Eleven months later …436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLn8z90hW5
"Hey, little Nightingale?"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2LmNpFGVka
"Dah! Dee! Doo!"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn1fSc3GSQ7
"Nightingale?"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkGX8COkR3K
"Uh?" She drops her blocks and looks up.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5AWR6K4VXc
"Do you want to go somewhere? Hm?"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrrJwk8yfA
She tilts her head, like, woman, have you lost your mind? Of course! She jumps up and falls on her butt. She screams.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZjgmkZaRhj
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."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGo45Da5p3s
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.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmv2fKOHApS
"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.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0NBRx1707J
"You're one happy camper, aren't you? Happy you finally get to come outside in public? Hmm?"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNtNkwGrRuZ
She squeals again.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡETheSh1vmE
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."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAmE99g0De5
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.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWiy9nwx4X
He bends down and strokes her hair. "You're absolutely beautiful."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOpgxrThSta
"Dee!" She puts her hands over his eyes and giggles.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2uiwLzwIlh
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.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJnLxxslcJG
"Hello?" I ask. "Who is this?"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxPXjmzBsjv
"Why, Nikki, how could you not know?"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjiILIT9GcO
"Mom, I didn't look at the phone number. I didn't—"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsOPm3vmj9F
"I found a foster—"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXWNj8FGw9
I groan. "Mom, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not getting rid of Nightingale. At all. Is that understood?"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8sF67MEDXb
"But her father isn't—"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUawcLxcqtJ
"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."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWzpBnwWfnX
"But what about college?"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2QWhw2iheh
"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."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9zrMaRAfo
I suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn around to see the man standing behind me.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpwu6x0yLjn
"You alright?"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZDxakSdeM
"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."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVOVELsuZj
After an hour, I finally am starting to wonder who the mysterious man is. I look up and see him looking at me.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8glcSEmmmA
"Who are you?" I ask.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT8btcSLj2x
"Samual. You don't remember me?"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡab8qHOnjze
"No."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3yIds3JbLy
"I'm sure Dracula would absolutely love her." He looks at her and back at me. "Has she learned to walk yet?"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbgXOXJmo5M
"No. She hasn't. She's only eleven months old."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrIdBUbni2v
"Well, as soon as she learns to walk, you could let me know and I could take you two to see Dracula."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm40OJ7o1IJ
"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?"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6kKo1gQTmz
"I doubt that second one. The part of him not recognizing you is more reasonable than anything else."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwsGvUIdrZO
"True. But what about Nightingale? Will he even know who she is? What if he thinks she's someone else? What if—"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJbmm2kp8IV
"What on earth is your daughter doing?"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD7tdWkggJ6
"Playing with sand."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcOGrnRygVq
"I don't think she is. It doesn't look like it."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkOPmTA3feU
I look at Nightingale and gasp. "Nightingale, what are you doing?"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmeG3OxCzYY
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.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBvSW2wnsMU
"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.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOhy3yAEid5
"Da! Doo! Da! Dee!" She squeals.
I laugh and smile. "You're so cute."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpM73M7QctI
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.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTHbIWBuRq
"What did you say?"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPWJB5WsvF
"Dad! Daddy!"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1TdBsVcli
I gasp. I look up at Samual. "What am I going to do? I can't just go visit him. I have a job."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLpwdL2hbbc
"Do you have any vacation days?"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1XcJR9y7Q9
"I think I have about a month so far."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5qVPTed14
"You could take a few days to a week off so you can go visit him. For her."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHqQN0mbW8
"She'll be turning one in three days."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8JYFj9HaPO
"Perfect!"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcdFput2auN
"What's perfect?"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡooVWeZEYVE
"You could take her to see him for her birthday."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAAkP2EuT5Q
I look at Nightingale, who's looking at me with a confused look on her face.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPmsSxeRZTn
"Mommy?"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmMVsHBu7M
"Oh. Yes. I'm mommy."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzcC7g5CXkm
"I daddy."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf8UAVtuv1g
"You're daddy?"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvsfaoBPl2
"Uh-uh. I daddy."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP1H1BnYLXG
"Oh. You want daddy."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWVEvnxlCbW
"Yah. I daddy." She looks up at me with a sad look in her eyes.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJDG7WwZzX
"Oh, baby. Come here."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmehPZXcusL
She climbs into my lap and puts her head against my breast. I can hear her sobbing.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPRn6fiNrQS
"I … daddy," she sobs.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc3WRyCWkBA
I stroke her hair. "Oh. It's alright. Shh."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4zH8wLrVcC
Samual looks at me sympathetically. "Well, you could call work and ask for a week of vacation."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaO345NfikN
"Why would I do that?"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNDic8zVUef
"It's obvious she wants to see him really badly. You could do that for her first birthday."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyteidPd1T3
"But I don't know my way out there."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkz1MPiaLVn
"I could take you."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ugVDBUkGN
"But Nightingale needs a car seat."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoQhSBhnzjt
"You can hold her in your lap and I can take the back roads."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkYr5y7X3ds
"Oh. Fine. For her." I pull out my phone and call my boss.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡogD4ozb32p
"Hello?"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡchUo2ZBD19
"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."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCAQFLZWijQ
"A week? Are you sure?"436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlWkzmATlei
"Yes, I'm sure."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRlagC9sTzj
"That'll leave you three weeks."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaiBBPkSd1I
"Yes, I'm aware of that."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhobIQREJef
"Alright. A week it is."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡunTnsp0KgG
"Okay. Thank you."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSdFCtSRJe
"Yup. Bye."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNdyoutpTAw
"Bye."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5e74vWyYPN
I end the call and smile. "It worked."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4H5ByTuA9a
"Seriously? You're kidding."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0Yw95BDO5
"Yeah, seriously. I got a week off."436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0TqZKHLQO
He just looks at me.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Ki9YswX4v
I smile.436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWD25HjKRet
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