Where the Streets Have No Name
Chapter 110
When Edward came down to the kitchen on Sunday morning, he was greeted with a surprise. The average morning in Cullen house was usually marked by Ella's cries filling the air. That was when she was at her crankiest. She was an early riser who had little appreciation for the quiet serenity of dawn.
But that particular morning, Edward found her to be laughing instead. Loudly too.
He froze on his track as he observed what looked like a cheerio throwing contest taking place at the kitchen table. Between his daughter and Bella.
Ella was sitting in her high chair, laughing with unadulterated joy the way only a child could, and throwing poorly aimed nuggets of cheerios at Bella's face, some of which the target managed to capture with her mouth.
Bella was reciprocating with equal fervor, only perhaps with a better aim so that the cheerios actually made it to Ella's mouth.
There were cereal everywhere with a few sticking to Bella's hair. And she was laughing with the same enthusiasm and unreserved cheer as Ella.
There wasn't a shred of fear or sorrow in her eyes.
Together they made the perfect image of domestic bliss that he wished he could provide for Ella everyday.
Edward's first reaction was to laugh along with them. It was a hilarious sight. And a happy one.
He loved his daughter, and there was no question that Renee was excellent at caring for her. But neither of them could make her laugh like this.
Whether he wanted to or not, the weight of his guilt seeped out of his pores and tainted the air around him.
He couldn't make Ella laugh, because he had forgotten how to laugh himself.
Yet, Bella could do it with such seamless ease.
He wished he could preserve the moment forever.
But of course he couldn't.
Bella was just a guest. It wasn't her job to entertain Ella, or ensure her happiness. He shouldn't allow himself to get used to such transitory reprieve.
"You don't have to do that," he said.
His voice made Bella nearly jump out of her skin. She hadn't sensed his presence until now, as busy as she was in her game with Ella.
But the unalloyed euphoria was gone from her face the moment she noticed him standing at the kitchen door.
His face betrayed a sorrow that he was careful not to show at the dinner table last night; a mere drop in the ocean of pain he carried inside.
Had she done something to upset him?
You don't have to do that.
What did he mean by it?
She didn't want to make him sad. Not by her actions or words. Yet it seemed like she had done just that.
She looked around and saw the mess she had made. Stray Cheerios were strewn all around; the floor, the kitchen table, Ella, even herself.
Was he angry about that?
"Uh... I'm sorry, I'll clean it up," she said as she hastily began to sweep away the cereal from the table top. "It's really not as bad as it looks."
It took a moment for Edward to realize that Bella had misconstrued his concern. She looked crestfallen.
He took a few steps closer, contemplating what to say to set her straight.
"No, no. I didn't mean for you to... Look, stop. You don't have to clean.
"I just meant... it's not your job to look after Ella. You're here to visit Renee. You shouldn't... you shouldn't..." Edward fumbled with words.
The sentiment that made perfect sense in his head refused to be defined by words. He wished he hadn't spoken at all. The only thing he had achieved by making his presence known was to ruin a perfectly beautiful moment.
He unbuckled Ella from her seat and picked her up, hoping to steal a few moments of distraction to gather his thoughts. Ella cooed in delight, throwing a handful of cereal at his face for good measure.
"You don't have to play with Ella. I know she can be a handful, and I'm sure you'd rather be doing something else," he said, still unsure if he had worded it right.
The deeply wounded look in her eyes told him that he had not.
Thank you Lulabelle98, HeidiJoVT, and Dinx.
I haven't updated this weekend for the following reason: Those of you who follow me on twitter may know that I'm trying to raise money for a fandom cause called Fandom for No Kid Hungry. We have a dazzling list of authors who are writing for the compilation. You should check it out. The thing is, I started to feel like a hypocrite begging authors to write for the cause without contributing anything myself.
So, this Friday, I pretty much shelved my life, including WtSHNN, and wrote a piece for the charity. It's going to be the first chapter of a new story called "Cast Away Stones" centered around World War II, spanning 1943 to 1955. ExB Of course! If any of you are interested in that period of history like I am, maybe it will be to your liking.
I digress! Hope you'll consider donating and be a proud owner of the compilation. Some of the best authors of this fandom are writing, including:
windchymes (The Blood Lines)
Maggie's Gutter (How to Paint a House)
Amethyst Jackson (Bonne Foi)
Lissa Bryan (Written in the Stars)
beegurl13 (Worship)
Porcia (In the Shallows)
Tkegl (Beyond Time)
Kitsu Shel (Parachute)
MariahajilE (The War is Over)
SexyLexiCullen (Quiet Storm)
BellaFlan (Stigmata Tomato)
Bornonhalloween (Comp Sem)
Edward's Eternal (Snowbound)
And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Go check out the site and consider making a donation.
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