Jake glanced at his watch again. He pulled at the uncomfortable bow tie at his throat, shrugged his shoulders to get some movement in the tight jacket. He paced the hallway, and refused Ella’s grandma’s apology and an offer of a drink of some kind.
‘I’m driving,’ he said. Unable to afford a limousine for the grand prom, Jake had borrowed his dad’s car, with his mother’s permission. ‘I’ve promised my parents I’m alcohol free this evening.’
Angie’s granny smiled her approval. ‘You’re a good lad, Jake,’ she said. ‘Ella’s very lucky to have found you.’
Jake checked the time. Ella might have been lucky to find him, but Jake increasingly wondered if he’d been lucky to have found Ella.
With another apologetic look, Ella’s grandma scuttled up the stairs. Jake heard the rat tat on the bedroom door, and the urgent whisper, ‘Ella. What are you doing in there? Jake’s been waiting for hours.’
Not quite hours, not yet. It just felt like it.
A muffled reply and, finally, the door opened. Jake peered up the stairs, anxious to see how his date looked. Ella was a beautiful girl with golden curls, big blue eyes and the kind of skin movie stars paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to achieve. She was taking her time for her grand entrance, no doubt relishing the drama as ever.
He spotted her shoes first. Sneakers. Sneakers? No problem. It was wet out, so she sensibly wore sneakers for the short journey and would slip into sexy high heels on arrival.
More of Ella appeared on the stairs. Long legs, free of stockings above the white ankle socks. A dress, knee length … he waited … the dress emerged in horizontal lines. Greying cream cotton, splashed with large, faded strawberries. The hem had come down at the back. A green cardigan, frayed at the wrists, two (strawberry style) buttons missing. She had tied a red ribbon in her hair. It was her only concession to the formality of the evening, and even that was a loose drooping bow, as if the ribbon was reluctant to leave the house.
Jake took a step back. He touched his palms to his expensively hired tuxedo, frowned.
Ella’s grandma appeared behind her granddaughter, smiling widely. ‘Isn’t she beautiful?’ she cooed. ‘Darling, you look so stunning!’ And to Jake again, ‘Don’t you think so, Jake?’
Ella’s clear – make-up free – skin, pinked with pleasure. ‘Thank you, Grandma, But you’re a granny and you’d always say that even if I was dressed in rags.’ She smiled her sparkly smile at Jake. ‘What do you think?’ She had arrived in the hall, where she did a little twirl. Stopping in front of him, very close, Ella’s eyes glinted with the fun mischief he had fallen for to start with. Now something else was there, skulking, hesitant, behind the glint. Something vulnerable, hopeful.
Jake’s shock melted into a nervous laugh. He lifted the small posy he’d been clutching and handed it to Ella with a bow. ‘You will always be my princess, Ella, beautiful and fun.’ He looked pointedly at his watch. ‘Now, can we go? We’re going to be late.’ He took her arm and steered her towards the door.
‘Bye, Grandma,’ Ella called over her shoulder.
‘Bye darling, be home by midnight, please, so I don’t worry.’
Opening the front door, Jake frowned again. The scratchy wool of Ella’s cardigan suddenly felt soft under his fingers. Like silk. He stole a look at his date, and gasped.
Ella grinned. ‘Fairy godmothers are all the same.’ She laughed. ‘They can be very helpful, but very testing when it comes to making sure their charges are in safe hands.’
She stepped down on to the path, the pointy toe of a glass slipper peeking from below layers of creamy silk patterned with strawberry sized rubies.
‘Chilly out.’ Ella tightened the emerald-green silk stole around her bare shoulders and led Jake to the golden carriage parked right where he’d left his dad’s Kuga.
Follow the daily writing prompt on Facebook.
Find Cheryl’s flash fiction and short stories, including audio versions of some, here!
Very Cinderella like. Great story