So with all of the Elle-citement these last few days, she has crept into my waking brain and I ended up writing about her in my daily writing exercise today. I thought I would share with y'all. Hope you enjoy.
A Baby for Ellie (Part the Un)
Ellie looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her glossy chestnut hair fell in soft waves framing her face. Her large doe eyes stared back at her from a face that was a bit paler and fuller than what she was used to. Not unrecognisable... but different. Ellie finished applying the last wisps of false eyelashes and camouflaged them in place with a flourish of mascara. Perfect. It was still her signature look - pale foundation with a slightly greige undertone that brought out the porcelain whiteness of her skin, winged eyeliner that emphasised both the roundness and the wide-set of her eyes. But the makeup colours on her eyes, cheeks and lips were more ethereal today, water-coloury pearlescent to match the self strung pearls she had around her neck. Exactly the perfect colours for a bride.
A BRIDE.
She could hardly contain her excitement. And because of that extra mug of flat white she had just had, and the added pressure of her mini-baguette, her bladder could barely contain her excitement as well. She quickly ran to the bathroom to relieve herself.
When she returned to the vanity after the bathroom break, she once again contemplated the vision that was reflecting back at her. The cathedral length Belgian lace veil, an homage to her heritage, was tucked into her hair with combs embellished with aquamarine stones. Her subtle “something blue.” Ellie picked up the new bottle of Tom Ford’s Rose d’Amalfi that she had bought especially for this special day and carefully misted herself in all of her pulse points, adding a couple of extra, naughty spritzes into her décolletage. Although she wasn’t one of those girls who immediately went gaga for all things rose scented, the bright and zesty notes of almond, bergamot and mandarin orange really called to her, and she also intuitively understood that she wanted to wear something that wouldn’t clash with her fragrant, rose heavy bouquet. And that name! It was the perfect nod to the Italian portion of her family - it was as if the $300 bottle was designed specifically with her wedding in mind.
She thought about her groom, who was at the moment getting ready at the bridal suite of the hotel that was near the wedding venue. What luck they had had securing their wedding hall with such a short lead time. Sure, it was the smaller option at the venue - there was really no way that they could get the terrace with its dramatic view of the city for the early autumn date, but really, the small ballroom had its own charm with its crystal pendant lights and dramatic columned entrances. And with the smaller guest list that they were able to rouse up in the last month, they really didn’t need the three-hundred person capacity of the terrace. But oh. that. view. Nevermind, Ellie reminded herself. She had gotten Evan to promise that they would have a much larger and more lavish celebration once things were all settled with la baguette.
Ellie knew that finally, finally, finally, and with just the right kind of pressure applied by his family, he was fully on board with this wedding. There was a moment when it was touch and go. She really had to use every last ounce of her poise and control to manage that delicate balance of being empathetic to his plight on the one hand - agreeing that this was sooner than they would have liked in an ideal world, and that this kind of dramatic life change was going to take a lot of work to get used to, but then sprinkling in just the right amount of guilt every so often - how they were always aligned on the problems with absentee parents, especially given Ellie’s own history, and how Evan had always most admired the people who could succeed even when faced with unexpected adversity. She just hadn’t counted on Evan’s mother and sister being the final linchpins to secure the blessed ring. Even as lukewarm as they had been through their two year courtship, the minute they found out about la petite baguette, well everything changed. Thank goodness for those good old puritanical American values.
But now, here she was, the absolute picture of the perfect bride. Ellie always knew in her heart that she could make anything she wanted a reality. It had been a long road, but she was about to be rewarded for her patience and perserverence. She gently rubbed the rotund bump of her belly. And it was all thanks to her beautiful mini baguette.