Everything was cheap. The tux was cheap. The gel in his hair was cheap. The champagne was cheap. The hotel was cheap. The furniture was cheap. The television was cheap. The cheap gifts were put into cheap boxes and wrapped with cheap wrapping paper. They even managed to make the wedding cheap some how.
Mitch White thought about all the cheap things that surrounded him as he sat half asleep on the hotel room’s couch. It was the night of his wedding. His new wife had just walked into the bathroom to take a shower when the gravity of everything that happened hit him: he just had married a woman he did not love.
The hotel room was ugly. The wallpaper was a mustard-colored yellow. The television had a decent amount of static on every channel. It was truly just a glorified motel six. Mitch’s Father and his new in-laws would only pay for the least expensive hotel they could manage to find.
Mitch could still hear his Father’s raspy voice saying, “You should stay with a girl I approve of, someone who has a family we like and have known for years, for instance Kaila Goodman. I have known the Goodman family for years before either of you were born. Your mother loved to hang out with Mrs. Goodman. Plus, I think Kaila is a lot nicer than that other girl you’ve been dating. What was he name? I think it was like Emma or Ella or something. Whatever her name is, Kaila won’t leave you like she did.”

The girl who Mitch’s Father was referring to was named Ellie. Mitch had met her five years before he married Kaila. He always lied to his parents and said he met her at the park. He actually met her in a bar. Granted it was a high-class bar with a jazz band and suited bartenders, but it was a bar nonetheless. Mitch knew if he told his parents the truth, no matter how exquisitely he describes the atmosphere and the décor, they would always have a mental image of a run-down, sleazy bar. It was just their nature. They either loved something, or they hated it. And make no mistake, Mitch’s parents hated bars.

He could still recall that night. He sitting at his stool waiting to get his drink refilled, when this curvy girl in a bright red dress came right next to him and sat down. She had beautiful red hair that was just shy of touching her shoulders. Under her eyes and across her nose were freckles you couldn’t notice unless you look hard enough. Her eyes were two different colors, the medical term as Mitch recalled was heterochromia. Her right eye was a bright shade a green that resembled trees midway through summer by the house where Mitch lived when he was little. Her left eye was a deep blue that resembled the Ocean in the Caribbean.

Even though Mitch noticed her immediately, he didn’t say a word to her until for an hour. Mitch wasn’t very good at talking to the opposite gender, especially if there was sexual tension. He remembered in the elementary school how he would not want to talk to the female teachers unless he had to, this was very problematic since the vast majority of teacher in his elementary school were female. The teachers had to meet privately with Mitch’s parents about the issue. The teacher recommended to Mitch’s parents to talk to Mitch about it, or even let Mitch see a therapist. Regardless, Mitch’s parents assumed it was something Mitch would grow out of. They were partly right. Mitch did in fact become more comfortable talking to girls as he got older. But, it was still a minor problem. For years Mitch blamed his parents for not parting with the money to buy him therapy.

After building up enough courage, Mitch told the attractive lady sitting next to him, “You know, I have always found redheads hot. It is weird I never dated one.” Sadly, after an hour, that was the best Mitch could think. She giggled and said, “I suppose it is better late than never. My name is Ellie.”

Mitch replied, “That is a beautiful name.”

“I’ve actually always hated it. When I was young, children would always call me smelly Ellie O’Kelly. What is your name?”

“My friends call me Mitch. And trust me, people who weren’t my friends in school could come up with meaner things to rhyme with my name than smelly.”

Ellie’s face lit up as she threw her head back and laughed. After, calming down, Ellie said, “You know what Mitch, I like you.”

They talked for the rest of the night. Mitch even walked her home. For that moment Mitch fell in love with Ellie. He was able to talk to her effortlessly. She made him feel like he was the most interesting man in the world. Just when one topic dies out, Ellie would bring something up that would give birth to a whole new conversation that lasted longer than the last.

Mitch and Ellie dated for a little less than two years. It was the best two years of both their lives. But of the blue, the company where Ellie worked at gave her a promotion. The only catch was that it would require her to go over seas to Europe. Ellie approached Mitch and invited him to go with her. He initially accepted, but then out of the blue Mitch’s mother died of a heart attack. Her death meant that Mitch’s father would be left alone if Mitch moved overseas. He could bring himself to make his father lose both his mother and him. So he broke up with Ellie. He never told his father that Ellie invited him to join him in Europe. Mitch lied and told him that Ellie left Mitch without giving any good reason.

It was soon after that Mitch began to date Kaila. It was an act that he knew would please his father and potentially himself, and at first it did. He thought he was happy. But, it he to keep reminding himself that he thought he was happy. Mitch’s Dad set up the initial blind date, if it could even be called that. Mitch had known Kaila for most of his life. She was a skinny brunette who dressed modestly and wore glasses. She was often caught blushing and spoke in a low voice. Barely any words were spoken on their first date. She acted as if it was her first date, and for all Mitch new it could have been.

Mitch continued to date her. Not because he wanted to, but because he could. Being in a relationship gave Mitch a sense of security. It was nice for Mitch to remember that at least one person cared when he had a bad day.

Mitch and Kaila’s favorite date spot was by the pond in the park. They would spend hours feeding bread to the ducks. On the surface it seemed cute, but in reality it was a scapegoat from conversation.

Mitch had a guilty pleasure of occasionally pretending that Kaila was Ellie. At first he would only do it once in a while, but slowly he began to do it more and more until every time he was with Kaila put Ellie on his mind. Oddly enough, that was the peak of Kaila and Mitch’s relationship. Mitch would be fun spirited and play around. He went to dances with Kaila, tickled her, took her to the carnival, and drove out of town to a place where the stars shined brightly at night. Mitch did all the things he wish he did with Ellie. He wished he could dance one more time to smooth jazz or loud rock and roll with Ellie. He wished he could tickle her and roll around with her. He wished he would take her to carnivals and win her jumbo-sized stuffed bears. He wished he could kiss her underneath the starlight. But he couldn’t, not today nor anymore.

Occasionally, Mitch would have to prevent himself from calling Kaila by the name Ellie. He would just say the “e” sound, but cut himself off before getting any further. Kaila didn’t question it because it didn’t happen too often. Also, Kaila, like Mitch disparately wanted someone to care for her. Mitch eventually purposed and got married to Kaila, and ended up where he was now: on the couch.

Kaila had been out of the shower for a decent time now. Mitch really didn’t notice nor did he care. It was than Mitch remembered that he knew Ellie’s home phone number. She had texted it to him once she got settled in. Maybe it was because he was depressed, or maybe it was because he wasn’t thinking straight but he decided to call her.

With each ring his heart beat faster. He tried to figure out the time where Ellie lived, but figured since it was late here it must have been midday there. It seemed like the phone rang a million times before the answering machine pickup. But the message wasn’t the voice he expected; it was a man’s voice. The voice stated, “you have reached the home of David and Ellie Murray please leave a message at the beep.”

Mitch stood there in shock. Just breathing into the phone, unable to move. After leaving a long message of nothing but his heavy breathing, he slowly hung up. He slowly walked into the bedroom where Kaila was asleep, and went to sleep aside her. He never spoke a word about Ellie again. He never pretended Kaila was Ellie, and never wished to. He fell asleep in the cheap bed under the cheap sheets at the cheap hotel.