Free Elly In Bloom by Colleen Oakes

corner to the coffee shop where she had first met Kim and smelled warm bread. Where was that coming from? Two or three doors down from the coffee shop sat a small deli. She walked up to the building and peeked her head in the door. She could see a short man talking with customers and putting large chunks of roast beef onto a sandwich. Steam rose from the kitchen, and the place vibrated with excitement and taste.
    Her stomach growled. One thing that had not suffered through this whole ordeal was her appetite. It was a shame she had only grabbed enough money for coffee and lemon cake. She would have to tell Kim about this place, this – she glanced at the sign – Keith’s Deli. Next door to the warm bread heaven was a vacant building. It was tan stone, two levels, with white trim and what looked like new windows. Above the store was a cobweb covered sign that said “Dog-topia.” It blew in the wind next to a “For Lease/Storefront and Apartment” sign. Yikes , thought Elly, with a name like Dog-topia, no wonder it failed …
    She rubbed a small hole in the dusty window and peered inside. There was a long silver counter that ran through the back of the store, with a silver sink at the end. Probably for washing dogs, Elly thought. The rest of the place was trashed. Piles of plastic littered the floor, which was covered with clumps of dog hair. There was a fluorescent light hanging down from the ceiling, and Elly thought she spotted a mouse, unaware that he was being watched, scamper across the doorway. There was something about the back counter that kept drawing her eye. It would be perfect for crafting. Perfect for cake-making, or sewing – both of which Elly did not know a thing about – or flower designing.
    Elly lingered on the thought. She knew flowers. She had spent her whole life gathering flowers from her mother’s overflowing gardens and arranging them in pitchers, terra cotta pots, bowls…she had always loved it. Why couldn’t she open a florist? She had her inheritance from her mother. And at the moment she had no job, no direction and no home…and no sandwich! Elly sat down on the dirt covered stoop in front of her and stared at the shop for what seemed like hours. This was it, wasn’t it? This was the moment where everything turned. Like the moment she came up the stairs. A writhing golden back, sheets on the floor, red hair tangled in Aaron’s ink-stained hands….she shook her head. No. No more of that. This was her moment. She had felt so far from God lately, but yet when she looked at this building, every inch of her skin tingled with a spiritual awakening. She walked up and touched the side of the building, feeling the cool stone under her hand. Yes, yes, she could feel the connection immediately. This was her place. Right here on Wydown Street. This was where she was meant to be. This was the reason that she had pulled over here to get coffee. This was why she had met Kim. This shop, this place. It was hers.
    “….and that is when I just knew. It was right. So, I decided to open the shop, and it’s been pretty great ever since.”
    Isaac shook his head. “Wow. That is amazing. Just to follow your passion like that. I mean, you just knew. I totally get it. I feel that assurance, every time I pick up my guitar, or start putting notes to page. It is that confidence, that aura of being. Everything a jumble,” he traced his fingers in a circle around Elly’s heart, “gets put back into place.”
    Elly had no idea what he was talking about, because all she could think about was how close he was to her, how his fingers were inches from her chest. He was still talking.
    “The universe clicks the puzzle into clarification. The moment that makes everything easy.”
    Elly didn’t bother telling him that “the moment,” while being great, had also led to many headaches and was anything but easy. Real estate agents screaming at each other, disputes with the bank, property laws, drained saving