Eleven months later …285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1l6fjuWNw
"Hey, little Nightingale?"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyRwxhr4LTY
"Dah! Dee! Doo!"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡafaftJ2Quv
"Nightingale?"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCAQzTFCgTi
"Uh?" She drops her blocks and looks up.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVpnKaHydhT
"Do you want to go somewhere? Hm?"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf2UbNS7YM3
She tilts her head, like, woman, have you lost your mind? Of course! She jumps up and falls on her butt. She screams.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA87WhYpEn3
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."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbpWLzYf0Qf
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.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzRXlkT7Pgh
"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.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxA1Bviqw9
"You're one happy camper, aren't you? Happy you finally get to come outside in public? Hmm?"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJKmoVtRxKn
She squeals again.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhIOVur3zbM
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."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyR4QSOeFJB
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.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf80svFh0oF
He bends down and strokes her hair. "You're absolutely beautiful."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgKUWTZRY2u
"Dee!" She puts her hands over his eyes and giggles.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Fez5Atz84
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.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfK4Afp7th7
"Hello?" I ask. "Who is this?"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzixS7qkpYC
"Why, Nikki, how could you not know?"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRH3DRBz2RL
"Mom, I didn't look at the phone number. I didn't—"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrB0yB5jQ8x
"I found a foster—"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkj0KsO6EIf
I groan. "Mom, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not getting rid of Nightingale. At all. Is that understood?"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmnv4yuHxLL
"But her father isn't—"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4aTz9a0WvF
"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."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1oScJUVnz4
"But what about college?"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpR1vrtyu9T
"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."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡODSdkfrVpd
I suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn around to see the man standing behind me.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Rz5OGHMJ3
"You alright?"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0nobHpQeyG
"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."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7As06LnNSE
After an hour, I finally am starting to wonder who the mysterious man is. I look up and see him looking at me.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoA55EMF1mt
"Who are you?" I ask.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCADeT1VE5M
"Samual. You don't remember me?"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGfUnWE3Zyt
"No."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjLT0TZzROk
"I'm sure Dracula would absolutely love her." He looks at her and back at me. "Has she learned to walk yet?"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAgMdywrMzA
"No. She hasn't. She's only eleven months old."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46QTLQYcTV
"Well, as soon as she learns to walk, you could let me know and I could take you two to see Dracula."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNW591C8SIF
"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?"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdkZol24eJX
"I doubt that second one. The part of him not recognizing you is more reasonable than anything else."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJhjodXg5qN
"True. But what about Nightingale? Will he even know who she is? What if he thinks she's someone else? What if—"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdwNzIqGHwL
"What on earth is your daughter doing?"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtA4clCTxRx
"Playing with sand."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCxFXkRkHPT
"I don't think she is. It doesn't look like it."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUT3Lh9fN8m
I look at Nightingale and gasp. "Nightingale, what are you doing?"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMNbg86e1Cd
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.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJmAI7srmc
"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.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Xh0rNG2fo
"Da! Doo! Da! Dee!" She squeals.
I laugh and smile. "You're so cute."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQtjquEtK0
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.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1xNrzQWPT
"What did you say?"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7auw6iE6dJ
"Dad! Daddy!"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6mVQBjqs5
I gasp. I look up at Samual. "What am I going to do? I can't just go visit him. I have a job."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrsgvUdtVwG
"Do you have any vacation days?"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMpQfivsvx
"I think I have about a month so far."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbycCVxGyHp
"You could take a few days to a week off so you can go visit him. For her."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZHUluFLqV
"She'll be turning one in three days."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5j2Ta9jsD
"Perfect!"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQ0eez4hV2
"What's perfect?"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDRRDBOcyiN
"You could take her to see him for her birthday."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK3UqMFeWhV
I look at Nightingale, who's looking at me with a confused look on her face.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzv34Bd8rGU
"Mommy?"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcAFjqFwK6J
"Oh. Yes. I'm mommy."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYWRJAtHaTt
"I daddy."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDsxpBMt6jc
"You're daddy?"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFmQh9DotTV
"Uh-uh. I daddy."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ44W7npapLY
"Oh. You want daddy."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygexw1932s
"Yah. I daddy." She looks up at me with a sad look in her eyes.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡojxfX2Lwt1
"Oh, baby. Come here."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtDy6SFVPNR
She climbs into my lap and puts her head against my breast. I can hear her sobbing.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDubFSbrRpf
"I … daddy," she sobs.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvYIotQt082
I stroke her hair. "Oh. It's alright. Shh."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡihpfsGqTp9
Samual looks at me sympathetically. "Well, you could call work and ask for a week of vacation."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtBJ4e4gIRK
"Why would I do that?"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdvLucAhC1L
"It's obvious she wants to see him really badly. You could do that for her first birthday."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKxKiy10VrH
"But I don't know my way out there."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡROlCqL3CZW
"I could take you."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCzZzSUlZUN
"But Nightingale needs a car seat."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49c9jbSwsN
"You can hold her in your lap and I can take the back roads."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wKc4UROmG
"Oh. Fine. For her." I pull out my phone and call my boss.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyEeaOthCu4
"Hello?"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaMq4nrruwx
"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."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgo9yhZC5P
"A week? Are you sure?"285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3lq8ZWBGf
"Yes, I'm sure."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR2J3piJH0a
"That'll leave you three weeks."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6x7QxGtEQ
"Yes, I'm aware of that."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZS87MnSgFW
"Alright. A week it is."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09OQseMYtP
"Okay. Thank you."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyh6XWzxjYg
"Yup. Bye."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmsnH75g2LS
"Bye."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrwl43nLvkP
I end the call and smile. "It worked."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxbIwa521P
"Seriously? You're kidding."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPkdRBRFGyp
"Yeah, seriously. I got a week off."285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ccgRgVGUE
He just looks at me.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhCRN7a615V
I smile.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2e7K0Hom7r
