the twenty-first century ellinghams

chapter two: the speech

the ballroom looked absolutely beautiful. it had been decorated absolutely perfectly for ellingham's annual holiday event. it was a dinner and dancing event for their highest donors. there were about eighty couples at the event, dispersed throughout the room. two-thirds of the room was covered in tables and chairs. the tables decorated with red tablecloths and poinsettia center pieces. the other third was left for dancing and the orchestra. the orchestra plays from a slightly elevated stage that had been built just for the occasion. in the middle of the stage, a singer in a beautiful red dress sings the lyrics to 'sleigh ride'. there were waiters walking around with trays of champagne flutes and fancy hors d'oeuvres for the cocktail hour portion of the event.
"you'll do great," david says, as he unlinks their arms and places his hands on her shoulders instead, "knock 'em dead." he leans in and kisses her forehead before walking off to converse with the donors. stevie steps up to the stage and waits for the singer to finish.
when the song ends she announces, "and now a quick speech from ms. stephanie bell, ellingham's forensics and chemistry teacher." she gestures to stevie as she steps aside. everyone in the ballroom claps politely and turns their attention towards her.
"good evening," stevie says into the microphone. she looks out into the audience and sees lots of familiar faces but keeps scanning. finally, her eyes land on david who smiles and nods encouragingly at her. "my name is stephanie bell, and i'd like to tell you a story. the story of how this school, ellingham academy, made me the person that i am today. it all began one early autumn day, many years ago...

"i was beginning my first of two years at ellingham academy. i was accepted on the account of my interest in the 1930s ellingham case, and it was my desire to solve it. and, with the help of ellingham's wonderful teachers and resources, i was able to do so. this set me off on a road that led to profiling for the fbi, a job i had for almost a decade and am still very involved in. but, even with all of this in mind, this is not what has made ellingham special. believe it or not, it's wonderful library and exemplary math department was not what made ellingham home." this gets a polite laugh from the audience. "what made ellingham home was the people. over my two years, i made countless friends here, most of whom i am still in contact with to this day. i can even spot a few in the crowd. and among his many other careers, albert ellingham still somehow managed to play matchmaker." this gets another polite laugh from the group and causes even the most stone-faced donors to smile.
"ellingham academy is where i met, the love of my life, my husband and head of school, david eastman." she gestures her hand towards him in the crowd and smiles.
he smiles back and mouths, "love you." the audience, watching this interaction, begins to laugh and politely clap. some random donor in his fourties playfully punches david's shoulder.
"the feeling of community and love at ellingham academy is what truly makes it special. i see it in the eyes of my students every day. it is what has led my husband and i back to ellingham all these years. and, i believe, it is what makes this school a special and truly magical place. so, thank you, for your generous donations. with your help, we at ellingham academy can continue to nurture the minds of the nation's best and brightest. just like our founder, albert ellingham, dreamed of so many years ago. so please, enjoy yourselves tonight, and i, along with everyone else at ellingham academy, wish you all a very happy holidays."

     the audience begins to applaud, and she walks off of the stage, her legs slightly shaking from the nerves. she walks down the steps and is greeted by david holding two champagne flutes. he holds one out to her and she takes it.
     "that was absolutely amazing. everyone loved it, i told you you were better at this than me," he says as they begin walking back into the crowd. she takes a sip of the champagne, slowly scanning the room. david tries to follow her line of sight. "what is it? who are you looking for?" he asks.
     when she can't immediately spot her, stevie gives up looking. she sighs, "oh, no one. i just could have sworn i saw-" but she's interrupted by a tap on her shoulder. she turns.
     "hey, stranger," janelle says, smiling.