Godmother
Ella got out of the car. The sight of the cemetery brought stinging
tears to her eyes. She saw the grave she was looking for. It read, here lays Angela Crawford, friend, teacher, godmother. Godmother was right. "Ella?" called a voice from the end of the cemetery. It was Char. He ran to her.
"What do you want?" Ella asked.
"I want you."
"You had me. And you lost me," Ella replied forcing back her tears.
To better understand, let's go back twenty-four years, to the birth of Ella Smith. Ella was born to two loving parents. Her mother died of breast cancer. Her father remarried a filthy gold-digger and took in her two daughters, Anna and Dizzy.
Her father was killed one night by a drunk driver. Her step mom, Daisy, got everything. They forced Ella to do all of the housework. They had a neighbor. A scrawny, dark-haired boy named Charles, but everyone called him Char. He was the light to all of Ella's problems. Ella herself was thin. She had straight, long, dirty-blond hair and brown eyes. She was a beautiful child.
One day Char told her that he and his family were moving. They were
seven and they didn't see each other for eleven years, their senior year of high school. He had told her he would eventually move back. On moving day, she waited on her front porch. Not so much waiting as sweeping. She had grown since they last saw each other. She had the same hair color but she had gotten tall, she was more beautiful than ever. She may have been miserable but she was healthy and fit. She heard it. A large truck coming down the street. Ella practically threw her broom on the porch and ran to Char's. Her steps never liked Char. They said he was trash. Considering these are the girls who spend their inheritance money on lipo.
Ella waited. She started to get butterflies in her stomach. The van
pulled up. Char came out. All of the sudden she didn't see who he was now, but who he was then. She saw a seven year old boy calling her. "Ella?" said the boy. She shook her head and saw his present self.
"Char!" she screamed as she ran up and hugged him. He was tall, handsome, and very muscular. She could barely wrap her arms around him. Anna and Dizzy saw them and walked quickly out of the house, shoving each other.
"Hi I'm Dizzy," she said.
"But more importantly I'm Anna," interrupted Anna.
"I know who you are. I'm Char or as you liked to call me, Char the Chump," replied Char.
"Char the Chump?" they said in disbelief.
"Puberty has done wonders," said Anna. Dizzy agreed.
"Ladies if you'll excuse me, Ella and I have some catching up to do,"
said Char, "meaning she's gonna help me unpack."
"She can't," replied Dizzy, "she has to finish sweeping the house. But we can help you." They yanked his arms and pulled him away.
"Ella we'll go out tonight. The two of us," he said struggling to get away from his captors.
"You mean like a date?" Ella asked shyly.
"Yeah," he said calmly. Char was then finally yanked inside. Ella had never been so excited. She quickly finished sweeping by five. She spent the last hour before her date getting herself and her family's dinner ready, She had finished both when she found her steps were waiting for her downstairs.
"Mom, tell her she can't go," screamed Dizzy.
"Go where?" asked Daisy.
"On a date with Char," Anna replied whiningly.
Of course she can't go," said her step mom, "she has to paint the ceiling of my bedroom, mop the floors, clean the dishes when dinner's over, and feed the animals."
"This isn't fair. They're just jealous,"
"You'll see him tomorrow at school."
The next day
"Where were you?" Char asked her the next day at school.
"The steps. I think you can figure out the rest."
"Don't worry you'll make it up to me. Ella, did you know that I've had a crush on you ever since I was five."
"That's funny I thought you thought I had cooties," she replied.
The halls began to empty.
"I have to go," said Char. He leaned in and gave Ella the greatest
kiss she ever had. "Bye." She was late to AP English that day. She was late everyday that week. Her sisters quickly became jealous of their romance. Every once in a while Ella would receive flowers or her favorite candy, everlasting gobstoppers. The year just seemed to whiz by. All of the sudden, it seemed, came her senior prom.
"So, are we gonna go to prom together. The theme, I heard, is masquerade," I said to Char.
