Anything is possible today! Ella thought as she walked on a summer day to meet Esther for their classic girl’s spa day.  

 

It was Wednesday, the 21st of August, 2019. 

 

“​​How’s my little Zoe?” Ella curiously asked about the three-month-old white Toy Poodle, while adjusting her high-waist, pink floral bikini. With silky blonde hair, pink cheeks, a slightly freckled nose and deep blue eyes sparkling in the shimmering sunlight, Ella would naturally fit on the summer cover of Bazaar or Vogue.

 

“Oh, she’s such a sweetheart!” Esther exclaimed. Esther was a smart brunette beauty and has been Ella’s best friend for over twenty years.

 

“I can't go to the park with Zoe and be left alone by guys,” Esther smiled, as they entered the steamy floating jacuzzi bath on top of the large sun deck of Bota-Bota spa-sur-l’eau, overlooking the old city and Montréal harbour.

 

“Any interesting catch at the park?” Ella commented with a wink and a cheeky smile. Ella always played the matchmaker and like Esther, wanted to live the perfect romance, feeling forever young and free. 

 

“Unfortunately, no appointments scheduled at Tiffany’s yet,” Esther laughed amusingly, as she waved her left hand. Esther was better at selling properties than picking the right boyfriend.

 

“We need to have faith! Remember when I wrote the most important attributes of My Perfect Man in my notebook, you need to write down your qualities too,” Ella replied with her usual dose of optimism. 

 

According to Ella’s never-ending list in her diary, her perfect man would have: depth of character, would be strong, protective, loving, confident, kind, faithful, passionate, a romantic lover, a partner in good (not in crime!), supportive, exciting, full of surprises, not jealous, adventurous in love, intelligent, funny and playful, generous, a music lover, a believer in life and love, who can admit to his mistakes and apologize and much more.

​

“Yeah, that was quite a dreamy man on paper Ella, but you’re right, I should do that this weekend. Plus my bucket list!” Esther replied in agreement, daydreaming about her ideal man.

 

“Speaking of a bucket list, one of my wildest dreams is to make love on a yacht in the middle of the sea,” Ella replied as excited as a little girl at Christmas. In her deepest imagination, she wanted to make passionate love on a yacht in the middle of the Mediterranean sea, with the warm sun shining on her naked body and the taste of her lover’s sweet and salty skin, while smelling the scent of coconuts in his breezy hair. As he would sensually caress her neck and back with his gentle lips, they would let go completely, and with their every breath getting deeper, they would get closer and closer until they would reach the highest state of ecstasy. 

 

“Oh my, my, Ella. As if it wasn't steamy enough in here,” Esther replied, looking unsettled, her face flushed with her black mascara running down her cheeks in the hot bath. 

 

“Good thing it’s time for our massage. That will calm you down, unless you have requested a male therapist this time,” Ella replied laughing with her usual bubbly smile.

 

“Oh, you know me too well,” Esther smiled back.

 

After the relaxing massage and pampering session, Ella kissed Esther goodbye before she headed back home in the rain.

 

***

 

“I thought I left the rain in London,” mumbled Bloom, a charming and handsome Englishman, as he held his umbrella upright in one hand and his classic tartan duffle bag in the other, walking with an air of confidence as he crossed the busy Rue Peel. To the outside world, he had it all; perfect business, life and good looks—yet, he felt incomplete inside.

 

Bloom was visiting Montréal from London and staying in the city for a week to attend meetings for his fintech startup. He found Montréal to be warm and enchanting with its European-inspired architecture and blooming parks. 

 

“One cappuccino with oat milk for Bloom,” the Starbucks barista called out.

 

“Oh brilliant. Thank you. Have a beautiful day!” Bloom exclaimed as he picked up his warm cup of coffee.

 

“I like your spirit. Keep smiling,” the barista replied with a smile and waved goodbye.

 

“Many thanks, will do. Great cappuccino by the way,” Bloom replied as he sipped the coffee and walked away. He always knew he had a larger-than-life spirit and did things differently. Having arrived in Montréal from a full schedule of travels and hectic working months in London, he saw this business trip as a spiritual getaway vacation.

 

“Let’s nail this, guys!” Bloom cheered on the rest of his colleagues as they prepared for presentations to investors and entrepreneurs. Casually dressed in black skinny jeans with white Ted Baker sneakers, he went on stage and successfully delivered his presentation.

​

“What is the plan, guys?” Luis asked Bloom and Alejandro, after enjoying the thinly sliced sashimi and delicious sake at Birru following the event.

 

“We can try mojitos or tequilas at Escondite, a Mexican restaurant nearby, in case you are missing home,” Bloom cheekily suggested to his two Mexican friends.

 

“Do they serve tortillas too?” Alejandro joked back.

 

***

 

Meanwhile, after her spa day, Ella was attending an event and dinner at McGill University as she planned to enroll in their Media & Entertainment executive program. She was interested in learning more about movie and live show production.

 

‘Is that really what I want to do next in life? I’m not sure I feel like going to the event tonight,’ Ella pondered while dressing up and putting on her Chanel mascara, looking stunning in her fitted black leather skirt, purple lace top and sparkling Cinderella ballerinas.

 

Then, staring at herself in the mirror, a little voice whispered in her ears, ‘Go Ella, anything can happen tonight!’ as she added the final touches to her flawless makeup with a silky blush pink lipstick and perfectly placed ponytail.

 

At the event, she met quite a few interesting people from the industry, and later went for dinner with her producer friend.

 

“My dream would be to create an immersive musical production about love, beauty and hope,” Ella ambitiously suggested to her friend.

 

“I am sure that you will make it happen one day, Ella” he replied convincingly. 

 

“Yes, you never know where life will take you,” Ella replied. She had learned from a young age that most of the amazing things in life happen when you least expect them, like seeing a wonderful rainbow glistening through the sky after a heavy storm or witnessing a glorious shooting star as it lights up the sky from east to west. It has always been a question of being at the right place at the right time. 

 

“Are we the only ones left?” Ella pointed out after realizing that they were the last ones. They had stayed in the restaurant for a few hours chatting about career opportunities in the media and entertainment world.

 

Feeling inspired and motivated about the future, she left the restaurant just after midnight.

 

Ella walked back home on Sainte-Catherine Street to the chimes of church bells.

 

***

 

Nearby, Bloom and his friends wanted to continue partying into the night and were looking for the hottest spots in Montréal.

 

“The night is young, what is the game plan, guys?” Bloom asked, looking excited.

 

“We have to find a cool late-night venue,” Luis replied in agreement.

 

“Yes, let’s party all night as we only have two more days to go here!” Alejandro shouted.

 

“Perfect! Let’s ask the next pretty girl we see walking for the coolest venues in the city, I am sure she will know,” Bloom suggested playfully.

 

Being a relatively quiet Wednesday in Montréal just after midnight, they were not very hopeful of finding a girl walking—least of all, a pretty looking one.

 

But, unexpectedly, and out of nowhere in front of the church on Sainte-Catherine Street, they see a stunningly gorgeous girl walking towards them with an air of assertiveness. 

 

“It's our lucky night, I think we should speak to her,” Alejandro jumped with excitement.

​

(***)