Drive and Determination

by Louise, Kara

  When Elyssa turned the tables on Will, she discovered that he loved to read in his leisure time; liked to walk and ride horses, but hadn’t been on a bike in quite some time; he loved all kinds of roller coasters and, like Elyssa, also had a fondness for bumper cars; he loved watching and playing baseball; he loved the beaches and mountains; he was close to his sister and his cousin; and he couldn’t carry a tune if he tried.

  Elyssa saw in him a man who wasn’t pretentious about who he was and was very kind and considerate. She had heard enough from those who knew him well that he was truly a good man. She knew that from the way he treated her little cousins and the children back at the pre-school in Guatemala, that he would be a great father someday. Having completely changed in her opinion of him, she now looked forward with great anticipation to the day he would propose.

  It was with that in mind that she readied herself for a Friday evening out with him about a month later. He had told her they would be going to a gala fund-raising event at the Navy Pier Grand Ballroom. It was a formal affair that would include a banquet, art show and silent auction, and symphony orchestra with guest musicians. She wondered whether this would be the evening when he asked for her hand.

  She and her aunt went out to buy a dress, as Elyssa hadn’t brought anything along with her that would be suitable for such a fashionable event. She found a dark burgundy floor-length dress with a halter top that accentuated her figure nicely. She bought a pair of heels to wear, but borrowed an evening purse, some jewelry, and an evening stole from her aunt, which completed the ensemble.

  When Will arrived that evening, he was wearing a tuxedo and Elyssa could barely catch her breath when she saw him step inside the door. He brought her a dozen deep red roses, which Elyssa noticed matched the color of her gown perfectly. She handed them to Maddy who promptly put them in a large vase. They talked with the Garners a bit before Will and Elyssa walked out the door.

  As they drove into Chicago, Elyssa couldn’t keep from wondering whether he would propose tonight. Nervously, she kept rubbing her left hand, specifically around her ring finger, and then would force herself to stop. They were going to be at a table with eight others, mostly from Pemberleo. She would know Emily, Mrs. Reed, and his cousin, Richard. It certainly wouldn’t be an intimate affair, but she still felt that this might be the night.

  She had to repeatedly tell herself to relax; and at one point, turned to look at Will. He certainly looked handsome. But then she thought of all the different ways she had seen him and a soft chuckle escaped as a thought crossed her mind.

  “What was that all about?” Will asked, as he glanced over.

  “Oh, nothing,” Elyssa answered, turning her head to look out her side of the window.

  “No, you definitely chuckled. I want to know why.”

  Elyssa turned back toward him, clasping her hands together and very decisively dropping them into her lap. “All right, if you insist.” Elyssa tilted her head.

  “I am having a bit of a struggle deciding something about you.”

  “Oh, dear. This sounds serious.”

  “Oh yes, it is!” Elyssa said gravely. “You see, I have seen you in a nicely tailored designer suit -- which I promptly made you change out of before going to the pre-school, in case you forgot…”

  “I haven’t forgotten.”

  “Then there were the jeans and T-shirt, but soon after they became a drenched pair of jeans and T-shirt when you rescued my sandal.”

  Will tilted his head as Elyssa gave this curious account of his wardrobe.

  “Then there was the day you showed up at the house returning from Guatemala looking in a way that could only be deemed scruffy.

  “Scruffy?”

  “Oh, yes. Definitely scruffy.” Elyssa let out a long sigh. “But you promptly shaved and cleaned up, and now you’re in a tuxedo, although I did see you in a tuxedo at Chad and Janet’s wedding, but that doesn’t count, because, well, you know how I felt about you back then.”

  Will shook his head. “No, of course that doesn’t count.” He quickly turned his eyes to Elyssa, who seemed to be a little more animated than normal. “Doesn’t count for what?”

  “I can’t decide how I like you best. You have so many different looks and quite frankly, I think I like them all.”

