Luck be a Lady-1
Elizabeth slowed to stop as the car in front of her decided not to run the yellow light. No matter, she was in no hurry to be anywhere and had full intention of spending as much time outdoors as possible. The top to her Mini Cooper was down and although it exposed her to more of the London pollution, she didn’t care. It was one of the six gorgeous days of the year, terribly rare in England, and she wanted as much sun as possible.
Elizabeth Leslie was a fortunate girl. She knew that and never forgot to be thankful for it. Her father, George Leslie came from a family of ruthless entrepreneurs. He would stop at nothing on the road for success, except his children. His hard work paid off and he was now CEO of his own PR firm, his own record company and his dabbles in real estate only increased his success. Due to his ruthlessness, his wife had suggested he get into charity work to keep him from ruining the family name.
He allowed his wife to open and run two charities under his name as well as interact with countless others. It was the love of Elizabeth’s mother’s life. One of his charities was set up to help orphaned children. The other was set up to allot money for college scholarships, internships and job opportunities. The British government usually paid education costs but the scholarships were for students who did not qualify. Gloria Leslie, Elizabeth’s mother, worked hard with all these charities and loved every minute of it. Perhaps it was because of this dedication that she didn’t see it coming.
Three years ago, she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, and it was too far along to stop. Not that George didn’t try. He flew in specialists from every country and they all offered the same diagnosis along with their sympathies. A few months later, she was gone. Elizabeth barely remembers the details. Those 5 months were the fastest months of her life.
Still, life had to move on and her father depended on her greatly now. She took over all of her mother’s work and with her fathers help, they opened the Gloria Leslie Foundation for cancer research. Elizabeth’s projects at the moment were partnering with other cancer research charities and organizing the annual charity gala her father threw to raise money.
Elizabeth was down to one month before the gala and was up to her neck in things to do. Desperate for room to breathe, she left work at 11 am and hopped in her car for a day of shopping. Her father was happy with her work at the charities and never demanded her to get a real job. She was a lucky girl.
And she loved her car. It was only a few months old. She had the Mini custom pained a soft Robin’s egg blue, it was her mother’s favorite color. Her father had also had the interior done in white leather with blue piping, and the floors were blue carpeting. The stereo system was not stock, but a custom Alpine digital system. She loved her car, and it loved her back.
While Elizabeth waited at the light, she scanned threw her Ipod for music. The mechanic had made it so she could simply plug it in to the car’s computer and play. She settled on The Killers and turned up the volume. She loved the Killers, and she loved the day. The sun was shining brightly and it seemed as though the entire city had taken the day off to enjoy the weather.
Another convertible was next to her at the light, with two women who did not seem to understand enjoying the weather. They had wrapped their hair up in scarves and were wearing giant sunglasses that made them look like astronauts. They also had long sleeved jackets on. They pointed to Elizabeth and laughed, her hair was strewn about from the breeze. She turned back and smiled at them. She could care less about her hair. Or anything for that matter. Life had taught her to be thankful for the small things. Such as having hair at all, she thought, remembering her bald mother at the hospital.
She drove on towards the fashion district, head bopping to the Killers. Another light changed and she slowed to a stop right before the pedestrian crossing. Her favorite song was playing and she only noticed the light at the last second. Thank goodness for anti-lock brakes, she thought. Mr. Brightside pumped from the speakers and Elizabeth was now bopping in her seat to the song.
She could never explain why, but she loved this song. The lyrics were particularly happy but the tune just made Elizabeth want to dance. And dance she did.
Elizabeth Leslie was a fortunate girl. She knew that and never forgot to be thankful for it. Her father, George Leslie came from a family of ruthless entrepreneurs. He would stop at nothing on the road for success, except his children. His hard work paid off and he was now CEO of his own PR firm, his own record company and his dabbles in real estate only increased his success. Due to his ruthlessness, his wife had suggested he get into charity work to keep him from ruining the family name.
He allowed his wife to open and run two charities under his name as well as interact with countless others. It was the love of Elizabeth’s mother’s life. One of his charities was set up to help orphaned children. The other was set up to allot money for college scholarships, internships and job opportunities. The British government usually paid education costs but the scholarships were for students who did not qualify. Gloria Leslie, Elizabeth’s mother, worked hard with all these charities and loved every minute of it. Perhaps it was because of this dedication that she didn’t see it coming.
Three years ago, she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, and it was too far along to stop. Not that George didn’t try. He flew in specialists from every country and they all offered the same diagnosis along with their sympathies. A few months later, she was gone. Elizabeth barely remembers the details. Those 5 months were the fastest months of her life.
Still, life had to move on and her father depended on her greatly now. She took over all of her mother’s work and with her fathers help, they opened the Gloria Leslie Foundation for cancer research. Elizabeth’s projects at the moment were partnering with other cancer research charities and organizing the annual charity gala her father threw to raise money.
Elizabeth was down to one month before the gala and was up to her neck in things to do. Desperate for room to breathe, she left work at 11 am and hopped in her car for a day of shopping. Her father was happy with her work at the charities and never demanded her to get a real job. She was a lucky girl.
And she loved her car. It was only a few months old. She had the Mini custom pained a soft Robin’s egg blue, it was her mother’s favorite color. Her father had also had the interior done in white leather with blue piping, and the floors were blue carpeting. The stereo system was not stock, but a custom Alpine digital system. She loved her car, and it loved her back.
While Elizabeth waited at the light, she scanned threw her Ipod for music. The mechanic had made it so she could simply plug it in to the car’s computer and play. She settled on The Killers and turned up the volume. She loved the Killers, and she loved the day. The sun was shining brightly and it seemed as though the entire city had taken the day off to enjoy the weather.
Another convertible was next to her at the light, with two women who did not seem to understand enjoying the weather. They had wrapped their hair up in scarves and were wearing giant sunglasses that made them look like astronauts. They also had long sleeved jackets on. They pointed to Elizabeth and laughed, her hair was strewn about from the breeze. She turned back and smiled at them. She could care less about her hair. Or anything for that matter. Life had taught her to be thankful for the small things. Such as having hair at all, she thought, remembering her bald mother at the hospital.
She drove on towards the fashion district, head bopping to the Killers. Another light changed and she slowed to a stop right before the pedestrian crossing. Her favorite song was playing and she only noticed the light at the last second. Thank goodness for anti-lock brakes, she thought. Mr. Brightside pumped from the speakers and Elizabeth was now bopping in her seat to the song.
She could never explain why, but she loved this song. The lyrics were particularly happy but the tune just made Elizabeth want to dance. And dance she did.