Five Minutes Late: A Romantic Comedy

by Rich Amooi

  “For distracting me. I was up for a promotion that I wanted and found out yesterday that the chances were very slim. I won’t bore you with the story, but what I’m trying to say is, I’m happy. Things happen for a reason and if I’m meant to stay librarian for a while longer, that’s okay. I do love my job.”

  “That’s a good attitude to have, but it’s not over until it’s over.”

  Cedric grinned and Ellie cocked her head to the side, analyzing him.

  “Friends,” said Peggy, now back up on stage, talking into the microphone. Ellie and Cedric turned toward the stage. “This evening wouldn’t have been possible without the help of someone very special. She put in countless hours helping me get everything in place. I just wanted to acknowledge Ellie Fontaine at this time and say thank you!”

  Cedric applauded with the guests as Peggy waved Ellie to the stage.

  “Excuse me,” said Ellie.

  “Of course,” said Cedric.

  “Don’t go too far, though. Now that we’ve broken the stranglehold on our relationship, I want to go for that world record.”

  Cedric smiled as he watched Ellie join Peggy on the stage. He liked the way that sounded, “our relationship.” She was something special.

  Ellie was greeted on stage with a bouquet of flowers, followed by a hug and kiss from Peggy, who returned to the podium. “Ellie has been my support system at the library. She started out as a motivated intern, was a part-time librarian for three years, and a full-time librarian for the last five years. Many of you know I’m retiring and I’ve had a wonderful time managing the library for the last three decades. But it’s time to pass the baton, so to speak. And it gives me great pleasure to present to you the new Branch Manager, Ellie Fontaine!”

  “No.” Ellie stood there like a deer in headlights as the guests cheered and applauded. A deer with its mouth open.

  “Yes, Ellie. Congratulations. You’ve earned it and we know you’ll do a fantastic job.”

  Ellie covered her mouth with her hands as tears streamed down her cheeks.

  Peggy hugged Ellie again as Cedric whistled and cheered, along with the other guests.

  He made his way toward Ellie and met her on the side of the stage as Peggy approached the podium again. “Please join us on the second level for coffee and dessert.”

  Ellie wiped her eyes and smiled before jumping into Cedric’s arms.

  Cedric kissed her and grinned. “Congratulations, Miss Branch Manager.”

  “Thank you.” Ellie let out a deep breath. “I don’t understand what just happened. I didn’t think I was going to get the job. This doesn’t make any sense.”

  Cedric wiped a tear from her cheek. “Life is unpredictable sometimes.”

  Ellie laughed and nodded. “Or maybe all the time.”

  Grandpa Frank approached and hugged Ellie. “That’s my girl. Congratulations.” He kissed her on her forehead next to her bump. “You know your mother would be proud of you.”

  Ellie smiled. “Thank you.” But her smile vanished quickly as she put her hand over her heart, startled from the decibel-crushing noise getting closer by the second. She was pretty sure an African elephant had entered the museum and was charging her. She turned and watched as Julio ran directly at her, his arms waving in the air, screaming.

  “Ellie, you did it! Congratulations!”

  Julio hugged everyone, saving Cedric for last. He whispered into his ear. “You rock.”

  Peggy came down the stairs from the stage and smiled at Grandpa Frank. “Ellie, I want to introduce you to the new division manager before she leaves. Can you excuse us for a moment?”

  Ellie turned to Cedric and caressed the side of his arm. “I’ll meet you upstairs for dessert.”

  “Sounds great,” said Cedric.

  Cedric made a pit stop in the bathroom before heading upstairs. As he came out of the bathroom, his thoughts were still on Ellie and what an amazing woman she was. Kind. Intelligent. Funny. Beautiful. She had everything he wanted in a woman, and now that they cleared things up, nothing was going to stand in their way.

  Except maybe the asshole approaching him.

  “Cedric Johnson,” Vlad said.

  “In the flesh,” said Cedric.

  Vlad stared at the injury on Cedric’s forehead. “Jesus Christ, you too? You and Ellie join some type of weird fucking masochistic cult or something?”