  She saw him squirm; followed by a little self-conscious grimace he made that told her he was far from being vain about his looks. She had come to the conclusion that he felt they were a detriment rather than a benefit to him.

  He was quiet for a minute as he absorbed her words. Without any warning, he said, “Scruffy, huh? You included scruffy in that list?”

  “I told you I liked it when you came by that day.”

  “No, I believe your exact words were ‘rugged, mountain man look.’ There is a big difference.”

  Elyssa crossed her arms in front of her and shook her head authoritatively. “I’m sorry, Will. You’ll just have to face it. I like you scruffy and expect to see you -- on occasion -- sporting a couple days’ growth now and then, combined with a T-shirt and jeans. You might even want to surprise everyone down at the office some day. Do you have a ‘jeans’ day? Every office needs one. Helps keep everyone relaxed.”

  Elyssa turned to Will and was met with his gaze. “That’s something I won’t promise to do, but I will consider it.” He smiled as he thought that she seemed more nervous than usual, that perhaps she was nervous about going to a rather large gala affair. Perhaps she had never attended anything like this. Or perhaps she suspected something else.

  They came into town and Will easily maneuvered the streets that took them to the edge of Lake Michigan. As Elyssa gazed out the window in awe at the sights around them, Will pulled into a parking garage. He followed the arrows for valet parking and soon he stopped the car and there were two uniformed gentlemen eager to help them both out.

  As they walked out to the pier toward the Grand Ballroom, Elyssa admired and commented on everything around her. The lights glistening in Lake Michigan were beautiful, but the one thing that caught her attention was the Ferris wheel.

  “Oh, look, Will! A Ferris wheel! Do you think we can ride it?”

  “Dressed like this?” he asked as he pointed down to their wardrobe.

  “I don’t think they have a dress code,” Elyssa answered without batting an eye. “Come on; let’s go take a closer look.”

  They walked up toward the Ferris wheel and read that it closed at ten.

  “We better get on now,” Elyssa said. “These fund-raising things could go till midnight.”

  Will shook his head. “We really should get inside. That line is too long and Richard is waiting for us. The banquet will be starting soon.”

  Elyssa wrapped her hand tightly around his arm. “Do you think we can sneak out just before ten?”

  “We’ll see.”

  Elyssa pulled back a little on his arm to stop him. “Now look here, Will. I went with you on those bumper cars in Guatemala. The least you can do is ride on this little Ferris wheel with me.”

  Will laughed. “It doesn’t look too little to me. It’s fifteen stories high! If you insist, though, we’ll try later. I’ll leave it up to you to keep track of the time. Don’t blame me if you suddenly realize it’s after ten.”

  That satisfied Elyssa and they walked toward the Grand Ballroom, passing a carousel and a few other rides that were being enjoyed by young and old alike on this unusually mild autumn evening. They did look out of place in their formal clothes among the young revelers enjoying the rides. The closer they got to the Ballroom, however, the more their attire blended in with others around them. Soon they had joined a throng of people dressed in their finest, heading toward a large building with a domed roof.

  As they walked in, Will leaned over. “Look for Richard. We have a table for ten and he’s probably here by now.”

  “You mean Richard as in Richard Fitzpatrick, owner of the house I’m designing?” Elyssa teased.

  “Well, yes
… and no.”

  Suddenly Will pointed, “Look, he’s over there.”

  As they walked through the ballroom, Elyssa gazed about her. It was beautiful. She didn’t think she had ever seen anything quite like it before.

  When they reached the table, Elyssa was greeted by the same smiling face she had met in Will’s office. “Hello, Elyssa! It’s good to see you again!” He paused and gave a teasing glance at his cousin. “This time not under false pretenses!”

  Will rolled his eyes and shook his head as Elyssa greeted his cousin.

  “Hello, Richard. How are you?” She then turned to the others at their table. “Hello, Emily. Hello Mrs. Reed.”

  “Hello, Elyssa,” both ladies responded at once.

