Eleven months later …286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2LUTjW1Oe
"Hey, little Nightingale?"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUaDbQ3o58
"Dah! Dee! Doo!"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfWf2Saq7PC
"Nightingale?"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcpBZMPUSyx
"Uh?" She drops her blocks and looks up.286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZCCx9mIWeD
"Do you want to go somewhere? Hm?"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmehFvKRMcJ
She tilts her head, like, woman, have you lost your mind? Of course! She jumps up and falls on her butt. She screams.286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpq4CRhhCs5
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."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡThYr6Ak9ck
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.286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxdR2mZ3hiI
"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.286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsodJxQQ7G
"You're one happy camper, aren't you? Happy you finally get to come outside in public? Hmm?"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡejrEQueYtG
She squeals again.286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjmaTwzDBA
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."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98i5G5GcYb
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.286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28abGG6ZwC
He bends down and strokes her hair. "You're absolutely beautiful."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOh3ehz1OOg
"Dee!" She puts her hands over his eyes and giggles.286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBWggdG4tUy
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.286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXwv0TApOkg
"Hello?" I ask. "Who is this?"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7GdvG5Pl3P
"Why, Nikki, how could you not know?"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsBofiTd9TZ
"Mom, I didn't look at the phone number. I didn't—"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzX5b9jZskN
"I found a foster—"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaPs3yzs0IX
I groan. "Mom, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not getting rid of Nightingale. At all. Is that understood?"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfrfn3cf6jc
"But her father isn't—"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkq0I3TBEeN
"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."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnWIwPLhdL
"But what about college?"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWOfk8zGCrm
"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."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPmJcbYHCV
I suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn around to see the man standing behind me.286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTNVa2xQHS
"You alright?"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgOff9iqx2f
"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."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeLIampaU7T
After an hour, I finally am starting to wonder who the mysterious man is. I look up and see him looking at me.286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLmLNgZRiK5
"Who are you?" I ask.286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCH5L4skxX6
"Samual. You don't remember me?"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfvJl2bKhyB
"No."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0cEUFYNEZT
"I'm sure Dracula would absolutely love her." He looks at her and back at me. "Has she learned to walk yet?"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPKo6IQxxe
"No. She hasn't. She's only eleven months old."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhFIF5EvC9a
"Well, as soon as she learns to walk, you could let me know and I could take you two to see Dracula."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5H1qAxEO7O
"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?"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1vJV4IcceR
"I doubt that second one. The part of him not recognizing you is more reasonable than anything else."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUslx9GfZS
"True. But what about Nightingale? Will he even know who she is? What if he thinks she's someone else? What if—"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGnMwS95Ji4
"What on earth is your daughter doing?"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqSTpNrnukM
"Playing with sand."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tIg3l6kNm
"I don't think she is. It doesn't look like it."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQpdC5YNCE
I look at Nightingale and gasp. "Nightingale, what are you doing?"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlxv6PZqO2g
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.286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFpG6LgXRtd
"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.286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvC9icuRkZs
"Da! Doo! Da! Dee!" She squeals.
I laugh and smile. "You're so cute."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqeUbisvj6F
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.286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWCJehX6fcI
"What did you say?"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXEoQWJHDpF
"Dad! Daddy!"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD8t3fZ2LdY
I gasp. I look up at Samual. "What am I going to do? I can't just go visit him. I have a job."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsWY6m8j0N4
"Do you have any vacation days?"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡksA2P8LI6a
"I think I have about a month so far."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrJ9xoEG07
"You could take a few days to a week off so you can go visit him. For her."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkQ4W9T40wG
"She'll be turning one in three days."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUjsNr3ZtJI
"Perfect!"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9pxHIeDsuD
"What's perfect?"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNXcMeDx1r5
"You could take her to see him for her birthday."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVHTXIqBud
I look at Nightingale, who's looking at me with a confused look on her face.286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIib3MASTZV
"Mommy?"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡazCBEkCaj9
"Oh. Yes. I'm mommy."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTZZzs1bFo
"I daddy."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJUVhNu1eP
"You're daddy?"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQcjgh6Kmnq
"Uh-uh. I daddy."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1l2kJNWOoz
"Oh. You want daddy."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1SX6MEmi2z
"Yah. I daddy." She looks up at me with a sad look in her eyes.286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV6mLEw2Y91
"Oh, baby. Come here."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBeo3upv8LZ
She climbs into my lap and puts her head against my breast. I can hear her sobbing.286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ2d6l1Zm91
"I … daddy," she sobs.286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6xE7yRrTM
I stroke her hair. "Oh. It's alright. Shh."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQHXX3VtSMu
Samual looks at me sympathetically. "Well, you could call work and ask for a week of vacation."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYAmnWPPRJ
"Why would I do that?"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYm3hgAgCiz
"It's obvious she wants to see him really badly. You could do that for her first birthday."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGumpb1zlyM
"But I don't know my way out there."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzovdhDbjfA
"I could take you."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkPwb3U4NBt
"But Nightingale needs a car seat."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ07f07U0Mnj
"You can hold her in your lap and I can take the back roads."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQnt8JbQxf
"Oh. Fine. For her." I pull out my phone and call my boss.286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOZGWo4cu0K
"Hello?"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgkp6TW91i4
"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."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiRlnGywppD
"A week? Are you sure?"286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1hmwpOuwAs
"Yes, I'm sure."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZr3UQnWaP
"That'll leave you three weeks."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0q1RS0TIL
"Yes, I'm aware of that."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡULElGvz3o0
"Alright. A week it is."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9Y6HltjRG
"Okay. Thank you."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJ16I6TMtF
"Yup. Bye."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVDA67XV3a6
"Bye."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡICumM7KXiT
I end the call and smile. "It worked."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUyI1TWNPuw
"Seriously? You're kidding."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0MV99raym
"Yeah, seriously. I got a week off."286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpailAyJWMb
He just looks at me.286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVcWMJe7IY9
I smile.286Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvnNszWL5q
