Eleven months later …229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmAaKeT0AW1
"Hey, little Nightingale?"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBmaSJgLl1n
"Dah! Dee! Doo!"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9MLgtxqVJf
"Nightingale?"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjAo0LfdWwh
"Uh?" She drops her blocks and looks up.229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRrwi7AqYLB
"Do you want to go somewhere? Hm?"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMIJmCPXzsE
She tilts her head, like, woman, have you lost your mind? Of course! She jumps up and falls on her butt. She screams.229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlduUEJ4IiX
I laugh. "Silly, you can't walk yet." I walk over to her and pick her up. "Come on. We need to get your socks and shoes on."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qZUtASPk3
She flails her arms with her hands clenched tight on two blocks. I set her down and walk over to her dresser. I open the top drawer and grab a pair of grey socks. I grab her little sandals and walk over to her. She sees what I have and drops the blocks in her hands. She shoots her hands in the air and squeals, doing jazz hands. I roll my eyes and laugh. She giggles.229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9S6KzmdBWX
"Oh, you're too cute." I kneel down and put her socks and shoes on. Then I pick her up and head to the kitchen. Once in the kitchen, I grab my keys and head out the door. I get outside and put Nightingale in her car seat. Then, I shut the door and get in the driver's seat. I start the engine and back out of the driveway. I pull out on the road and head to the park.
I get to the park and park in the parking lot. I turn the engine off and get out. I put my keys in my pocket and open the back door. I unbuckle Nightingale as she squeals in delight. I take her out of her seat and shut the door. Then, I carry her over to a nearby picnic table. I set her on the table and sit down. She squeals.229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50KHQCaGgt
"You're one happy camper, aren't you? Happy you finally get to come outside in public? Hmm?"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkfAkESlIqW
She squeals again.229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcSA2kSuKaG
I smile. "Oh, so cute. Who's a cutie? You are." I sigh and look around. "Oh. I wish your father could see you. He'd think you're cute too, I'm sure."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrg4XcdNtVh
She looks up and points behind me. I turn around to see a man walking towards the park. She squeals. She crawls over to the edge of the table and tries sliding to the ground. Instead, she ends up doing a backflip and lands on her butt. She giggles and looks up as the man stops right in front of her. He looks down at her and smiles. She smiles back and giggles.229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzx7JfKr1aX
He bends down and strokes her hair. "You're absolutely beautiful."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBRAK6hev1
"Dee!" She puts her hands over his eyes and giggles.229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL5qQ0iYsrb
I can't help it. I smile. Suddenly, my phone starts ringing. Nightingale brings her hands down and looks at me, tilting her head to the side. The man looks over at me and gasps. I answer the phone and get up. I walk away a few feet.229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdny7uMgoGo
"Hello?" I ask. "Who is this?"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡejER8WLprX
"Why, Nikki, how could you not know?"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUy8X2M5qME
"Mom, I didn't look at the phone number. I didn't—"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLn3GdY3mUb
"I found a foster—"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRy2erYBi8q
I groan. "Mom, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not getting rid of Nightingale. At all. Is that understood?"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgoL2KDn9Np
"But her father isn't—"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9haOBl9PfC
"Her father knows what's best for her. Okay? I'm done talking. I've done graduated school, gotten a job, and moved out. I'll be fine."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0RbmQOQBs
"But what about college?"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdjImRVsBi
"Dang it, mom!" I hang up and sigh. I let my phone drop to the ground and put my hand on my forehead with my other arm supporting it. "Oh my God."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRk77Fw14Ij
I suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn around to see the man standing behind me.229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa1GXUGHn8d
"You alright?"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjoRUbBS34M
"I'm fine." I walk over to the table and sit down. I watch as Nightingale plays with the sand. She squeals. I laugh and smile. She looks up at me and claps her hands. I sigh. "Oh, you're so cute."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpMu2y7Fyny
After an hour, I finally am starting to wonder who the mysterious man is. I look up and see him looking at me.229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBKdPioRjnH
"Who are you?" I ask.229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡajll38EKJ2
"Samual. You don't remember me?"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKxOOOPDCRz
"No."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwObRevhn70
"I'm sure Dracula would absolutely love her." He looks at her and back at me. "Has she learned to walk yet?"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuNgCWgjt4u
"No. She hasn't. She's only eleven months old."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjGewTSzp1X
"Well, as soon as she learns to walk, you could let me know and I could take you two to see Dracula."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCo6K0Ah7SE
"Are you sure that would be a good idea? What if he doesn't recognize me? Or worse, he does but he doesn't want anything to do with me or Nightingale?"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5dQtDRzJxZ
"I doubt that second one. The part of him not recognizing you is more reasonable than anything else."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9dd5wST3vl
"True. But what about Nightingale? Will he even know who she is? What if he thinks she's someone else? What if—"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz2NUbJLMK7
"What on earth is your daughter doing?"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGfYqs8E2W
"Playing with sand."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFuuf7kdk0U
"I don't think she is. It doesn't look like it."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbdx2DPSxG
I look at Nightingale and gasp. "Nightingale, what are you doing?"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFVnprrHXpe
She looks up at me and falls on her butt. She giggles. She gets up again and takes a step forward. I get up carefully and grab my phone. I come back and quickly pull up snapchat. I pull up my picture screen and start taking a video.229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjPdaMDZwU
"Well, look at you. Someone's learning to walk." I back up a few steps and she takes two slow, small steps. She giggles. I smile.229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbMp4etiYXQ
"Da! Doo! Da! Dee!" She squeals.
