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He catches my stare, and his features brighten, declaring a silent challenge. We had gotten to the point where we would hand over the rings to the bride and the groom. I step forward and the Almighty Antonio Deluca does the same. He is exactly how I pictured him with dark brows, rumpled dark hair, and a day’s worth of scruff. Let’s be honest, I checked out a couple of photos of him on the internet as soon as Grace dropped his name. It is quite obvious that I finally have his attention. I will not deny that it gave me some sort of feminine power and satisfaction to know that I had him for the rest of the weekend.
“Perfect!” Shawn announced, clapping his hands in delight and giggling like a schoolgirl. “Grace darling, can you take a step closer, please. This is a wedding not the prom. Let us connect, people. Ella, my love, you are simply magnificent, love the smiles, honey. Antonio, you have to move a little more to the left, it looks like you want to run out of the room this minute the way you are standing… Where is Betty? Bridesmaid number four is missing. Hell, I need an assistant.” As Shawn rants, we all obey.
Quickly we find ourselves pairing up the same way we would for the reception. The hall is to be decorated later tonight but it turns out that Shawn understands our positions well enough to guide us through the process. If I had such a man, planning all the events of my life, maybe I could have hit the jackpot by now. Antonio and I banter in whispers for most of the day. Two hours later I find myself running to the restroom to clear my head and wash off traces of anger, nervousness and anxiety that has surfaced after having to face such a man.
How can one man make me feel so many emotions? Round hazel eyes stare back at me from the mirror as this question runs in circles. I sigh and slap water to my face with no answer. “This better go in my favor,” I say as I rinse my hands so I can return to the gathering that calls for my full attention.
***
Buzz. My phone keeps going off in my purse. I could put it on silent, but it’s become a habit to accept every damn call that comes my way. That is what you get for working all your years after college as a sales agent, coupled with the fact that I work for an online store.
I rinse my hands in the sink and sandwich my phone between my shoulder and my cheek. I am impatient for the caller to speak. If it is my boss, I swear I will write a resignation letter this instant. She gave me a week off and promised not to bother me.
“Hello?” A voice comes from the other end of the line. I immediately recognize mother’s soft soprano voice.
“Hey, mum. How are you?” I reach for a paper towel and wipe my hands clean. She doesn’t respond for a while, and I have to check if she is still on.
“Mum?” I repeated.
“Yes, baby. Where are you, Ella?” She speaks louder. I assume she is just taking the 3 o'clock bus from Orlando back to Tampa. My mum works in a hotel in Orlando. She barely has time for calls during the day so it’s a surprise to hear her voice at such an hour.
“I…I am okay.” She doesn’t sound alright. She is probably just worried about me. “I got to Tuscany safely. Sorry, I forgot to call.”
“Well, I did not call either. It’s okay, baby.”
“You sure?”
“Ye…yeah.”
The lines are silent for what seems like ages. She is one of the reasons why I can't quit my job at Reggit. Working as a sales agent can be frustrating, especially when you are getting underpaid for the job you are doing. We have so many bills to be paid and after losing my dad to cancer some years back, things have never appeared to run smoothly in the family.
“Are you still there, Ell, baby?”
I lean by the wall and roll the tips of my hair in my hands. “Yes. Yes, I am. Come on mum. Out with it, what do you need?”
“I lost my job, baby. Mr. Renshaw had to replace the old staff with um…" She goes silent again. I imagine her searching for a handkerchief in her purse.
“What the fuck?!” I am irritated. “51 is not old to work as a cleaner in a hotel.”
“Language, Ella.” She sniffs and I groan, slapping my face.
“Did he pay up for June?” I ask.
“Not yet. He says it will be sent to my account.”
“Were you the only one that got fired?”
“No, Janet too. She quit before he could fire her.”
I feel my rage deepening, “What did he say to you, mum?” Her line breaks for a moment and I don’t catch her response. After taking a deep breath I ask again, “What did he say to you?”
My mother is a doormat most of the time. I am the complete opposite. She lets people walk all over her and use her as much as they please while she plays the nice guy until the very end. In summary, she is a people pleaser and I hate her for that. I try my best to look out for her because my useless twin brothers can’t even raise a dime from delivering pizza in the small attempt to help.
She and dad raised me to be independent but when Josh and Jeremy were born, things changed. There was a lot of pampering coming from my dad’s end. They could hardly get any work done. Now, mum is without a job again. This is gonna take a huge toll on me to keep the family going while trying to keep Josh and Jeremy in college. Will it ever end?
“Will you come home? Let’s talk about it. Jeremy is kinda... “
“I can’t and you know that. I have the wedding and then my job.” I cut in before she could blackmail me with emotions. I am more than happy to comfort her, and I can call her in the evenings, but not now when I have a happy gathering in the room next door. I had made a promise to Grace before I left New York. I promised her that I would be here for her no matter what happens.
