True Stories ( 1 ): Cinderella

Chapter 7

The next few days went well, for Alice and and Eliza anyway. Alice had been proposed by the suitor they met at the ball, which delighted Truman to no end as he was well off and seemed like a nice lad. Alice was the eldest and had settled down in her life, being a vet and having a decent pay. A suitor was the only thing she needed.( AN: feminists, please don't attack me on this. Remember this story takes place at least a 100 years ago, so finding a suitor was all that mattered back then, no matter how well off they were.)
Eliza had decided on opening up her own restaurant, wanting to be at the top of the food industry. Truman understood, always wanting the best for her daughters. Everything was going well.
But then there was Ella. Dressed in a brown dress , wearing an apron as she swept, dusted and mopped the floor and polished the silver day and night.
Yes, that was her punishment. Household chores.
The night they got home, Truman gave Ella a piece of her mind. She yelled and yelled till her throat dried out, while Alice cried about her expensive glass slippers as one was missing and the other now was chipped. Ella's feet were pretty damaged, with cuts and bruises, which had made Truman even more furious than she already was. She had decided that Ella would do all the housework till she felt Ella had learned her lesson. Ella wasn't exactly happy with the decision , and had even protested, but Truman stood her ground.
A doctor showed up the next day and cleaned Ella's wounds, expressing how lucky she was that there was no serious damage. He gave a prescription and said she would be fine in 10 days. Those were the last ten days of Ella's freedom.
Cinderella wept and whined , but no one cared.

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It had been over a month since the incident. Alice was to be married the month after and Eliza had begun preparations for the grand opening of her new restaurant. Truman had started a social help program, helping the poor and needy. Cinderella just cleaned and polished, that was all she did.
But her luck soon changed on fine Sunday morning , when a doorbell rang out of the blue.
" oh who could that be ?" Truman said, folding the newspaper she was reading, while Ella changed the pillow covers over the couch. Truman walked to the door, opening ever slightly , only to find a familiar face. " may I come in ma'am? " he asked. Truman narrowed her eyes at him, but let him in anyway.
" Patrick " Ella shrieked. She threw the pillow on the ground , running to hug him. He hugged back while she cried in his arms.
" ahem" Truman coughed, breaking the bond between the two.
" oh Patrick, look at my situation" Ella said, happy with the coincidence of her fake story and punishment matching.
" that's why I'm here"
Truman stared at Patrick. " what do you want Patrick?" She asked rather annoyed.
" I'm here to marry your daughter."
Ella nearly cried of joy and Truman just looked shocked. " wh...what?! "
" yes ma'am, I've thought over it a lot, for an entire month in fact. And my parents have agreed as well , I just need a yes from Ella. "
" yes yes yes, anything out of this hell hole."
Truman pondered on it , and realized it was time Cinderella knew more about the world, the real struggle of being around new people and learning to love and care for others, and marriage seemed like the best option. Moreover, she knew Cinderella wouldn't ever be capable of being as successful as her sisters, and she couldn't punish her forever, hence the earlier she was married off, the better.
" oh , I found this on the stairway that night. " he said, reaching into his satchel which hung over his broad shoulder.
"It was cracked a bit , but I had it repaired by a blacksmith, so good as new I guess" he pulled out the familiar ornament. It gleamed ever so brightly in the sunlight that shone through the living room. Truman quietly watched the scene unfold in front of her, still analyzing the situation. The shoe snapped her out of her thoughts. She walked over and snatched it from Patrick's hand.
" I'll be taking that. " Ella looked like she couldn't care less and Patrick looked annoyed.
She placed it on the shelf where it belonged, next to some crystal dolls.
" oh Ella, " she started " when do you want to start planning the wedding ?"

Just the epilogue left now.
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Turquoise_Diamond.