Chapter 15
By six, Nell loved cameras again.
On her terms.
She photographed everyone else badly.
Half heads.
Shoes.
Empty plates.
One famous image of my left ear.
Daniel gave her a small child-safe camera.
She carried it everywhere.
Interesting reversal.
The child once hidden behind photographs now decided what deserved photographing.
Most pictures were terrible.
Perfect.
At a summer dinner she took one of Lydia mid-sneeze.
Lydia begged deletion.
Nell refused.
I intervened.
“Her face, her choice.”
Nell groaned.
Fairness is annoying when applied symmetrically.
She deleted it.
Good.
Consent works both directions.
Marcella would have hated the messiness of our albums now.
Eyes closed.
People chewing.
Children crying.
Empty chairs.
Some beautiful shots too.
But none used as argument.
No photograph answered:
May you like
Is Nell happy?
You ask Nell.
