Sunlight swam through the bare trees, marking the end of fall, shadowing the ground with twisted lines. Elly hummed happily to herself as she walked Cadbury, who tore at the end of the leash like a dog out of hell.
“Cadbury, STOP!” she yanked back hard, but to no avail. Sunny’s confession had made the rest of her day sail along smoothly. Elly finished cleaning up the shop and caught up on emails which had seemed to triple after the wedding, all starting with the same wonderful phrase: Hello, I saw your amazing flowers at a wedding this weekend… Elly had whooped with delight. Business was going to be very good this year. She had called Lizette and told her where to shove it, but only after she gave her Ardelle’s phone number. Elly imagined they would either become best friends or end up dead in a river somewhere – either way, she was glad to be rid of both of them. Lizette had been disappointed that they wouldn’t be working together, but seemed as equally exhausted as Elly had been by the wedding and hadn’t put up much of a fight.
“Alrighty, missy, but this won’t be the last you hear of me,” Lizette warned.
Elly had laughed. “I certainly hope not, but if you ever try to blackmail me again, you will never work in the wedding business. My size makes me a formidable enemy.”
Lizette chuckled loudly and hung up the phone, but not before Elly heard her scream, “ASHLEEE!!”
Elly locked Sunny’s check securely in the small, fireproof safe she kept in her apartment - sixty thousand dollars didn’t exactly feel comfortable sitting in her pocket. There was also the concern that she would go to the airport, buy a ticket to some warm foreign country serving umbrella drinks and stay there until Isaac had moved on. The check safely stored until she could take it to the bank on Monday, Elly decided she would enjoy nothing more than a long overdue walk with Cadbury.
It was a perfect St. Louis day; cool without being cold, the sun warming her skin in between sporadic breezes. Elly smiled happily. She loved this city with its nooks and crannies, the large parks and urban downtown and each tiny neighborhood, offering its distinct flavor of ethnicity. As Cadbury enthusiastically peed on someone’s flower bed, Elly made the decision that she would live and die in this city - there was no other place for her. For the first time, her heart was at rest, content and full of bliss. She hummed through downtown Clayton, for the first time noticing the changing red and yellows of the leaves.
After they had walked for about an hour, Elly realized that she had taken a wrong turn. Instead of heading back east, she had been heading north, distracted by the beauty around her. She ground her teeth and tried to understand her surroundings.
She was on the edge of downtown Clayton, facing the parking garages to numerous skyscrapers and was two blocks from the main street. She walked past a tiny Brazilian café with salsa music pumping out of its windows and paused to catch her breath. Cadbury whined and flopped onto the warm pavement, evidently exhausted. Elly found a small bench in front of a tiny brick church and waited for him to recuperate. She heard a door slam behind her and dozens of elaborately dressed African Americans poured into the street. That’s right, it’s Sunday. Elly ducked her head, suddenly aware of her jeans and trench coat juxtaposed against their bright hats and dresses.
She yanked on Cadbury’s leash, “C’mon, let’s go, I look like a heathen!”
“Well, hello there,” she heard. She turned, plastering a smile on her face.
A portly dark-skinned man smiled down at her. He walked slowly down the steps, and Elly saw a white collar poking out of his suit jacket. The pastor. Nice job, Elly.
“What are you doing, sitting here outside my church?”
Elly grinned. She liked the man instantly.
“Just walking my dog. I’m not sure how, but I kind of just…ended up here, I guess. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was walking.”
He grinned back. “Maybe the Lord has led you here.”
“Maybe I have a bad sense of direction,” she countered.
He laughed. “You got a church home?” Ah, the rare tact of a pastor…
Elly shook her head. “No. I used to go to church every Sunday with my Mom, but then she died and…” She willed the tears out of her eyes. “Well, that was a long time ago. I haven’t really gone since. I should have.”
The man sat down next to her. “Mind if I smoke?”
Elly shook her head, amazed. “I didn’t know pastors could smoke,” she teased.
“They shouldn’t, but the Lord knows I have my vices. I figure if it’s between this and drinking too much and gambling, He’ll take smoking.” He took a few long laborious puffs, savoring each one, then promptly put the cigarette out. “I’m trying to quit. What’s your name?”
“Elly. Elly Jordan.”
He extended his hand. “I’m Reverend Mack Harris, nice to meet you. So tell me Elly, you think it’s time for you to come back to church?”