I laugh and smile. "You're so cute."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAnlEunyK5S
Finally she reaches me with a squeal and hugs my leg. I save the video and put my phone away. I pick her up and whirl her around. She squeals. I stop and set her down. She gets up and follows me to the table. I sit down and watch as she climbs up on the seat. She manages to get up on the seat and sit down. She says something and I look at her.229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKwXGSIIln2
"What did you say?"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATTlfNsRcZ
"Dad! Daddy!"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXnl7bVQppp
I gasp. I look up at Samual. "What am I going to do? I can't just go visit him. I have a job."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0wQErv8N6o
"Do you have any vacation days?"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnvoaLUNyO2
"I think I have about a month so far."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdQbrYzJfvV
"You could take a few days to a week off so you can go visit him. For her."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPa9CWZq9zY
"She'll be turning one in three days."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWCV0Dd1P3v
"Perfect!"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxYm8fLNpag
"What's perfect?"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4AohyQi5Hp
"You could take her to see him for her birthday."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHAXGrfx5pW
I look at Nightingale, who's looking at me with a confused look on her face.229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiejUm26nKB
"Mommy?"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6CVto4Kz9
"Oh. Yes. I'm mommy."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQTiA4H9IQ9
"I daddy."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSGPq1cQGg5
"You're daddy?"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQ2bKgFv9k
"Uh-uh. I daddy."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO8vQ3pynB6
"Oh. You want daddy."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9EnTcxPqnp
"Yah. I daddy." She looks up at me with a sad look in her eyes.229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡObEEUAms7E
"Oh, baby. Come here."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0pFpyJB7b
She climbs into my lap and puts her head against my breast. I can hear her sobbing.229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡng3AEOgfiN
"I … daddy," she sobs.229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgu2mdAqypc
I stroke her hair. "Oh. It's alright. Shh."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡliTYpSWZM9
Samual looks at me sympathetically. "Well, you could call work and ask for a week of vacation."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡen4zuIaJWp
"Why would I do that?"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡszwvGmDCgj
"It's obvious she wants to see him really badly. You could do that for her first birthday."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡezgWAM7tSt
"But I don't know my way out there."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINv0pe0OoN
"I could take you."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJCEGQrnB5
"But Nightingale needs a car seat."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA7LSdrrKlA
"You can hold her in your lap and I can take the back roads."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhxp4JPG9S
"Oh. Fine. For her." I pull out my phone and call my boss.229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxuSIcU1unS
"Hello?"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC6NPPw0f1D
"Oh, um, could I take a week off of work? For my daughter? She'll be turning one in three days and I want to take her to visit her father."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNsocieHQ7H
"A week? Are you sure?"229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Bm3RpjaVO
"Yes, I'm sure."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4PDe1zc8Ax
"That'll leave you three weeks."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiorHda5zwN
"Yes, I'm aware of that."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbeBGTmbF6W
"Alright. A week it is."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsFihaPUvS
"Okay. Thank you."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZssrzOgHNK
"Yup. Bye."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcrcgepB4el
"Bye."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7DQYZO1eg
I end the call and smile. "It worked."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqTO91nth5
"Seriously? You're kidding."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3Q4ieXEA5
"Yeah, seriously. I got a week off."229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd3wKP3FsE1
He just looks at me.229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiRP6uxHQjs
I smile.229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeZn5iLWYSy
