Eleven months later …302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6Yry65xkB
"Hey, little Nightingale?"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHz0ijbGhD9
"Dah! Dee! Doo!"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0pTPTm2Gf
"Nightingale?"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZgSMEaffL
"Uh?" She drops her blocks and looks up.302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡekDZPPh8PA
"Do you want to go somewhere? Hm?"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6XLbCz0ZAF
She tilts her head, like, woman, have you lost your mind? Of course! She jumps up and falls on her butt. She screams.302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7WdhAIDgDN
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."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQdHKYQ9kmL
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.302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Ur62Gouhh
"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.302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxlaaCEOYPP
"You're one happy camper, aren't you? Happy you finally get to come outside in public? Hmm?"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG471mxe7K7
She squeals again.302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhBG2PTPt94
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."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcTf9wW8Qk
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.302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6OtuMNu0ZR
He bends down and strokes her hair. "You're absolutely beautiful."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUsW2azsPSp
"Dee!" She puts her hands over his eyes and giggles.302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qIou9JAmc
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.302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhuCDrOQDWa
"Hello?" I ask. "Who is this?"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXPTB8EZKs0
"Why, Nikki, how could you not know?"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEkF1nnBufj
"Mom, I didn't look at the phone number. I didn't—"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7Qz3exCeC
"I found a foster—"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CTahSXtQF
I groan. "Mom, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not getting rid of Nightingale. At all. Is that understood?"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMa3pRD6WwY
"But her father isn't—"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfP9cChLkrp
"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."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC2lBqepuhn
"But what about college?"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuoSwaDQIaK
"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."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2OObjkDj0N
I suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn around to see the man standing behind me.302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9qNlMhgRYC
"You alright?"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRPiU7YjQw
"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."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdHmGSPCkh4
After an hour, I finally am starting to wonder who the mysterious man is. I look up and see him looking at me.302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1cy7hQAeE
"Who are you?" I ask.302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzer5C5PYnN
"Samual. You don't remember me?"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXTri9opcE
"No."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡczug3BvBSR
"I'm sure Dracula would absolutely love her." He looks at her and back at me. "Has she learned to walk yet?"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfE4XIPQUbb
"No. She hasn't. She's only eleven months old."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhQK6QIYmM
"Well, as soon as she learns to walk, you could let me know and I could take you two to see Dracula."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8forOLv4AM
"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?"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPhEL4SVZqZ
"I doubt that second one. The part of him not recognizing you is more reasonable than anything else."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4eeAOY818u
"True. But what about Nightingale? Will he even know who she is? What if he thinks she's someone else? What if—"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIBEZ6TAyUJ
"What on earth is your daughter doing?"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4EUROEJJrn
"Playing with sand."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJf5kQkHa27
"I don't think she is. It doesn't look like it."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBONcuans9O
I look at Nightingale and gasp. "Nightingale, what are you doing?"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37gwRtEoNS
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.302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJCJWPSVVgi
"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.302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1KlFyJr0c
"Da! Doo! Da! Dee!" She squeals.
I laugh and smile. "You're so cute."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy0Vt3xaRmY
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.302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡloaa4BTnLr
"What did you say?"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7bQnQoSP2E
"Dad! Daddy!"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2U3o7ydNqD
I gasp. I look up at Samual. "What am I going to do? I can't just go visit him. I have a job."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZOosgGQaP5
"Do you have any vacation days?"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMfxmk90EA
"I think I have about a month so far."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqW2yTYpff
"You could take a few days to a week off so you can go visit him. For her."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhkLv3q5A5E
"She'll be turning one in three days."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz3ehZWlBcD
"Perfect!"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5PIVcpagas
"What's perfect?"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc4tkx8Tud4
"You could take her to see him for her birthday."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡABOEShNssH
I look at Nightingale, who's looking at me with a confused look on her face.302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr3U7M2xRYX
"Mommy?"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡte0jxWQ3IU
"Oh. Yes. I'm mommy."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5UhUvjVOgg
"I daddy."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSNMOepvTQb
"You're daddy?"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLAdgGCmAWg
"Uh-uh. I daddy."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd8ge8mJ9LN
"Oh. You want daddy."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5QpDTdSyq
"Yah. I daddy." She looks up at me with a sad look in her eyes.302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwWm9ZSLVWp
"Oh, baby. Come here."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrFDbRwUCoW
She climbs into my lap and puts her head against my breast. I can hear her sobbing.302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG0TZC7I3cw
"I … daddy," she sobs.302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPIrp0i4Xdw
I stroke her hair. "Oh. It's alright. Shh."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDuZHs0DxXS
Samual looks at me sympathetically. "Well, you could call work and ask for a week of vacation."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLUdnmaGkwB
"Why would I do that?"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1xeu3qEOhf
"It's obvious she wants to see him really badly. You could do that for her first birthday."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡor3njJAtl2
"But I don't know my way out there."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6pHHdt4FiE
"I could take you."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8p2CLeCSi
"But Nightingale needs a car seat."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkrSwOs5sRV
"You can hold her in your lap and I can take the back roads."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqgvv0Odr22
"Oh. Fine. For her." I pull out my phone and call my boss.302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzL1ZTSrr6k
"Hello?"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTHb6f1YaW
"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."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9miqaCtmyA
"A week? Are you sure?"302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZ8ngaWM4W
"Yes, I'm sure."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXbVYCON2Uo
"That'll leave you three weeks."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAo38Kw0DEU
"Yes, I'm aware of that."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQIziWRTgXf
"Alright. A week it is."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVJJAOiddiF
"Okay. Thank you."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlZYYvNyjc
"Yup. Bye."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzbKLcIvYih
"Bye."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLLNXDbpzVB
I end the call and smile. "It worked."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ74uClD70IU
"Seriously? You're kidding."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfODeEKXx9e
"Yeah, seriously. I got a week off."302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1BGPkUeXtO
He just looks at me.302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD3bruI525f
I smile.302Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoutK2oRjgH
