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"Well, now you are free to roam, if you so desire."
She smiled and snuggled into my arms and that was the way we passed the evening.
11
Ella
I was so glad to be free of our security detail that I went out the next day and just walked along the East River, enjoying the sights. It felt good to be finally free of the worry that Mr. Fedora would show up and shoot one or the other of us over some slight he perceived Josh, or his company had done years ago. I bought a coffee and worked through one of my breaks so I could take some time off at the end of the day and then I sat on a bench along the pathway bordering the East River and just enjoyed myself.
I imagined how the next couple of months would go as Josh and I worked to get the apartment in order for our move-in date, how we'd be pressed to get the wedding all arranged by Easter, and how I'd manage my workload so we could take some time off and go somewhere to be completely by ourselves for a week. It was nice to have those kinds of things to occupy my mind. My past life in New Hampshire seemed so far away at that moment that I could scarcely believe less than a year earlier, I was depressed and feeling like my life was over.
Now, everything was good. I couldn't look at anything in my life and wish it was different. I often felt like pinching myself and seeing if this was some sort of dream or hallucination, but it wasn't. It was really happening.
I'd met my own Mr. Big, and I was having my own story of happy ever after.
My cell dinged, signaling an incoming text.
It was Steph.
We hadn't been in contact for more than a week and I felt a bit bad that I'd neglected her. I vaguely remembered she'd decided to apply to Oxford for her Masters, after it looked like she would graduate with one of the highest GPAs in her graduating class. I had hoped she would come to live in Manhattan, but she wanted to do her MA instead.
STEPH: Hey, girlfriend. What's up? I miss you.
ELLA: I'm fantastic. How are you? How was your Christmas? How are classes going? You decided to take one more semester of classes for your honors, right?
STEPH: That’s right. I’ll graduate in the spring. Then, this girl is going to Europe for a backpacking trip with big sis.
ELLA: That sounds wonderful. You need a break, working so hard like you have. What about Oxford? You should be hearing back soon, right?
STEPH: My advisor thinks I'm a shoo-in because of my grades and great recommendations plus my extra-curricular activities. I'll be hearing back within a week.
ELLA: That would be so terrific for you. Fingers crossed.
STEPH: Thanks. The semester starts in October, so I'd be going for a year of courses and then the thesis work.
ELLA: Will you come to Manhattan at that point?
STEPH: We'll see. It's my fallback plan. If I don't get in, I'll go backpacking with Char and then mo
ve to Manhattan and bug you.
ELLA: You could never bug me.
Steph's younger sister Charlene was working in the restaurant business, waiting tables while she took courses and would be finished in the Spring as well.
STEPH: What's up with you and Mr. Handsome?
ELLA: We set the date.
STEPH: SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! When?
ELLA: Easter Saturday.
STEPH: Wow - that's so soon. What's the rush? Will you even be able to get everything ready by then? You'll have to book a church and a venue...
ELLA: Josh wanted to get married right away. I said we should wait three months at least. We're going to have the ceremony in LA at David's mansion so it's no problem booking a venue or anything. Of course, I want you to be my maid of honor.
STEPH: LA? That sounds great. Please don't make me wear a silly dress. That's all I ask. Something tasteful, okay?