  “Can I help you with something?”

  “I saw you kissing Ellie.”

  “And what, you want to wrestle again?”

  Vlad ran his fingers through his hair and moved in closer to Cedric so that they were almost eye to eye—he had Cedric in height by maybe an inch. He let out a stinky, alcohol-infested breath. Tequila.

  “Don’t fuck with me,” said Vlad. “Stay away from her or you’ll be sorry.”

  Vlad cracked his knuckles, obviously thinking it would intimidate Cedric. He couldn’t be sure if Vlad was drunk, and he didn’t want to test it. But Cedric wasn’t going to be bullied either. He knew what he wanted now.

  Ellie.

  He was clear about that and nobody—especially Vlad—was going to stand in his way.

  “You’re threatening me,” said Cedric. “That’s sweet.”

  “You should take my warning seriously.”

  “Or else?”

  “Or else I’ll snap your legs off and shove ‘em down your throat.”

  Cedric laughed. “You know that’s not physically possible, right?”

  “Obviously you don’t know the power I possess.”

  “That’s not true. The power of your breath could probably sedate an elephant.” Cedric pulled a pack of mints from his pocket. “Mint?”

  “Those car problems and the tickets? They’re just the beginning.” He pointed his finger at Cedric. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

  Cedric blinked. Vlad just admitted to everything.

  He watched in disbelief as Vlad walked out of the museum.

  Cedric tried to shake off the negative vibe and headed upstairs to meet lovely Ellie.

  He approached her and smiled at her. “What we have before us is intense.”

  “I’m just as overwhelmed as you are,” said Ellie.

  “Okay, let’s take it slow and think about what we’re getting ourselves into. It may not be worth it.”

  “You may be right.”

  Cedric laughed. “Okay, I’ve changed my mind. I just want to jump in, head first.”

  Ellie and Cedric eyed the eight-foot dessert table full of every possible type of dessert: cookies, cakes, pies, cream puffs, cheesecake, baklava, chocolate-covered strawberries, tiramisu, and wide variety of fresh fruit.

  Ellie shrugged. “I’m not sure what to do.”

  Cedric laughed. “I have an idea. You pick three and I’ll pick three. Then we’ll share.”

  “That’s romantic. You’re scoring points with me.”

  “Good to know.”

  Ellie selected a serving of the tiramisu, a piece of blueberry pie, and a chocolate chip cookie.

  Cedric chose a piece of baklava, the cheesecake, and some pineapple slices.

  Grandpa Frank waved Ellie and Cedric over to join him and Peggy, who both looked mighty comfortable together.

  “How are you kids doing?” asked Grandpa Frank. “Enjoying the evening?”

  “Very much,” said Ellie.

  “Me too. How about you?”

  Grandpa Frank smiled. “How could I not be? I was able to witness my granddaughter being recognized for her hard work, then get promoted. And I met her boss, who seems to be a very intriguing woman.” Grandpa Frank winked at Peggy.

  Cedric leaned into Ellie and whispered, “There’s something going on there. Your grandpa may get some tonight.”

  Ellie pinched Cedric on his side and whispered back, “I’m visual.”

  Cedric laughed.

  “You two make a cute couple,” said Peggy. “Matching bumps and all.”

  Ellie smiled. “Thanks.�
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  Cedric agreed with Peggy. He thought they were a cute couple too. He was pretty sure he was going to fall hard for Ellie, and fast. And they still hadn’t had a date yet. He knew he had to change that and couldn’t wait to get her alone.

  He leaned into Ellie again and whispered, “I’m enjoying my time with you this evening immensely, but I just can’t help but wonder when I’ll see you again. Alone. We need to go on a real date, you and me.”

  Ellie leaned into Cedric’s ear. “I agree. The sooner the better.”

  “Well, then, two bonus points for you.”

  “For agreeing?”

  “For your enthusiasm. Do you do Sushi?”

  Ellie smiled. “I do.”

  Holy crap.

  Cedric was in trouble. Just the way she whispered those two words had him picturing the two of them on their wedding day.

