The following text is from Louise Erdrich’s 1986 novel The Beet Queen. Celestine takes her infant daughter with her to the butcher shop where she makes sausages.
Sometimes Celestine turned around and met the direct gaze of her daughter, a look so penetrating that Celestine’s breath caught. She dropped the knife, the string, the knife she was using, and took the girl up in her arms, ready for her to speak as if a spell had suddenly lifted. Whereupon the baby flexed her entire body and struggled to free herself, or just put her down. No matter how thorough Celestine’s exhaustion, no matter how little sleep she’d had, there was a nerve of excitement running through each hour.
©1986 by Louise Erdrich
Sometimes Celestine turned around and met the direct gaze of her daughter, a look so penetrating that Celestine’s breath caught. She dropped the knife, the string, the knife she was using, and took the girl up in her arms, ready for her to speak as if a spell had suddenly lifted. Whereupon the baby flexed her entire body and struggled to free herself, or just put her down. No matter how thorough Celestine’s exhaustion, no matter how little sleep she’d had, there was a nerve of excitement running through each hour.
©1986 by Louise Erdrich