Happy 4th of July! Here's an early update to celebrate!


The smell of childhood once again filled his nostrils, awakening a long dormant craving for hotdogs cotton candy and cuddles from his mother. It was as far as he could reach into the abyss of memory, even in death (wasn't his whole life supposed to flash before his eyes? How disappointed he'd been when that hadn't been the case!) he couldn't remember a time before the year he'd turned four, more specifically, said year's 4th of July.

His mother had been bouncing in gleeful expectation, for his father would be coming for a visit. The man was nothing more than a somber figure Edward tended to avoid—he liked it better when it was just he and mommy. But she received a phone call and cried for hours. Back then, he hadn't understood the harsh reality of being a second family or the disappointment bound to follow each broken promise.

Eventually, she stopped crying and to Edward's young mind, the ceasing of her tears meant that she wasn't sad anymore. Consequently, he demanded to be taken to the neighbor's party where all the yummy food was and all the children were playing. She tried to explain that mommy wasn't feeling well, but he wouldn't be removed from his intent.

Holding her head high and pretending not to notice the gossiping whispers of her neighbors, she took Edward to the party. Only an adult would have noticed the shame in her demeanor or the judgment in her neighbors' eyes, for they were starting to realize the nature of her relationship with the infant's father. However, said infant had been too distracted and too immature to notice, but not anymore. Now he could see that moment for what it truly had been.

The first of many acts of selfishness he'd committed against Maria Masen, his mother.