I couldn’t remember the last time I woke up to
the smell of pancakes. The sizzle of bacon filled the small space. So much for
a house filled with silence.
“Hey! Mr. Daniel, why are you still sleeping?”
Ella shouted.
“Ella,” Chantel
admonished.
I sat up and Ella was
busy stuffing her mouth. I pulled out a chair and sat next to her. Chantel
handed me a plate of pancakes and bacon. I laughed. She had drawn a smiley face
with chocolate syrup. It was silly but I didn’t want to cut into it. It was
like those colorful band-aids mom would put on me after a fight. It didn’t mean
anything by itself, but it took away the pain. Pain was the one constant in my
life. My fingers twitched for a cigarette. I needed a good smoke.
“Mr. Daniel, eat your
food,” Ella said.
My Ella, so sweet and
caring. The pancakes were fluffy and buttery. Perfect. Chantel was a great
cook.
“I’m sure we’ve stolen
you away from your family or girlfriend so please apologize on my behalf,”
Chanel said.
I shook my head. “No.
No family or girlfriend.”
Chantel pursed her
lips. They were bright red, almost obnoxiously so. She examined her chipped and
broken nails. I swore I saw dried blood under them. She caught my gaze and
folded her hands in her lap.
“What do you do,
Daniel?”
I swallowed. The
buttery taste transformed to ash. For the first time in my entire life, I cared
about someone. Chantel was the only way I would be able to see Ella. She was
the gatekeeper of my heart.
“I’m currently
unemployed. I’m looking for a job. I used to be an electrical repairman. I can
fix anything involving wires or electricity.”
Chantel drummed her
non-existent nails against the worn, wooden table. She should get them painted
light purple. “Right now, I work at a telemarketing company but I used to do
other kinds of selling when I was younger.”
She subtly gestured to
her body. Ella was blissfully unaware. I wondered how much the little girl
really knew of what went on between her parents. What was the extent of the
abuse? The thrown bottles and covered-up bruises and broken trust would’ve
seeped into her body and become comfortable. Ella’s dishes clattered as she put
them away. She was so smart; already doing what needed to be done without being
told. She ran to the couch, reached behind it, and pulled out two dolls. She
sat down and quietly played with them. They didn’t have clothes and were
covered in marker. I could afford new dolls and some new toys for Ella. I
didn’t have any toys growing up. I really wanted a bright red fire truck. Maybe
Ella would want one too.
“I recently applied to
some jobs so I should hear back from them soon,” I said.
Chantel leaned back.
“Until you hear back from them, why don’t you fix some things around here? I
have a toaster and fridge that doesn’t work. The lights also go off from time
to time.”
She wanted me to hang
out here? I supposed I was a better replacement for a guy than her husband. I
nodded. Ella was here. I would be here.
“I’ll come back
tomorrow. For you and Ella, my services are free.”