  Emily introduced her husband to Elyssa. “Elyssa, this is my husband, Dwight. Dwight, this is Elyssa.”

  They exchanged greetings and Elyssa sat down next to Emily.

  Will and Richard took their seats and suddenly Richard whispered to Will, “Here she comes. In the pink dress. What do you think?”

  Will let out a muffled grunt and whispered back, “She looks just like all the others you’ve ever dated.”

  The two men stood up and Richard introduced Tiffany to everyone seated around the table. She was tall and blond and wore an excessive amount of makeup and seemed to giggle a lot. Elyssa hated to make quick judgments of people, but this young girl’s manner was simply too tempting. She was a dumb blond. No, probably a dumb bleached blond. Now Elyssa knew several intelligent blondes, but this young girl was not one of them. Hearing Will’s remark to his cousin about his taste in women, she suddenly had a much clearer picture of Richard, too.

  The evening was enjoyable. Their table of ten included three more people from Pemberleo and they enjoyed a delicious meal, an art show and auction, and beautiful music from the symphony orchestra and soloists. Will and Elyssa took some time to peruse the art show and bid on a couple of works of art that they both agreed would look wonderful in the house.

  Elyssa was enjoying herself so much that she practically forgot about the Ferris wheel.

  It was at about five minutes before ten that she noticed Will glance at his watch and she suddenly remembered. She tugged at Will’s sleeve. “Will, it’s almost ten.”

  “Yes, are you ready to leave?”

  “No! We have to get to the Ferris wheel.”

  “Oh, that. You really want to do that?”

  Elyssa nodded.

  “We could always come back another day and take a ride on it.”

  She gave a little more fervent tug on his sleeve. “No, winter is coming and by then it might be too cold! Tonight’s perfect, but we have to hurry!”

  “All right.” He looked around the table and thanked everyone for coming and excused himself and Elyssa.

  As they walked out, Elyssa said, “We can always come back after the ride, if you prefer.”

  Will shook his head. “They’re just winding things up in there. The music is over and now there will just be some speakers who will finish up the evening. We’ll do this and go home.”

  As they were approaching the Ferris wheel, Elyssa gasped as she saw that the lights went out.

  “Oh no!” she said as she grabbed Will’s arm and began to run as best she could in her gown and heels. “Come on! Maybe they’ll open it up for us.”

  “I doubt it,” Will replied nonchalantly.

  As they came up to the attendant, who was closing things down, Will didn’t have to say a thing. Elyssa began begging and pleading for just one time around. “Please?” she asked with her eyes wide and childlike.

  “Well, OK, but just once -- and it’s gotta be quick! I’m off duty!”

  They climbed into a small gondola that was large enough to seat up to six people, three on a side. Will stepped in after Elyssa and slid over next to her.

  As the ride began, Elyssa felt her stomach lurch as they went up and up. Soon they were going over the top and back down. Disappointment surged through Elyssa as she realized the ride was going to be over before it had hardly begun if they only got to go around once.

  Instead of coming to a stop at the bottom, however, it kept going, and this time around, not having started from a standstill, the motion prompted Elyssa to grab on tightly to Will and she let out a scream.

  “I thought you liked Ferris wheels.”

  “I do, but I don’t think I’ve ever been on one this big!” she shrieked as they came around again.

  “Do you want to get off?”

  “No!” she squealed with a laugh. “This is too much fun!”

  As it came up around to the top the second time, Elyssa readied herself for the plunge down. Instead they came to an abrupt stop, suspended at the top.

  The gondola rocked from the momentum. After her initial joy and shock, she looked around, in awe of the view.

  She turned and looked out across the water. “Look at the view, Will! It’s beautiful. The lights are just dancing across Lake Michigan!”

  “It is beautiful up here, Elyssa, but it’s not just the lights. You are the most beautiful thing I see.”

  Elyssa shuddered as she gazed at his intense eyes. Looking down, she said, “You are too kind.”