  I do.

  “Sushi it is,” he said. “Let’s plan on six o’clock at Yuki Sushi. I may have to meet you there, though, if you don’t mind. I can call you in the morning to confirm.”

  “Sounds great. Don’t be late. I can tolerate a lot of things, but tardiness isn’t one of them.”

  “Why would I be late?”

  Cedric wasn’t sure why he asked that. He always seemed to be running late.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The next morning, Ellie tried to stay busy at work and keep her mind off Cedric, but it wasn’t easy. As she outlined a set of goals for her first year as Branch Manager, Julio coded and classified a collection of gardening books next to her.

  It had been a wonderful evening last night. The drama between her and Cedric was merely misunderstandings, and now they were able to proceed forward getting to know each other. They had talked for hours at the museum and Ellie felt closer to Cedric.

  And that kiss.

  God, it was magical, and delicious.

  Still, with the positives of the evening, something was bugging Ellie. He hadn’t called when he said he would.

  I can call you in the morning to confirm.

  He did say the morning. It was 11:55 a.m. and the morning was just about over. Why hadn’t he called?

  She just had to deal with this head on. She could do it. She glanced at the clock again.

  “How many times are you going to look at the clock?” asked Julio.

  Good question. Ellie was obsessed, having looked at the clock at least a dozen times over the course of the last few hours. Maybe Cedric just overslept, they didn’t leave the museum until very late. He overslept.

  Yeah, that’s it. Or not.

  “He said he’d call in the morning to confirm Sushi for tonight. It’s not morning any longer.”

  “Maybe he meant Hawaii time.”

  “Not funny.”

  “Don’t worry. He likes you too much not to call.”

  Ellie hoped so. She glanced at the clock again.

  “Stop that or I’ll yank it off the wall and do my impression of the River Dance all over it.”

  “You don’t even know how to do the River Dance.”

  “I’ll learn and then I’ll trample that clock. And you know what, Ellie May? Your obsession with the time has run its course.”

  “I’m not obsessed.”

  “Tell me that after Cedric arrives late to one of your dates. Tell me it doesn’t drive you crazy. Then I’ll believe you.”

  “No comment.”

  “And by the way, are you even sure your phone is on?”

  “Of course it’s—” Ellie’s eyes darted back and forth between Julio and her purse. She reached over and pulled her cell phone out and touched the screen.

  No power.

  Julio giggled. “And I considered you the smartest woman in the world? Ha! You’re going to get demoted to second smartest in the world.”

  “This isn’t funny.” She pressed the power button on her phone. A minute later the phone sounded. She had a message.

  “Hi Ellie, it’s Cedric. It’s eight in the morning. Hope I’m not calling too early, but I couldn’t help myself. Just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your company last night. And I’m also calling to confirm Sushi for tonight. I’m going to be out on a couple of appointments for work, so unfortunately I’ll have to meet you there. Six o’clock at Yuki Sushi. See you then.”

  Ellie erased the message and the second message started.

  “Hi Ellie, it’s me again … Cedric. I forgot to say, wear something casual because we may go somewhere after sushi, if it’s not too late. Also, you may want to bring some Chapstick with you because we’re going to break that world record.”

  Ellie giggled and disconnected.

  “I see things are okay,” said Julio.

  Ellie nodded and smiled. “More than okay.”

  *****

  Cedric’s phone rang as he headed out to meet Ellie. He stepped back inside the house, closed the front door behind him, and answered it. “This is Cedric.”

  “Cedric, this is Dominic Cunnings, County Supervisor.”

  Cedric’s heart started to beat a little faster. “Hi Dominic. I hope you have good news for me.” He ran his fingers through his hair and began to pace back and forth.

  “I think you’ll consider it good. Although it’s not definite, I talked with a few people and there’s a strong possibility we can make your grandfather’s old property a historical landmark.”

  Cedric let a huge breath and closed his eyes. “That’s great.”

  “Like I said, it’s not a hundred percent, so don’t go throwing a party yet or making any plans. There are lots of things that need to be done, but all signs are pointing in the right direction.”

