Roy awoke the next morning to a knock on his door. Quickly, he put on his shirt and over-alls and opened the door. It was Elli. "I wanted to thank you for last night. Letting me sleep in your bed and all."
"It was no problem. I am glad you are learning to use the door instead of looking through my window."
Elli giggled. "Have you met anybody else in town?"
"No, well at least not formally. Of course, I think everyone in town knows who I am."
"Well then, how would you like me to give you a tour of the town?"
Roy accepted and he followed Elli down the brick roads into town. Their first stop was to the chicken farm, were they met Popuri. Roy remembered her from the inn. As she led them into the house her pink hair bounced behind her. "This is my brother, Rick," said Popuri. A boy about the same age as Roy stepped forward and shook hands with him. He had thick glassed and messy hair and wore a green apron that was heavily stained. Also at the chicken farm was Rick's girlfriend, Karen. She was quite beautiful, and it remains a mystery why someone like her is interested in someone like Rick. But they seemed very much in love, and it was sweet to see them together.
Upon leaving the chicken coop, Roy and Elli met up with many of the other villagers. All were pleasant enough and most told Roy he was welcome to visit anytime. By noon, the two friends were exhausted from the walk around town, and it was greatly appreciated when Elli suggested they stop and get something to eat at the inn.
The inn was rather dark, but cheery nonetheless. There were hardly any people eating here today, especially compared to the crowd the day before. The two companions sat down at a cozy table in the back of the room and rested their weary feet. They sat quiet for a while, simply basked in each other's presence.
The silence was broken when Ann arrived at their table to take an order. They ordered and soon received their food. They began to recall the times they had together when they were little, and soon both were finding it difficult not to smile. When their laughter finally died away, Roy had a new thought in his head.
"There was one building we didn't visit. I remember it; I think it was the clinic."
Elli suddenly stood still. There was reason for excluding this building from the tour. When she had returned to her bedroom the night she passed out on Roy's doorstep, she realized that she was getting married to Doctor. She had completely forgotten about him, and in fact she had already fantasized her and Roy getting married and having kids. But Doctor had to ruin it for her.
But he was not going to ruin the wonderful time she was having today, so she decided to simply avoid him. What he doesn't know can't hurt him she figured. After a long pause Elli answered. "Yes, that is the clinic. We didn't go there because there is no one there except wounded people, and Doctor, but he is dry as toast anyways. Did you know his real name is Hillary?"
"Really? Ha! I have always wanted to meet a man named Hillary!" The two friends continued their laughter.
Roy and Elli continued their food in silence, until Elli remembered that tonight was the 24th of summer and that evening the fireworks festival would be held at Mineral Beach. In Elli's eyes, it was the second most romantic festival of the year, the first being the full moon festival.
She remembered last year, when she went with Doctor. He had to drag her to the beach, with her complaining all the way. Then her little brother, Stu, had to get lost, so she didn't even get to see them. While everyone else was sitting with there with their love, she was looking around hopelessly in the sand for Stu, with her favorite blue, ruffled dress getting dirtier by the second. But this year would be different. This year she wouldn't go with Doctor, or Stu for that matter. No instead she would be the one sitting side by side with the person that might just be her one true love.
Elli turned her head slowly and asked, "Will you go to the fireworks festival tonight with me?"
"Yes," he replied enthusiastically.
Could she really be asking him to go to the fireworks festival? That is the second most romantic festival of the year! He had never gone before, but Elli had told him about it when they were children and how it was almost as lovey-dovey as the full-moon festival. At the time, a lovey-dovey holiday was not exactly his cup of tea (festival in which everyone would do the Macarena and give all the little boys race cars and giant trampolines was more what he had in mind when it came to fun holidays), but now sitting on the beach with Elli next to him (maybe in a bikini), and the sky a rainbow of colors sounded just fine to him.
As the sky grew dark, mineral beach began to fill with people. There were many excited voices and shouts of laughter. The stars shone bright above the splashing waves. As Roy and Elli rolled out their towels, Elli thought how lucky she was that Doctor had some important business and could not make the festival. They sat down, took off their shoes and sighed contentedly. While they waited for the fireworks to start, Elli and Roy conversed and played games they learned when they were little. Finally, the mayor of the town walked up in front of the crowd and announced in a loud voice that the fireworks would soon begin.
The sky erupted with sound and color. The crowd became an orchestra of oohs and ahs. But while everyone else was looking up at the night sky, Roy was looking not in front of him, but to his right where Elli sat next to him. As the show was beginning to wind down Elli noticed his gaze.
How long had he been staring at her? What was he thinking? Maybe she had food on her face or a bug in her hair. No, his eyes did not suggest disgust. They were sweet and loving. "Roy…" Elli's voice trailed off.
Most people here tonight thought that the sky was the most beautiful thing they had seen had in a long time. But Roy new what it really was. Her eyes twinkled different colors from the fireworks above. Her hair, a most radiant brown, danced as she turned her head. When Elli noticed his gaze, he wanted to turn his head away, embarrassed for staring. But he could not. It was as if his eyes were glued to her gentle face.
They leaned forward, their eyes locked on each other's. She could hear him breathing quietly, in a way that was almost panting. Roy gently brushed her hair away and as they leaned closer-
"Elli! Elli! I have been looking all over for you!" Roy and Elli turned their heads abruptly to see Ann looking back cheerfully. "Hey, where's Doctor? I would think that you would spend the fireworks festival with your fiancée."
"Fiancée?" asked Roy incredulously. There was a long, awkward pause.
"I think I'll just go back to my spot on the beach now," said Ann quietly.
"But, but," Elli stammered.
"But what, Elli?" His disbelief turned to anger. "You could have told me! At least then I wouldn't have wasted money on the trip over here."
"It's been ten years! What do you expect! I couldn't wait forever."
"But why marry someone that you do not love?" As their voices grew, people started to stare.
"I was forgotten by the one I was waiting for. I felt alone and depressed. I thought if I married doctor things would change, because you weren't showing up anytime soon." Her voice was shaky and she didn't know exactly what she was saying. She just knew that she wanted to have her happy ending with the one she truly did love.
"I need to get back to the farm," said Roy sternly. He gathered his things and hurried up the stairs leaving Elli alone in the crowd, who were beginning to whisper, obviously about her.
