Summer 1st was here before anyone knew it, but naturally Elli was one to notice. The stockings and slips she wore stuck to her legs and it annoyed her tremendously when shuffling back and forth between the oven to the counter to the table. Bugs flew by often and circled the pies she would set out on the windowsill to cool. Jeff was much more of a hinder than a help himself, but Elli knew that he was only trying to benefit the bakery. Still, it would have felt a lot better to her if Jeff wouldn't follow her out to the stream of Moon Mountain pretending to fish.
For that reason she was tentative about going, but it did no good to her to stay inside the bakery all day. Tonight would be the Fireworks Display, and as always she would invite a friend to watch in the garden of the bakery. Elli was never one to get overexcited about festivals and such, but when there was an opportunity to have a break and stay up late for a little entertainment, she'd gladly take advantage of it.
She went into her room and sat on the bed with the blue-and-white checkered quilt spread neatly over it, and retrieved a set of blank cards that had been in her sidetable drawer for who-knows-how-long. There are some girls who believe in the firm, flirtatiousness in going to meet people in person to invite them to events, and there are some girls who believe in the mysteriousness through handwritten notes that was elegant and sophisticated, and that aura of mystery didn't show itself in face-to-face communication. Elli belonged to that second group of girls and carried her favorite journal-writing pen to the table by the window of the bakery. On a spare sheet of paper she had written a list of her closest friends that perhaps might like to watch the fireworks with her, and she had crossed out a number of names scrawled in her loopy, ladylike cursive; Popuri had a "special place" to watch it from, Maria had her duties in society as the Mayor's daughter in the village square, Karen went to the beach for seclusion, and Ann rarely ever left Green Ranch after dark. Jeff was out of the question, not only out of lack of personal interest in him, but also because he was very serious about his line of duty in the bakery, with his own set of morals about when to and when not to quit his desperate efforts.
No, this person had to be someone special this time, someone who respected her kind old grandmother Ellen and appreciated her invitation and the fact that she had gone out of her way of her busy lifestyle to invite oneself. The last on the list where Fisherman Greg and Jack, although obviously Jack would have been the better choice. Jack was still in his youth and only rarely too busy to swing by the bakery to say hi or to help himself to her homemade cakes he loved more than anyone else did.
It wasn't until the bells on the door to the bakery rang and indicated Jack's arrival that she realized that she made a pact with herself to set him up with Maria. Elli and the other girls privately knew Maria's annoyance with the obligations of the daughter to support the Mayor's actions, decisions, and appearances, and so she thought sending Jack to accompany Maria would cheer her up. Crumpling her elegant invitation in her hand and stuffing it into the pocket of her plain blue dress, she got out of the chair immediately and prepared to propose the idea to Jack.
"Hi!!" he said merrily in that light ringing that reverberated in her heart. "How are you today?" Jack looked so innocent when he said so, with the poetic clear eyes of a wandering knight in search of a fortune.
"Jack," Elli started calmly, "do you know tonight is the night of the Fireworks Display?"
"Is it really?" he asked indifferently, eyes adjusting to the fluorescent lighting of the bakery and the shine of the tarnished wood floor. He paused for a moment, taking in the scent of the air fresheners and even fresher pastries.
"Have you heard of it before?" she inquired with hope, her eyes twinkling.
"Yeah," Jack said with his attention still on the display case, "from Harris at the bar last night. He was very interested in Maria's invitation to watch it with her. I think I'm the one who encouraged him, how weird. So, how are you doing?"
Something crumbled inside Elli and then she thought of the invitation for him that she had destroyed. At the same time she was happy that she was clear of any obstacles inside, and scrutinized Jack intently.
"Say, Jack," Elli started without any real shyness," would you be interested in swinging by tonight? To watch the Fireworks Display, I mean? It's real nice watching from the garden, and I can bring snacks."
"Sounds great!" Jack accepted heartily. "I'm working up an appetite for tonight already. Say, how about if I bake you something? You know, to make up for that day… with the money and all…" He stopped short and his ears turned red again. Elli wanted to laugh but decided not to, at his sweetness.
