Emily had just finished her morning rituals and was heading downstairs when she heard Russell's beak pecking at the front door. She let him in and accepted the note from him. It read, "Emily, please come see me first thing this morning. Chris." She grabbed a handful of white raisins and followed Russell out the door.
The path up to Chris's house was lovely that morning. Colorful flowers were in full bloom. Colorful songbirds were in full throat. And even though she was wearing a bright peach top over her white deck pants, she felt a little drab alongside them. Fortunately, she had bought a variety of colors in the comfortable sandals, and was able to find some that matched her top perfectly. She hummed softly to herself as she walked up the path.
She arrived to find Chris in a state of panic. "Emily," he said, in a tone that could be used to describe a near-death experience, "you absolutely must hold a rose ceremony tonight." He stared into her eyes with an intensity that made her uncomfortable. "We advertise this show with roses. Your promo picture has you holding a large bouquet of them. When we go week after week with no rose ceremony, the viewers get confused. We simply cannot have that." His eyes continued to bore into her.
She tried to calm him with reassurance and a casual voice. "Well, that's no problem, Sugar," she purred, smiling up at him. "We'll just do one tonight, no matter what."
Chris exhaled. His shoulders dropped to their normal position. He blinked his eyes.
"Thank you. Thank you," he said, as though she had rescued him from a house fire. He didn't mention that he feared a pink slip, nor did he mention he resented having no role to play. He simply smiled and wished her a happy day as he saw her to the door.
Russell arrived at the men's house just as breakfast was finishing. He saw the remains of crepes, various berry preserves, poached eggs, and the ever-present Bloody Marys and Orange Blossoms. Mary Ann sat next to Gilles and helped him fuss with the powdered sugar. Richard rose from the table and took the date card from Russell's beak.
TANNER ~ LET ME INVITE MY FAVORITE FOOT SOLDIER TO SHOP 'TIL WE DROP. ~ EMILY. "Shoes!" exclaimed Tanner. "She wants me to help her try on shoes!" He practically floated up the stairs to get ready.
The Ferry Godmother looked particularly cheerful that morning as she ushered them aboard. "What a beautiful day!" she sang out over the noise of the engines. "You'll enjoy this afternoon in town."
Tanner and Emily walked hand-in-hand along the main street, pausing frequently to look into shop windows. Each time they saw a shoe store Tanner hoped she would want to enter, but she seemed uninterested. Finally, he could stand it no longer. "Aren't we going shoe shopping today?" he asked, trying to keep the pleading out of his voice.
"Oh, no, silly," she said, smiling at him. "You solved my shoe problem already. I went to that store and bought a half-dozen more pairs. I'm set for shoes."
Tanner's heart sank. "What are we shopping for, then?"
"Dresses," she said. "I don't have enough color in my wardrobe. And I want you to advise me as I try things on."
"Oh," he said, trying not to sound as uninterested as he felt.
Soon they reached Earl & Singer, a smaller branch of the famous New York store. They rode the elevator up to the third floor and walked over to the dresses department. There was a large, overstuffed chair next to the three-way mirrors. "You just sit here, darlin'," Emily cooed, "and I'll come out with new dresses on and see what you think." After he was seated, Emily dropped her large handbag in his lap, smiled, and headed for the dressing rooms.
The saleswoman helping Emily saw a large commission in her future. She brought Emily a half-dozen dresses she thought Emily would like. The first one was fire engine red, and was made of Spandex. Emily wore it out to Tanner. He wasn't sure what he should say.
"Well, uh," he began. "Gosh, Emily, you'd look good in anything. A burlap bag. Y'know?"
Emily harrumphed. "This is not a burlap bag! This is a designer label costing almost a thousand dollars!"
"Yeah, but..." he stopped. "Emily, you're a beautiful woman. That dress does nothing for you."
Emily frowned and returned to the dressing room.
One by one, she went through all six dresses. He found fault with each of them. She was growing impatient. He was growing sleepy. He dozed in the chair. Emily went back to the dressing room, put on her own clothes, walked quietly to his chair, carefully took her handbag out of his lap, and left.
"Not such a beautiful day after all?" asked the Ferry Godmother as Emily boarded the boat.
"Actually," said Emily with a mysterious smile, "it was perfect."
That evening the men assembled for the rose ceremony. Chris came out of a side room. He smiled broadly until he realized Tanner wasn't among them. He couldn't believe it. No need for a rose ceremony? But Emily had promised! He decided to begin normally.
"Gentlemen," he began, "it's time for the rose ceremony. Our bachelorette is right here. Gentlemen, here's Emily." He extended his arm with a flourish as she walked into the room.
Chris stepped back in the shadows to get his champagne flute and his butter knife. He watched as Emily approached the silver tray of roses, then looked up at the men.
"Any of y'all not want a rose?" she asked.
"We all want a rose," came the reply.
"Catch!" Emily called, and tossed the roses toward the men.
She turned and looked at Chris, who was whimpering in the hallway. "Now, wasn't that more fun than that long, drawn-out stuff?" she cooed.
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