“Ya’ll sound great, just great. I love that ethnic sound.”
Oh no, thought Elly, someone is going to shoot her.
Lizette gestured for the lead singer, a stunning African American woman with ebony skin and bright eyes, to come forward. She walked to the front of the stage.
“May I help you?” she asked breezily.
“Yes, I’m the wedding coordinator and I need to discuss your dress.”
The woman glanced down at her attire, a short creamy flapper dress covered with tiny silver trinkets. It was fabulous.
“What’s wrong with my dress?”
Lizette looked at the girl like she was the biggest idiot she’s ever seen. “Are you aware, little missy, that only the bride is supposed to be wearing WHITE? Mah bride is upstairs throwing a fit because you didn’t have time to look at an etiquette book. You need to get one of your ‘boys’” - she raised her fingers to make quotes - “to go get you another dress that does not steal the limelight or take away from the beauty of Lucia.”
The woman’s mouth dropped open.
“Don’t sit there with your mouth hanging open like some sort of gulley fish. Go get a new dress, or you can kiss this fat check in my pocket for you and your band good-bah.” Lizette waved her hand dismissively and spun on her heel.
The singer stood perfectly still for a moment with her eyes closed before she took a deep breath and flipped open her phone. Don’t worry about it, thought Elly. This wedding has made us all compromise our better judgement.
Elly averted her eyes back to the floral arrangement she had been touching up and tried to look as busy as possible.
“Ellyyy Jordan, my my. These look…well, they look incredible. I do say, I had my doubts and I let Sunny know them, but this has all turned out to be quite exquisite. I’m not easily impressed. I went down and looked at the ceremony site with Ashlee here – which was just about as helpful as looking at it by mahself – and I was satisfied. It’s like its own little Eden paradise.”
She grabbed Elly’s arm roughly, her long red fingernails digging into her arm. “Listen,” she hissed. “Did you think about mah offer? Because I have kept my mouth shut about your little secret.”
Elly shook her arm free. “Lizette! I am not going to talk with you about this now. We are running behind and I have work to do – don’t you?”
Lizette raised an eyebrow. “I suppose you’re right. I’ll find you later.”
Elly turned her back to her and headed down one of the aisles.
“Oh darhlin.”
Elly turned, on the edge of fury.
“Did you notice that this rose here is looking a little wilty? It’s a bit like you.” Lizette pulled the rose out of the centerpiece and flicked it to the floor.
Elly heard a gasp of air behind her and a shrill bark of anger. Ardelle flew forward past her, lunging at Lizette, her short lavender nails clawing at the air.
“How dare you touch my work? Who are you to destroy a masterpiece?” she screamed.
Elly flung her arms around Ardelle, but wasn’t fast enough. Ardelle’s nail grazed the side of Lizette’s cheek, drawing a paper-thin line of blood.
“What the…” Lizette let out a string of curses, suitable for a sailor. “My gawd, what is happening? You did NOT just touch MAH face.” She looked both surprised and terrified.
Elly wrapped her arms around Ardelle, trapping her arms to her side. “Calm down!” she yelled.
Ardelle nodded, and Elly could feel the tension make her body go rigid.
Ardelle pointed her chin at Lizette. “Who are you to touch zees flowers? This creation took me three hours, and you have ze audacity to pluck a rose out of it?” She bared her teeth at Lizette. “Why did you touch it? It’s not yours, it’s mine! Do you know much time I put into this arrangement? How I put zat rose right in that place so that it would complete the design aesthetic? I have more talent in my little finger…” She held the rose in her hands, in front of Lizette’s wide eyes. “Does zis rose look wilty to you? Or does it look like a perfect bloom? In France, women pay much money to have zeir roses look of this consistency. But you don’t know that – no!”
Ardelle struggled under Elly’s arms. I don’t know how much longer I can hold her, thought Elly, she’s very strong for someone so petite.
“You don’t see the beauty, because you are too busy with your trailer trash hair and those heels, zey are made for strippers! Do you know, if you remove this from the water – it dies? You knew zat, correct? Perhaps you are not from here, but here, we leave our flowers in water.”
Lizette held a shaking finger in front of her face. “Are you talking to me ME, mah dear? I can’t tell because of your ridiculous Euro-trash accent.” Her voice was unsteady, and Elly could see that her confidence was broken.