Where the Streets Have No Name
Chapter 54
"Huh?" Esme wasn't sure what Carmen meant.
"You said the house looked fine 'all things considered'. What things, Esme? What did you mean by that? You think I'm a moron. You think I'm some kind of an incompetent idiot, don't you?" Carmen's voice shook as she spewed out her pent up anger at her mother-in-law.
"Oh, for heaven's sake, Carmen! Don't be so melodramatic!" Elvira intervened.
Esme was quite dumbfounded by Carmen's anger, but Elvira's words shook her to action.
"No, no, of course not! I didn't mean that, Carmen. You misunderstood. I was just trying to say that you have a beautiful house and-"
"Don't patronize me!" Carmen didn't let Esme finish her explanation. "I know what you really think of me. Don't think for a second that you can fool me with all your sugar sweet lies. I'm not good enough for your precious son, am I? You think I trapped him into marrying me. You think... you think I'm incapable of taking care of my own daughter.
"Well, fuck you!" Carmen screamed.
Her high pitched voice summoned Edward to the scene. He saw that Carmen was practically shaking with anger. Elvira, standing nearby, was almost frozen in shock. An equally shocked Esme was cowering next to the crib, clutching Ella in her arms who had been roused by the sound of her mother's voice and was now crying at the top of her lungs.
With a sinking heart, Edward took stock of the situation.
Carmen had been pushed past the brink.
She was in the middle of a crisis.
And Ella was in the room.
"Give me my daughter," Carmen demanded as she took a step toward Esme. "I don't want you to touch her. I don't need you, or anybody, to take care of my baby. Give her to me!"
Edward rushed to Carmen's side, praying Esme would have the presence of mind not to be intimidated into handing Ella over to Carmen.
Thank you Lulabelle98, HeidiJoVT, and Dinx.
