdog”

  “And how old is he?”

  “Two and a half years.”

  “And he is having what symptoms?”

  Elly looked over at Cadbury. The desperate look in his eyes broke her heart.

  “Um, there is foaming at the mouth, diarrhea, eyes rolling back in his head, and his stomach is moving like crazy.”

  “Is he up to date on his shots?” The lady on the phone seemed to not understand the emergency situation here and was speaking slowly, as if she thought Elly was 10 years old.

  “Can I just answer these questions when I bring him in?”

  The woman sighed. “I suppose.”

  Witch! thought Elly.

  “Bring him in and we’ll get to him as soon as we can.”

  “Thank you,” said Elly, snapping the phone shut. She grabbed Cadbury’s leash and ran back to the bathroom. He was still in the same position, his eyes on her, looking like the saddest dog she had ever seen. Elly hooked his leash to his collar and pulled slightly.

  “Cadbury, you have to walk. C’mon,” she urged.

  He didn’t move.

  “Get up sweetheart. We’re going somewhere to make you feel better.”

  Cadbury put his front feet down and attempted to push off the rug. His giant paws shook, and he collapsed again. Elly started to hum frantically to herself to hold off true panic. Cadbury weighed 90 pounds, and she could never carry him down the stairs.

  “Isaac.” She looked at Cadbury. “I’ll be right back.”

  As she ran out of the apartment, she heard Cadbury cry. Her heart wrenched. She ran down the stairs, through her studio and out to the street. She passed Keith’s deli, and went up the stairs to the left of his store. At his door she could hear pulsating music coming from the apartment – piano and guitars wailing, along with the erratic banging of drums. She banged on the door.

  “ISAAC!!!” she yelled. She waited a beat and knocked again, harder. “ISAAC!!! IT’S ELLY!!” The music had not ceased, not even for a minute. They had not heard her. “Arggggh!” She banged again, with both hands. She could hear her fists blending in with the drums. Tears welled up in her eyes. She turned down the stairs, taking them two at a time. Sean. She could call Kim and have Sean come over. That would take forever. Oh no. As she turned the corner, she saw Keith locking his door.

  “KEITH!” she screamed. Keith jumped. Elly felt momentarily embarrassed that she had reacted so dramatically. “Keith, I need help, I mean, I’m okay, but my dog is sick, and I can’t carry him, I have to take him to the vet, I think he’s having a seizure, and I left him to go get Isaac, but he can’t hear me and I hope Cadbury doesn’t die and then I’ll have to eat myself to death…” She was rambling, tears streaming down her face.

  Keith grabbed her shoulder. “Elly. I need you to be calm. Where is Cadbury?”

  Elly felt instantly steadied. Thank God someone was in charge here. “Upstairs in my apartment,” she answered. They ran to her apartment together.

  Keith followed the poo trail into the bathroom.

  “Hey buddy” he said softly. He knelt down beside Cadbury, and placed his arms under the dog. Elly stood awkwardly beside him.

  “Should I help you? I can carry half of him.”

  “Nope. Just hold the doors.” Keith counted. “One, two, three…” and then he quickly lifted Cadbury into his arms. Elly grabbed her purse and held the door for Keith, who was walking quickly with Cadbury whining. The stairs were the tough part. Narrow and wooden, Keith took each stair very slowly, his arms shaking under Cadbury’s weight.

  “Your dog needs to go on a diet,” he huffed. When they got to the bottom, Elly ran to her car – her little Toyota Tercel – and brought it to the front. Keith gently lowered Cadbury into the backseat. Cadbury licked his arm.

  Keith turned to Elly. “Do you want me to go with you? How are you going to get him into the vet?”

  “No,” Elly said, “They have vet techs there that can carry him, I’m sure. Thank you so much Keith. I don’t know what we would have done without you.”

  “It’s nothing,” replied Keith. “Hey – are you sure you don’t want me to come? It’s not a big deal, really. No big plans or anything tonight.”

  Elly spoke quickly and started the car, gunning the engine loudly. “I think we’re okay. Thank you again. I’ll stop by tomorrow and let you know how he’s doing. I have to go, I’m sorry.” Keith smiled and stepped back from the car. He waved to Cadbury one last time and Elly took off, headed for the vet’s.

  Many hours later when Elly entered her apartment, twilight had fallen. Everything was still and dark. The vet had been exhausting. They had taken Cadbury right from her car, and she had not seen him for three more hours, as they put in an IV and ran every test imaginable. She had to sit in the waiting room, with no one really telling her what was going on, only asking her questions like “Did your dog ever drink from a well? Has your dog showed previous symptoms? Has he been eating normally?” Elly felt like a horrible dog owner. She had no idea if he had eaten normally this week. Would it have been so much work to glance at his dog bowl while she was kissing Isaac on the couch? This was her retribution for too much snogging, she was sure of it. Kim had arrived two hours in, and sat with Elly as they waited. Kim was starting to show a little, and the way she lovingly rested her hands on her belly made Elly want to weep. “Kim” she whispered. “What if I did this?”

  Kim looked at her stupidly. “What?”

  “What if I did this? I mean, I’ve been hanging out so much with Isaac the past couple of weeks, what if Cadbury has been sick and I didn’t even notice? I’m horrid. I’m a whore who killed her dog.”

  Kim patted her hand. “You’re crazy. Sto
p talking. This isn’t a punishment. This is life. He’s going to be okay.” She leaned her head against Elly’s. “And I’ll be there for you. No matter what happens.”

  “You are such a good friend.”

  “I know,” sighed Kim. “It’s a full time job.”

  The door to the back opened and Elly’s vet walked out of the back. She was a short, intense woman. Elly jumped to her feet, bracing herself for the worst.

  “Cadbury is going to be just fine,” the vet said quickly. Elly felt a sudden rush of relief.

  “Thank you for saying that first. You are a saint.”

  The vet didn’t smile. “Your dog has a very serious case of Giardia. It’s a microscopic parasite that is found in streams and lakes. It can also be contracted from eating feces. Has your dog had access to any unclean water?”

  Elly’s mind quickly flashed to last week. Isaac and her walking hand-in-hand at the park, and Cadbury bounding ahead, jumping into a duck filled pond and lapping at the water. “I have NO idea where he could have found water like that.”

  “Well, try and keep him away from those things from now on. I haven’t seen a case this bad in awhile. We rehydrated him with some saline and put him on a round of medication. We are going to keep him for the next two nights for observation. I’ll walk you through the meds right now…”

  Back in her apartment, after she spent hours cleaning up Cadbury’s mess, Elly laid on her smooth couch, head straight down. What a day. She murmured a prayer of thanks into the pillow that Cadbury was alive and promptly fell asleep, until her head was jerked up at a banging sound on the front door. She looked at the clock. 11:15pm.

  Cautiously, she peered through the peephole. Isaac looked up at her from behind tousled hair, gorgeous as always. She smoothed her hair out and sniffed her shirt. It made her dry heave.

  “Hold on!” she cried, and ran into the bedroom to throw on a wrinkled black blouse. She walked back and opened the door. Isaac pulled her into his arms. Elly buried herself into his t-shirt. The smell of him, of paper and metal and blueberries – it was overwhelming and delicious. She had a feeling her own smell was less than delicious, though perhaps overwhelming.