  “That’s good enough for me.”

  “Good. I’ll be in touch soon.”

  Cedric disconnected and pumped his fists in the air. He walked outside, looked up into the sky, and smiled. “We did it, Mom.”

  As he drove to meet Ellie, Cedric couldn’t help but feel like he was going to explode with excitement. His promise to his mom was going to happen. And now, he was on his way to meet Ellie. Amazing Ellie. Things couldn’t be any better.

  He slapped the steering wheel and smiled. “Yes!” But the excitement faded after he saw what was ahead of him on the road, the one thing he didn’t want to see. Bumper to bumper traffic.

  “No!” Cedric banged his hand on the steering wheel.

  The traffic was at a standstill and the stoplight at the corner was flashing red. There was obviously a power outage or construction going on.

  Why tonight? Cedric glanced at the clock. He was supposed to meet Ellie in ten minutes and there was no way he was going to get there on time. He remembered very clearly what she had said to him.

  I can tolerate a lot of things, but tardiness is not one of them.

  She was very adamant, but hopefully she’d understand he couldn’t control the traffic.

  He pulled out his cell phone to call Ellie and the call went straight to her voicemail.

  “Hi Ellie, it’s Cedric. I’m running late, but I’ll be there as soon as I can. I’m sorry.”

  He disconnected. What an idiot. He was going to be late for his first date with the most beautiful woman in the world. Why didn’t he allow extra time, just in case?”

  He found an open spot on the street in front of Yuki Sushi. He looked at the clock again. Five minutes after six.

  He unfastened his seat belt and watched as Ellie exited the restaurant. She was wearing black jeans and a turquoise top with something written in French across the chest. She was leaving and walking down the sidewalk rather quickly.

  Not good.

  “Hey,” he said, trying to stop her. “Sorry for being late.”

  “I have to go.” She continued walking.

  “Seriously? I said I was sorry. And besides, you haven’t even had a chance to translate your shirt for me yet.”

  She stopped and turned around. It was obvious by her expression that she didn’t think that was funny.

 
Cedric shrugged. “Sorry. Please don’t go. I’ve been looking forward to this.”

  “I told you I had a problem with tardiness. Time is precious.”

  “I called you to tell you I was running late. Does that count for something?”

  “I don’t have my phone with me.”

  “Come on, five minutes isn’t going to kill you.”

  Cedric was pretty sure he saw her nostrils flare. This wasn’t good.

  “Five minutes killed my mom,” she said.

  “I don’t get it.”

  “Of course not, you’re just like the Austrians.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Napoleon Bonaparte said, ‘The reason I beat the Austrians is they did not know the value of five minutes.’ Just like you.”

  She got in her car and started the engine.

  Cedric watched as she just sat there, staring at the steering wheel. He tapped on the window, trying to figure out how he could make everything better. “Hey, Ellie. Please don’t go. This is just a big misunderstanding, whatever it is. But please tell me what’s going on. Your mom died?”

  She looked at him through the window for a few moments and then nodded.

  “I’m sorry.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Mine too.”

  She turned to look at him and stared into his eyes for a few seconds, before opening the door and getting out of the car.

  “Ellie, I like you. I promise you this is coming from the heart when I tell you …” Cedric looked into her eyes. “I just feel like giving you a hug right now. That’s all I want to do. Is that okay?”

  She didn’t answer, but moved closer to him. He extended his arms and she fell into his chest. The hug only lasted a minute, but it was like a year of therapy. It was what they both needed at that very moment.

  Cedric pulled away and smiled. “I’m trainable, you know. Just like Tofu.”

  “Maybe so, but Tofu is cuter.” Ellie cracked a smile.

  Cedric put his hand over his heart. “Oh! The dog is better looking than me. Okay, I’m willing to accept that.”

  “And he’s kissed me more than you have. You are seriously slacking off and—”

  Cedric cut her off and kissed her good.

  Thirty seconds later, he pulled away and smiled.

  Ellie still had her eyes closed and her mouth slightly open. “Not bad,” she muttered.