Eleven months later …423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLuFFOcrWmp
"Hey, little Nightingale?"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ljCnmEBps
"Dah! Dee! Doo!"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUA1g4bLoW
"Nightingale?"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5TybCXy9D
"Uh?" She drops her blocks and looks up.423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAjJPOuLcD9
"Do you want to go somewhere? Hm?"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLLegADVOG
She tilts her head, like, woman, have you lost your mind? Of course! She jumps up and falls on her butt. She screams.423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpLhp5l8mbM
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."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqDuV3tv1x
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.423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYObXY9OD8I
"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.423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZZM3i7vep
"You're one happy camper, aren't you? Happy you finally get to come outside in public? Hmm?"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrIweolX2f
She squeals again.423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP7QXjJ1MOq
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."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ZktDx5bK4
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.423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPwmeGvQunA
He bends down and strokes her hair. "You're absolutely beautiful."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQzyMahFAjR
"Dee!" She puts her hands over his eyes and giggles.423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6djmTls7s
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.423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72RMTSpnNx
"Hello?" I ask. "Who is this?"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡerFOnDSebR
"Why, Nikki, how could you not know?"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHhY5pgLpJu
"Mom, I didn't look at the phone number. I didn't—"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwWLahv87Ee
"I found a foster—"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI4NBMuTw9V
I groan. "Mom, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not getting rid of Nightingale. At all. Is that understood?"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9XEaMRNDf
"But her father isn't—"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0bE8d6TVpi
"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."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqbZneU6gk5
"But what about college?"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpfq95qOgW
"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."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoGkFrzC71T
I suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn around to see the man standing behind me.423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRFVr03NNwK
"You alright?"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmvDvtXASO
"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."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK79jRM5Rx1
After an hour, I finally am starting to wonder who the mysterious man is. I look up and see him looking at me.423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVVcmiWJXi
"Who are you?" I ask.423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnKUrVbMlFj
"Samual. You don't remember me?"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcW50STY5Y5
"No."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUUo3nmXjve
"I'm sure Dracula would absolutely love her." He looks at her and back at me. "Has she learned to walk yet?"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgpjpqMLh7d
"No. She hasn't. She's only eleven months old."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5WVwmfKlG8
"Well, as soon as she learns to walk, you could let me know and I could take you two to see Dracula."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9zhnsUq7O
"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?"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIaCg1n7kzV
"I doubt that second one. The part of him not recognizing you is more reasonable than anything else."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXaiHEow0L1
"True. But what about Nightingale? Will he even know who she is? What if he thinks she's someone else? What if—"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMFl0S3pIM
"What on earth is your daughter doing?"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoObRtVqvHM
"Playing with sand."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3CvWmWtGe
"I don't think she is. It doesn't look like it."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXu1FbtzyEC
I look at Nightingale and gasp. "Nightingale, what are you doing?"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyOk5UglnDi
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.423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTpJTJASAvp
"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.423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnYiZw4fhf
"Da! Doo! Da! Dee!" She squeals.
I laugh and smile. "You're so cute."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeszK60jLWG
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.423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjEuBBbfXYL
"What did you say?"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQC3Mr8SCfn
"Dad! Daddy!"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ2BQpnOUrx
I gasp. I look up at Samual. "What am I going to do? I can't just go visit him. I have a job."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7c6sJkPn2l
"Do you have any vacation days?"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ06wvNFHjPK
"I think I have about a month so far."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6QFB53q8IV
"You could take a few days to a week off so you can go visit him. For her."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRhWkLt1BRx
"She'll be turning one in three days."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzOUVnUHbgR
"Perfect!"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHLcSCs1Ysm
"What's perfect?"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5lX3Oi0of
"You could take her to see him for her birthday."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WfP0MB0mF
I look at Nightingale, who's looking at me with a confused look on her face.423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgCAohX7FAH
"Mommy?"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefvbgAPYxt
"Oh. Yes. I'm mommy."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ900YACwRK3
"I daddy."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNTeaAJPyqC
"You're daddy?"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwt0EWNXaOa
"Uh-uh. I daddy."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlc69ugxHOb
"Oh. You want daddy."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQRB5tgh2e
"Yah. I daddy." She looks up at me with a sad look in her eyes.423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpr3WZYiSYu
"Oh, baby. Come here."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxRYdDaP2Kl
She climbs into my lap and puts her head against my breast. I can hear her sobbing.423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtvzGIoM8tK
"I … daddy," she sobs.423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8nd8prM1uF
I stroke her hair. "Oh. It's alright. Shh."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQD7kq1YFS
Samual looks at me sympathetically. "Well, you could call work and ask for a week of vacation."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk4HM1Za9nu
"Why would I do that?"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvGgQIOlBc7
"It's obvious she wants to see him really badly. You could do that for her first birthday."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOS0qgkefk1
"But I don't know my way out there."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq2jLMxf009
"I could take you."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJHFVXRp13Q
"But Nightingale needs a car seat."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnp7u6CNdzM
"You can hold her in your lap and I can take the back roads."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjXTe6o2BDp
"Oh. Fine. For her." I pull out my phone and call my boss.423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzCn1Gd5U5
"Hello?"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAKKwXNfTyi
"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."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9DdAgrpnS
"A week? Are you sure?"423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUnwAZ2qbvg
"Yes, I'm sure."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUO7jwF6Sz0
"That'll leave you three weeks."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNFRU1d6PH
"Yes, I'm aware of that."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrh7feepyRO
"Alright. A week it is."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMhvYczoFas
"Okay. Thank you."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu9a3vTxnaI
"Yup. Bye."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG7qcepvYyy
"Bye."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5oKE0C98rc
I end the call and smile. "It worked."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡasTOkYJkfg
"Seriously? You're kidding."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzF359mnsvi
"Yeah, seriously. I got a week off."423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2pXftYrFH2
He just looks at me.423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDkgJpm767U
I smile.423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVW7947HUIL
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