Cutting Scenes - The Fine Line

Steffy was still crying in the morning when Jane came into
the kitchen. She took her in her arms for a few minutes, bounced
her up and down a little, then handed her back to me.
“I’m going shopping,” she said, and headed into Boston.
When Annie came in to make breakfast, she took a quick look
and asked if we had any vanilla extract. I handed the baby over
to her and searched through the cabinets until I found a small
bottle of it. Annie put the baby in her highchair, gave her some
Cheerios to play with, mashed a spoonful of vanilla into her
food, and tried to feed her.
“Wha wha wah.”
Steffy pushed it away. Annie told me to get the bear. I
ran upstairs and brought it down.
“Mr. Bear wants to eat,” Annie said. She pretended to feed
the bear.
Steffy stopped crying for a minute and watched warily.
“One for him, one for you. Open wide.”
She took the food.
“One for Mr. Bear, one for you. One for Mr. Bear, one for
you.”
Annie made Mr. Bear jump up and down.
“He wants more,” she said.
Steffy ate faster, until all her food was gone.
She’d stopped crying and was sleepy. The vanilla had worked
like magic.
We took the baby upstairs, put her in her crib, and watched
over her until she fell asleep. I was exhausted, also ready to
sleep, but Annie insisted on making me breakfast. I couldn’t
resist the eggs, pancakes, and coffee. Then she handed me a
mimosa in a fluted glass.
“You deserve it,” she said.
“Now,” she said, “come with me.”
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