Eleven months later …653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9YCbzLLqHu
"Hey, little Nightingale?"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZTgOgX6uZ
"Dah! Dee! Doo!"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxoH1p9GQeR
"Nightingale?"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaF5NuLbjJW
"Uh?" She drops her blocks and looks up.653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XebpcHh5u
"Do you want to go somewhere? Hm?"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXLoRXUWukc
She tilts her head, like, woman, have you lost your mind? Of course! She jumps up and falls on her butt. She screams.653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxvK4feoscl
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."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ07Hqi7NBy1
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.653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMZKD960fp
"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.653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOdK3pT3gr
"You're one happy camper, aren't you? Happy you finally get to come outside in public? Hmm?"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvXZ74ApJ4L
She squeals again.653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vBJJ16zWZ
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."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK0LM7k5bRq
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.653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2pUcxkfVhZ
He bends down and strokes her hair. "You're absolutely beautiful."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgetyJO3aOv
"Dee!" She puts her hands over his eyes and giggles.653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb97881lLWT
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.653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiFPVsgXVfO
"Hello?" I ask. "Who is this?"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgWcZnPYfZ
"Why, Nikki, how could you not know?"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgbwDjYiFdB
"Mom, I didn't look at the phone number. I didn't—"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWBv7wvXyu4
"I found a foster—"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVnAlULHLeK
I groan. "Mom, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not getting rid of Nightingale. At all. Is that understood?"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxvijs4WOBt
"But her father isn't—"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4bfWwCSsmq
"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."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoN9VtlETob
"But what about college?"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAeE2fX86yu
"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."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVN6dxOUkUN
I suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn around to see the man standing behind me.653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4pv60Y1xRN
"You alright?"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09AVcMwMNq
"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."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡID7TZrQTT1
After an hour, I finally am starting to wonder who the mysterious man is. I look up and see him looking at me.653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFxdTImxuBs
"Who are you?" I ask.653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzLOJ8dO3hk
"Samual. You don't remember me?"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWBK5XYDL70
"No."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjVgEevhzbs
"I'm sure Dracula would absolutely love her." He looks at her and back at me. "Has she learned to walk yet?"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuMZP7SxFjC
"No. She hasn't. She's only eleven months old."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjjfYSiDLXQ
"Well, as soon as she learns to walk, you could let me know and I could take you two to see Dracula."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRytRyzF6a
"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?"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0Im5dAMdX
"I doubt that second one. The part of him not recognizing you is more reasonable than anything else."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqnRaVb5Tk0
"True. But what about Nightingale? Will he even know who she is? What if he thinks she's someone else? What if—"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZy8OaSBvrm
"What on earth is your daughter doing?"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQaEiZVw3E
"Playing with sand."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbYJ0uDIPwA
"I don't think she is. It doesn't look like it."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8b0Eo6egVo
I look at Nightingale and gasp. "Nightingale, what are you doing?"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaOSEdbQFQv
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.653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkuxrgJmnxv
"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.653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5jVE7CD0h
"Da! Doo! Da! Dee!" She squeals.
I laugh and smile. "You're so cute."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMp4w3PinuH
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.653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5KIshVcwUi
"What did you say?"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGPYC1jKg7v
"Dad! Daddy!"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxuGW0SUnct
I gasp. I look up at Samual. "What am I going to do? I can't just go visit him. I have a job."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf31Z3WCdzY
"Do you have any vacation days?"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBjAucPsHpl
"I think I have about a month so far."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5adsaTiuY5
"You could take a few days to a week off so you can go visit him. For her."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLNNFTxAZLC
"She'll be turning one in three days."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpoJExMPhP
"Perfect!"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHlLg6VvAA
"What's perfect?"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxv6LxVt4H
"You could take her to see him for her birthday."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPSP04jBb0
I look at Nightingale, who's looking at me with a confused look on her face.653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUzsJWs6sy
"Mommy?"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ERveLJHuO
"Oh. Yes. I'm mommy."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHY4dsdUqBK
"I daddy."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9NfJBh0caM
"You're daddy?"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxLcTqIY8J
"Uh-uh. I daddy."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡptbzOCfe5h
"Oh. You want daddy."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTwTc2TFZUA
"Yah. I daddy." She looks up at me with a sad look in her eyes.653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR1a1by7GFw
"Oh, baby. Come here."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTirZwUIuye
She climbs into my lap and puts her head against my breast. I can hear her sobbing.653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB0xXoCi0v2
"I … daddy," she sobs.653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdpVYvSgA1
I stroke her hair. "Oh. It's alright. Shh."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQX6zIcvFuD
Samual looks at me sympathetically. "Well, you could call work and ask for a week of vacation."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFdGXHdTgjC
"Why would I do that?"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZRtvewmCm
"It's obvious she wants to see him really badly. You could do that for her first birthday."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDWw2oJnefy
"But I don't know my way out there."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡypdy5tusH2
"I could take you."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡues8Q9Ouej
"But Nightingale needs a car seat."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8fT3axsUa
"You can hold her in your lap and I can take the back roads."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwVXPbxP07n
"Oh. Fine. For her." I pull out my phone and call my boss.653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDalFVQqEjC
"Hello?"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd9cstSgkwU
"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."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ200LA2HPmr
"A week? Are you sure?"653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIH0zjqUHEr
"Yes, I'm sure."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqbaKYkTZDE
"That'll leave you three weeks."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJV8tW2mJ5
"Yes, I'm aware of that."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsmzIwVC88
"Alright. A week it is."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzybqAUDkL9
"Okay. Thank you."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7HrxlCw0So
"Yup. Bye."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbIjLroIeOn
"Bye."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1me4ZoW0Lp
I end the call and smile. "It worked."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLasaanhbmk
"Seriously? You're kidding."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Tdk5WBgrd
"Yeah, seriously. I got a week off."653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRf6TYSmByC
He just looks at me.653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkbF1hnSPNx
I smile.653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZhkB30BeRd
and then Add to home screen.