"That's okay," she nudged Jack in the ribs with the gentleness only women have. "I'm the baker in this town; I'm more than happy to do it. You just bring your appetite…. So… so you wanted to have something? I'll get you a menu."
"Wait!" he said sharply when she turned on her heel. "No, no, that's not it, I… I was going to, um…. I brought you something." He removed the burlap rucksack off his back and retrieved a large, whopping blue fish that he had wrapped to sustain the smell. "I saw you fishing last Monday, and I couldn't help watching that you were enjoying it. So, I brought you a fish. I mean, unless you think it was a mean thing to do…." He began to blush again and didn't hand it to her just yet. "I mean, I tried to offer some to Karen when she'd strayed from home looking really hungry, and she got all offended."
"Wow, Jack, that's great!!!" she exclaimed happily, without feigning enthusiasm. "Yeah, I love fishing…. I hardly ever catch any big ones through, but I eat whatever I catch, and…. Thanks so much! Now I don't have to worry about what to make for dinner."
"Well, by all means I'm glad you like it!!" he tucked a hand behind his head casually. "I'll bring you some from time to time, if you want. I, uh…well, I just came to drop it off, and thanks for the invitation. Shall I drop by at about seven?"
"Perfect," Elli grinned and waved sweetly as she saw him out the door. She suppressed a hand to her thumping heart and wondered just why she felt this way all of a sudden. Jack was a funny fellow indeed-surely he didn't have any intentions with her other than friendship.
"That Jack is a fine young man," Ellen praised him and made her granddaughter's heart glow. "Such a strapping gentleman. What kind of napkins shall I set out for tonight?"
At that point, Elli loved her dear grandmother more than anyone else in the entire world. She loved her grandmother's way of not asking badgering, unwanted questions but offering to help when she approved of Elli's personal life. She felt it too early on for her grandmother to have suspicions about her and Jack, but then she felt happy that Ellen should be having such ideas, because it showed she liked Jack just as well.
Carrying the fish to the freezer in the back room, she found that she had a new strength to sit through Jeff's complaint about the few resources they had to work with: Elli had just made a new friend and he was quite a nice one.
For that reason she was tentative about going, but it did no good to her to stay inside the bakery all day. Tonight would be the Fireworks Display, and as always she would invite a friend to watch in the garden of the bakery. Elli was never one to get overexcited about festivals and such, but when there was an opportunity to have a break and stay up late for a little entertainment, she'd gladly take advantage of it.
She went into her room and sat on the bed with the blue-and-white checkered quilt spread neatly over it, and retrieved a set of blank cards that had been in her sidetable drawer for who-knows-how-long. There are some girls who believe in the firm, flirtatiousness in going to meet people in person to invite them to events, and there are some girls who believe in the mysteriousness through handwritten notes that was elegant and sophisticated, and that aura of mystery didn't show itself in face-to-face communication. Elli belonged to that second group of girls and carried her favorite journal-writing pen to the table by the window of the bakery. On a spare sheet of paper she had written a list of her closest friends that perhaps might like to watch the fireworks with her, and she had crossed out a number of names scrawled in her loopy, ladylike cursive; Popuri had a "special place" to watch it from, Maria had her duties in society as the Mayor's daughter in the village square, Karen went to the beach for seclusion, and Ann rarely ever left Green Ranch after dark. Jeff was out of the question, not only out of lack of personal interest in him, but also because he was very serious about his line of duty in the bakery, with his own set of morals about when to and when not to quit his desperate efforts.
No, this person had to be someone special this time, someone who respected her kind old grandmother Ellen and appreciated her invitation and the fact that she had gone out of her way of her busy lifestyle to invite oneself. The last on the list where Fisherman Greg and Jack, although obviously Jack would have been the better choice. Jack was still in his youth and only rarely too busy to swing by the bakery to say hi or to help himself to her homemade cakes he loved more than anyone else did.