  Elyssa leaned across Will to look out over the city of Chicago on his side, placing her hand against his chest, feeling his heart pound. Very softly, she said, “Who would have thought that day you took me on the bumper cars in Guatemala -- and I pummeled you to death -- that four months later we’d be sitting at the top of a Ferris wheel together?”

  He covered her hand with his and Elyssa felt his fingers gently tighten around her hand; just enough to know she needed to remain silent and let him say what was on his mind.

  “Who would have thought on that day we rode those bumper cars, that…” Will took in a deep breath and paused. He brought her hands up toward his lips. “…that four months later…” Will reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. He slipped down off the seat and knelt on the floor of the gondola. Elyssa failed to notice the rocking and swaying his movement caused. “…we would be sitting at the top of a Ferris wheel and I would be asking you… to marry me and be my wife?”

  Elyssa could barely move as she watched Will slowly open the box. She looked down and beheld a beautiful diamond and sapphire ring.

  “Elyssa, will you marry me?”

  Will bent his head over and kissed her hand, then lifted his eyes to wait for Elyssa’s answer.

  A smile crept across her face. “Who would have believed that day we rode the bumper cars, that four months later I would be on the top of a Ferris wheel accepting your proposal to be your wife? Yes I will!”

  Will pulled the ring out of the box and his shaking hands took hold of Elyssa’s shaking hand, slipping the ring on her finger. Elyssa’s eyes were as wide as could be as she looked down at it. Suddenly the lights sparkling in the lake were dim compared to this.

  He brought himself back up on the seat and wrapped his arms around her neck, leaning his forehead in against hers and let out a deep sigh. “You have made me so happy, Elyssa.”

  Suddenly the ride began again, as if it somehow knew everything was settled between them.

  As they approached the ground and it slowed down, Elyssa thought their ride was over. But she noticed Will nod at the attendant and soon they were soaring up again. Elyssa gasped to catch her breath.

  Once again, they came to the top and stopped. Elyssa snuggled up closely next to Will. “You know, Will,” she said, “I took you on quite the roller coaster ride in our relationship, didn’t I?”

  “Roller coaster?” Will shook his head. “Not at all! I would call it more like a House of Mirrors. I wondered whether I would ever find my way out of the labyrinth I was in!” He looked at her and smiled, poking her nose with his finger. “It seems I kept seeing you right in front of me, but when I’d try to reach you, I’d run smack into a dead-end!”

  She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head again
st his shoulder. “Well I’m here now, right in front of you.”

  Will completely encased her with his arms. “And don’t think I’m ever going to let you go.”

  They started to move again, this time more slowly and Elyssa thought she could hear the sound of music playing.

  “What’s that?” she asked. “It sounds like it’s right below us!”

  Will shrugged his shoulders as they drew near the ground. Elyssa gripped Will tightly and looked up to him. “They’re playing I Will Wait for You!” She released him and slid over to the edge of the seat, trying to look down.

  As they reached the point at the back of the ride, where they could look down ahead of them, Elyssa gasped as she saw a small orchestra seated in a semi-circle of folding chairs below them. Everyone from their table at the banquet was now standing off to the side cheering and applauding, and then she saw that her aunt and uncle were down there as well, holding the dozen roses he had brought her earlier.

  Tears began to flow. “You had all this planned! Will, how did you do it?”

  “A lot of planning and prayer,” he said as he laughed. “I was quite sure you’d insist on riding the Ferris wheel. If you hadn’t, I would have been the one insisting.”

  They stepped off the ride to the snapping of pictures, hugs, and offers of “Congratulations” from everyone.

  She looked to her aunt and uncle. “You knew about this all along?”

  They both nodded as her aunt handed her the roses and her uncle remarked, “He couldn’t very well ask you to marry him without asking my permission first, could he?”

  Elyssa laughed and looked around her in awe.

  Richard leaned forward and announced to the two that they had won the bid on the two pieces of artwork they wanted.