Eleven months later …259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJjhOXDaKU
"Hey, little Nightingale?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGrCjWtTG9
"Dah! Dee! Doo!"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡodCGr9OuVX
"Nightingale?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwHo6yEv4bX
"Uh?" She drops her blocks and looks up.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm5VlJOOdll
"Do you want to go somewhere? Hm?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡegIDgcED4S
She tilts her head, like, woman, have you lost your mind? Of course! She jumps up and falls on her butt. She screams.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8cS9t2jZCV
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."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzmIwgXdfLS
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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgO8pZ0rTt
"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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZZ82vC7a9
"You're one happy camper, aren't you? Happy you finally get to come outside in public? Hmm?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpT2PnAWCP
She squeals again.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUACJQhLum
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."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4PtkFXAgT
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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwyAOClBGWC
He bends down and strokes her hair. "You're absolutely beautiful."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49XVeFEKka
"Dee!" She puts her hands over his eyes and giggles.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9KzMzQfBS
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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTgnmW9Yyp
"Hello?" I ask. "Who is this?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSscuCYRUtd
"Why, Nikki, how could you not know?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjPoTfXZVFu
"Mom, I didn't look at the phone number. I didn't—"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7GKtGgpCt
"I found a foster—"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgda4NudrE1
I groan. "Mom, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not getting rid of Nightingale. At all. Is that understood?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdAIIjvw09
"But her father isn't—"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkBbg69Y0j7
"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."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2SJ3Yrrgmq
"But what about college?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeso58hP2Qq
"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."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vE6YN34ME
I suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn around to see the man standing behind me.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdn1RL4knIh
"You alright?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJX1vHp2IE
"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."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeB86aBsC2N
After an hour, I finally am starting to wonder who the mysterious man is. I look up and see him looking at me.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJOi64O95i9
"Who are you?" I ask.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3NVcVjkCq7
"Samual. You don't remember me?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiHjFOsJvAY
"No."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIQEobARjXE
"I'm sure Dracula would absolutely love her." He looks at her and back at me. "Has she learned to walk yet?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdFuinSPCKb
"No. She hasn't. She's only eleven months old."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5b4CUTOKlm
"Well, as soon as she learns to walk, you could let me know and I could take you two to see Dracula."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtp6aPghlnx
"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?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIAeTwsfeE
"I doubt that second one. The part of him not recognizing you is more reasonable than anything else."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa9FKDnMD7T
"True. But what about Nightingale? Will he even know who she is? What if he thinks she's someone else? What if—"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeyUwpSurgy
"What on earth is your daughter doing?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SymxuFCRX
"Playing with sand."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkw4oho78gG
"I don't think she is. It doesn't look like it."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY4wXQUaWGB
I look at Nightingale and gasp. "Nightingale, what are you doing?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3OHsjOVdBw
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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT6xd2k2lMu
"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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3NLYWihK1
"Da! Doo! Da! Dee!" She squeals.
I laugh and smile. "You're so cute."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtGdMppBPqU
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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs4TxXNloQf
"What did you say?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIgW8zBoQx5
"Dad! Daddy!"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGVz9sEb9Uc
I gasp. I look up at Samual. "What am I going to do? I can't just go visit him. I have a job."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxdSAk3gjaY
"Do you have any vacation days?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtZET6p9jMB
"I think I have about a month so far."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYoSpzPxGWe
"You could take a few days to a week off so you can go visit him. For her."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEvUcTwlh4M
"She'll be turning one in three days."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPibMpFayK
"Perfect!"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkA1fRclQj
"What's perfect?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFZsZwEQitS
"You could take her to see him for her birthday."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxuHlgHeAis
I look at Nightingale, who's looking at me with a confused look on her face.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTN6GQ5rSxe
"Mommy?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLRjnAr0ShN
"Oh. Yes. I'm mommy."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRWihduX9K
"I daddy."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8eJTzBxhB
"You're daddy?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhUTCK6XuLq
"Uh-uh. I daddy."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYSeAg0eLFL
"Oh. You want daddy."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ5SlCZdhjd
"Yah. I daddy." She looks up at me with a sad look in her eyes.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgpJbB4eZWZ
"Oh, baby. Come here."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPahijOyVp
She climbs into my lap and puts her head against my breast. I can hear her sobbing.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrmp0o1Zr76
"I … daddy," she sobs.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw9HOto8LxQ
I stroke her hair. "Oh. It's alright. Shh."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Y3Eb4RXi5
Samual looks at me sympathetically. "Well, you could call work and ask for a week of vacation."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgpTHtx5RRl
"Why would I do that?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgneBkCPcoG
"It's obvious she wants to see him really badly. You could do that for her first birthday."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26636FsLux
"But I don't know my way out there."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhVMcKdtPW4
"I could take you."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8dcF83EKe
"But Nightingale needs a car seat."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBzb6qqfwLU
"You can hold her in your lap and I can take the back roads."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLkiq2xRcdg
"Oh. Fine. For her." I pull out my phone and call my boss.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQuM2MKSgRI
"Hello?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPdWxuSs3qy
"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."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0OEC1svojk
"A week? Are you sure?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtxGSjuJHzU
"Yes, I'm sure."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJkIUIfOi9L
"That'll leave you three weeks."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHYfv5g9cG
"Yes, I'm aware of that."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJCO0fHW0Zz
"Alright. A week it is."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhjbHoZjNB1
"Okay. Thank you."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMp9LvfUJi
"Yup. Bye."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD7kyhuACPW
"Bye."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzCIRizvp1O
I end the call and smile. "It worked."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeoWd7y5mkG
"Seriously? You're kidding."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡixSoJGqRwC
"Yeah, seriously. I got a week off."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKIEXMaL9N4
He just looks at me.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Aq7ceLLVA
I smile.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoeo45n6O2l
