Hidden Meaning

It was the day before Ellie's wedding. She was so happy to finally be making this commitment. She had been waiting for her wedding day for so long. She remembered playing dress up in her mother’s wedding gown and pretending she was walking down the aisle. She smiled at that. The last thing she needed to do before tomorrow was pick up her bouquet. She strolled down the street to the town’s little flower shop and walked in. The tinkle of bells notified her entrance and she thought about the bells that would be ringing tomorrow at the chapel.

“Big day tomorrow, eh?” asked Mary, the owner.

“Very big day.” Ellie said with a wide grin.

“Your flowers are absolutely gorgeous, my dear. They smell divine.” The lady handed her a box containing her arrangement. She lifted the box slightly and the most pleasant aroma flooded into her nose. She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent. “And this is just something extra I wanted to throw in to say Congratulations on your big day.” She placed a pure white and flawless rose on top of the box.

“Thank you, Mary.”

“You’re certainly welcome dear.” There was a shuffling of impatient feet and Ellie turned around to see another customer waiting for her to move.

“Sorry.” She muttered and then headed out of the shop. As she walked down the street towards her apartment complex, she continued to day dream not even noticing the man talking on his cell phone who was about to run into her. They hit each other full force. His cell phone went flying and shattered on the pavement and the box which contained her bouquet flew out of her hands and toppled upside down in the middle of the street. The bouquet was no longer protected; it lay on the road with its pride ruined. Ellie was in shock as a nearing semi truck crushed all of the delicate flowers as it sped down the street in a hurry. The man that she had collided with swore as he tried to put the broken pieces of his phone back together.

Ellie couldn’t hold back the tears that were breaking through. She fell back onto a bench and threw her head into her hands. A cold metal rested against her forehead. She knew it was her engagement ring, but she couldn’t think of what the other band was. She forced herself to look and through her blurry vision realization struck when she saw it was her promise ring. She looked down and between her feet was the flawless rose still perfect, just in the wrong place. She picked it up and fingered the soft petals gently. A memory from long ago flooded back to her: She was twelve years old and her father was taking her to what was called a purity ball. She didn’t totally understand the concept, but she had gotten to wear a pretty gown so she was excited about it. Her father had committed he would be faithful himself and hope she would too that she would remain pure until after marriage. He gifted her with a silver band that had a little white stone in it and also with a beautiful white rose.

A tear slid from her cheek and plopped into the middle of the rose that she was now holding. How much alike the two roses had been and in such similar circumstances? She hadn’t talked to her father since the night she told him she was engaged. He had been furious. He had told her a hundred times that the boy she had fallen in love with was not good for her. He was not the one she was supposed to be with and that love had blinded her. Ellie had refused to listen to him; instead she decided to follow her heart.

As she sat there on the bench, with two rings on the same finger and a perfect white rose in her hand, she really thought about the man she was about to marry and who he was. He liked to drink and party, he was suggestive and it was obvious he looked at other women with wrong intentions; he had no beliefs, no money, and no job. He would scam money off of her frequently, yet she still found herself in love. They had no plan. She thought about what her fiancé had done for her and what her father had done for her.

She knew that this next decision would change her entire life. The bouquet was ruined as if it were divine intervention. She lifted the rose up to her nose to smell it one last time, as if to give her strength. Then Ellie put one foot in front of another towards her fiancé’s house so she could deliver him the rose and a note that would deliver her from a destined bondage. She knew she couldn’t make excuses for him anymore; she had to let him go.

It would seem that what some say is the happiest day of a woman’s life had to be postponed for Ellie, but she was sure that when that day finally arrived unwavering she would be walking down the aisle towards the right man. Even though it was difficult, she smiled to remind herself that the wait would be worth it.

 

Reviews

[MNeilsen]

This is really well written. Easy for me to envision, as if watching a movie. I was so pulled in that I want more. Would love a story about her finally finding the right one.