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.