It wasn't until the bells on the door to the bakery rang and indicated Jack's arrival that she realized that she made a pact with herself to set him up with Maria. Elli and the other girls privately knew Maria's annoyance with the obligations of the daughter to support the Mayor's actions, decisions, and appearances, and so she thought sending Jack to accompany Maria would cheer her up. Crumpling her elegant invitation in her hand and stuffing it into the pocket of her plain blue dress, she got out of the chair immediately and prepared to propose the idea to Jack.
"Hi!!" he said merrily in that light ringing that reverberated in her heart. "How are you today?" Jack looked so innocent when he said so, with the poetic clear eyes of a wandering knight in search of a fortune.
"Jack," Elli started calmly, "do you know tonight is the night of the Fireworks Display?"
"Is it really?" he asked indifferently, eyes adjusting to the fluorescent lighting of the bakery and the shine of the tarnished wood floor. He paused for a moment, taking in the scent of the air fresheners and even fresher pastries.
"Have you heard of it before?" she inquired with hope, her eyes twinkling.
"Yeah," Jack said with his attention still on the display case, "from Harris at the bar last night. He was very interested in Maria's invitation to watch it with her. I think I'm the one who encouraged him, how weird. So, how are you doing?"
Something crumbled inside Elli and then she thought of the invitation for him that she had destroyed. At the same time she was happy that she was clear of any obstacles inside, and scrutinized Jack intently.
"Say, Jack," Elli started without any real shyness," would you be interested in swinging by tonight? To watch the Fireworks Display, I mean? It's real nice watching from the garden, and I can bring snacks."
"Sounds great!" Jack accepted heartily. "I'm working up an appetite for tonight already. Say, how about if I bake you something? You know, to make up for that day… with the money and all…" He stopped short and his ears turned red again. Elli wanted to laugh but decided not to, at his sweetness.
"That's okay," she nudged Jack in the ribs with the gentleness only women have. "I'm the baker in this town; I'm more than happy to do it. You just bring your appetite…. So… so you wanted to have something? I'll get you a menu."
"Wait!" he said sharply when she turned on her heel. "No, no, that's not it, I… I was going to, um…. I brought you something." He removed the burlap rucksack off his back and retrieved a large, whopping blue fish that he had wrapped to sustain the smell. "I saw you fishing last Monday, and I couldn't help watching that you were enjoying it. So, I brought you a fish. I mean, unless you think it was a mean thing to do…." He began to blush again and didn't hand it to her just yet. "I mean, I tried to offer some to Karen when she'd strayed from home looking really hungry, and she got all offended."
"Wow, Jack, that's great!!!" she exclaimed happily, without feigning enthusiasm. "Yeah, I love fishing…. I hardly ever catch any big ones through, but I eat whatever I catch, and…. Thanks so much! Now I don't have to worry about what to make for dinner."
"Well, by all means I'm glad you like it!!" he tucked a hand behind his head casually. "I'll bring you some from time to time, if you want. I, uh…well, I just came to drop it off, and thanks for the invitation. Shall I drop by at about seven?"
"Perfect," Elli grinned and waved sweetly as she saw him out the door. She suppressed a hand to her thumping heart and wondered just why she felt this way all of a sudden. Jack was a funny fellow indeed-surely he didn't have any intentions with her other than friendship.
"That Jack is a fine young man," Ellen praised him and made her granddaughter's heart glow. "Such a strapping gentleman. What kind of napkins shall I set out for tonight?"
At that point, Elli loved her dear grandmother more than anyone else in the entire world. She loved her grandmother's way of not asking badgering, unwanted questions but offering to help when she approved of Elli's personal life. She felt it too early on for her grandmother to have suspicions about her and Jack, but then she felt happy that Ellen should be having such ideas, because it showed she liked Jack just as well.
Carrying the fish to the freezer in the back room, she found that she had a new strength to sit through Jeff's complaint about the few resources they had to work with: Elli had just made a new friend and he was quite a nice one.