"You know what I say – it's never too late."
"Yes, it is. Look at them. They are all sitting out there, waiting for me, but I don't want to go outside. I want to stay here. Forever."
"Sounds like a reasonable plan to me. Hiding inside this gazebo for all eternity, why not?"
"I might be able to pull it off..." Eli mumbled, not really sure who she's trying to convince.
"So why did you agree to marry Rick in the first place?" Catherina took a small breath-freshener bottle out of her purse. "Open your mouth dear."
"You're so bossy, gosh!" Eli opened her mouth obediently, letting Catherina spray it. She couldn't taste or smell it, of course, but she played along, not wanting to hurt Catherina's feelings.
"Because he put me in the corner. He gave me an ultimatum. Either you marry me or we each go our separate ways. These were his exact words. Then he apologized and explained that he's only pressuring me because of his parents. Some romantic proposal, ah? He proposed two weeks after you left."
"Oh, Eli. I didn't know! I'm so sorry. What a bastard!"
"I didn't want to lose him. He had been working really hard to convince me that he's the love of my life." Eli felt surprisingly relieved. It was the first time in a long time she had the courage to say what was really on her mind. Too bad she couldn't find the courage of doing so in front of people who were actually there there and alive...
"Oh nonsense," Catherina said in her nonchalant voice, as if they were talking about the weather rather than about such a big deal like a freaking wedding. "You don't want to end up with seven husbands like me by being with the wrong guy, do you?" she laughed. She had the laughter of a heavy smoker. "Trust me, Rick isn't the love of your life. The love of your life would never have put you in this position. I say get rid of him!"
"Seven husbands? Wow, you never told me that. That's crazy!"
"Yes, it was. But back then it was different. The 40s and the 50s had their own rules and when you're an international acclaimed singer you are expected to live a scandalous life. You don't think about what's wrong or what's right."
"So you think I should call it all off?" Eli managed to smile for the first time that day. A real smile and not one of those fake 'smile to the camera' smiles, that is.
"Yes, I do, my dear. You are still young. The world is out there, waiting for you. What about your travel dreams, eh? Forget about that spineless boy of yours. He doesn't deserve you."
"But what if I regret it later? This whole thing is too complicated."
"Life is simple, my darling. Only people are complicated," Catherina grinned. "One of the advantages of being dead for forty years is that it puts everything in perspective," she added, winking at Eli. "Besides, you usually regret the things you hadn't done, rather than those you had."
"So now what?" Eli asked, her soft brown eyes looking for answers where only questions lay.
"Now? Now it's time to embrace the diva within," Catherina guided Eli to the mirror. They stood next to each other, only Eli's reflection looking back at them.
"I'm no diva," Eli giggled awkwardly. She was one of those beautiful women who were oblivious to the extent of their beauty; she could never just take people's word for it; she had to see it with her own eyes, trying eagerly to recognize the beautiful woman they tell her she is. Instead, she would usually see a shy, insecure and clumsy skinny girl. With trembling hands, Eli started taking the pins out of her hair, one by one, letting the brown curls fall down on her shoulders.
"Oh, yes you are, my dear, yes you are," Catherina brought her cigarette holder closer to he lips, inhaling its delicate smoke and then blowing it out of her nostrils. "Trust me, after five years of haunting your apartment, I think I know what you're capable of."
"It's the first time I've heard you admitting that it's my apartment! Who would have thought?"
"Did I? God, I've gotten soft."
"And you call yourself a diva?! Divas are supposed to be cold-hearted bitches!" Eli took a napkin out of her purse and left a short message for Rick, using her lipstick. Not very original, but then again, Rick was so mainstream, that she just had to "punish" him with one of those Hollywood-made clichés.
"Don't tell anybody about this, understood? I still have a reputation to maintain..." Catherina leaned forward, kissing Eli on the cheek. "I'll be in Paris if you feel like visiting me there. There are wonderful theaters I can haunt there," she laughed and vanished into the mirror.
Eli took off her high-heel shoes and sneaked out quietly through the back side of the gazebo, running barefoot in the direction of the main road. The awful wedding music was swallowed by the noise of the cars; of the life, waiting for her, out there.
Photo: https://pixabay.com/de/marilyn-monroe-schauspielerin-mode-396863/
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