"Sure. Are you gonna be busy is the question."
"No way."
Later that day
"Yes way," replied her step mom, "You have all of your chores
and your step sisters' chores."
"Why can't they do their own chores?"
"Because we're going to the prom," replied Anna. Ella ran out to
her old bright blue mustang. She drove the ten minute drive to her godmother's house.
"Angela!" Ella yelled as she ran up Angela's porch.
"What is it dear?" replied Angela Crawford. She was a young 42
year old woman. She was widowed with three pet monkeys named Bipity, Bopity, and Boo. She bought them in a market in a land far, far away. Ella just cried in Angela's arms. The primates gathered around them. "I can help you with anything, but stop your crying. This isn't you, this is who your step mom wants you to be. Now what's the problem?"
"I want to go to the dance with Char but my step mom won't let me because she says I have to do my chores, and my sisters'."
"Leave the botox, beauty queen, stuck up, witch nosed, celebrity
wannabe to me. Okay?" said Angela. She then snapped her fingers in a z-formation. As funny as it was, Angela was ghetto. Her mocha skin blended with those of people in her community. Some people were even criminals. Most were like family to Angela and Ella.
"Hey Cyrus," Ella said to the tall man at Angela's door. It was
Angela's boyfriend.
"Cyrus what are you doing tonight?"
"Nothing. Why?" he replied.
"Tonight we're doing chores," said Angela.
"I still don't have a dress. Or a mask. It is a masquerade ball."
"Cyrus. Take us to the costume store."
At the costume shop
"Look for a Cinderella costume," said Angela forcefully.
"I found one!" shouted Cyrus.
"It's," Angela began.
"Beautiful," Ella finished. It was. It was a long white gown with
sequins covering almost the entire front. It even came with matching shoes and jewelry. Ella looked at the price tag. "Anyone have a hundred bucks?"
"I do," replied Cyrus firmly.
"Cyrus, that's your savings for your trip to New York."
"Ella. You're more important. All your life you've been a yes-man for your family and treated them like royalty while they treated you like dirt. Now it's your turn to be queen."
Ella started to shed a tear.
"Besides," said Angela, "I already found a matching mask." Ella
arrived at the ball looking like a princess. Even though she showed up in Cyrus's jeep. "Now Ella," Angela began, "we will be done your chores by 11 so we'll pick you up at 12. Don't be late."
"Thank you," replied Ella as if all the love in her heart rushed to
her voice.
In the party mob
"Hey Char!" screamed Dizzy and Anna in unison.
"Where's Ella?" he yelled back to them. His voice was getting
drowned out by the music.
"She's not coming," replied Dizzy seductively. She jabbed her tongue in his mouth and started making out with him. Ella walked in .She scanned the room for her Char until, she saw him, making out with her step sister. This Cinderella was angry. Char saw her storm out and he didn't chase after her. That was the story of the brake up of Prince Charming and Cinderella, or Ella and Char. Back to where we left them at the funeral.
"They said you weren't coming," said Char frantically.
"So that gives you the right!"
"Yes! I mean no! What do you want from me?"
"You gone," said Ella solemnly. Tears fell from her eyes to her feet like raindrops of truth falling from the heavens from which they were created.
"O.K., alright. I'm done. Just one last thing. Has anyone made you happier?" Char asked pryingly.
"Angela, and she's gone now." Char left the graveyard willingly that day.
"Angela always wanted you two to be together," said Cyrus, "Six years
Of marriage and sometimes she spent days only talking about you,"
"Cyrus-" Ella said whiningly.
"Now I know that boy done you wrong but isn't it all your stepsister's
fault. Correct me if I'm mistaken." Cyrus left Ella at Angela's tombstone.
"Help me!" she said quietly. Ella knew what she must do. She quickly ran to Cyrus and told him he was right. She ran to her car. Standing there was nobody but Char. She ran to him and they shared a passionate kiss.
"And they all lived happily ever after," said Char.
The End