Eleven months later …430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QrUDCuTas
"Hey, little Nightingale?"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa1EUO6t9fN
"Dah! Dee! Doo!"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVMgI0ULPIU
"Nightingale?"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNLn54vTEOQ
"Uh?" She drops her blocks and looks up.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHagukD23D
"Do you want to go somewhere? Hm?"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZVUxQxQjFk
She tilts her head, like, woman, have you lost your mind? Of course! She jumps up and falls on her butt. She screams.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn59WcCvmFN
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."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJnY4Dik5g
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.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3tE4eY13Qo
"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.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgwoXSZgkPP
"You're one happy camper, aren't you? Happy you finally get to come outside in public? Hmm?"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRGaYL8YNQ8
She squeals again.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ9u6IJtNP9
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."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkPVOLBGBlK
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.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCoPSWZ9zPK
He bends down and strokes her hair. "You're absolutely beautiful."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzILD03unr1
"Dee!" She puts her hands over his eyes and giggles.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZzxV0PTpdu
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.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVBcgkye5Ln
"Hello?" I ask. "Who is this?"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ62NYRthXvO
"Why, Nikki, how could you not know?"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqzzotsgHAa
"Mom, I didn't look at the phone number. I didn't—"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4qc0yJoLe
"I found a foster—"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6tZQxJ4DkS
I groan. "Mom, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not getting rid of Nightingale. At all. Is that understood?"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB3FXiFriy2
"But her father isn't—"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVG6fd3uW2T
"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."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk4PJBNZq10
"But what about college?"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYgEr9w48B2
"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."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmKq6dgTvYm
I suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn around to see the man standing behind me.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhiT5pn7vmM
"You alright?"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡprlMK9hdQy
"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."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJDMEcV3Sb
After an hour, I finally am starting to wonder who the mysterious man is. I look up and see him looking at me.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzemnimqgtM
"Who are you?" I ask.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsiMsF2M4Ip
"Samual. You don't remember me?"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW7wVGYcDBV
"No."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLAw23ODH7G
"I'm sure Dracula would absolutely love her." He looks at her and back at me. "Has she learned to walk yet?"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Oifj3cUYL
"No. She hasn't. She's only eleven months old."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMoVH4d0S9h
"Well, as soon as she learns to walk, you could let me know and I could take you two to see Dracula."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmNXrEbAUoD
"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?"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2UCokcoVTL
"I doubt that second one. The part of him not recognizing you is more reasonable than anything else."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMoTGnylv1
"True. But what about Nightingale? Will he even know who she is? What if he thinks she's someone else? What if—"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFqSJDiVLlz
"What on earth is your daughter doing?"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5E54du9Y5h
"Playing with sand."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFHLFOLxHQ
"I don't think she is. It doesn't look like it."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGnRWPBWYqi
I look at Nightingale and gasp. "Nightingale, what are you doing?"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3Sydoor0k
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.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJUahniFqV
"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.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡheI7VHOWwg
"Da! Doo! Da! Dee!" She squeals.
I laugh and smile. "You're so cute."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT0lYZhKR34
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.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAFNi9ZaZvp
"What did you say?"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVhOdhgVEAq
"Dad! Daddy!"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRwZ6s2KqwC
I gasp. I look up at Samual. "What am I going to do? I can't just go visit him. I have a job."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaPYEFa1UQ7
"Do you have any vacation days?"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUNxqfw4GMJ
"I think I have about a month so far."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlA7BIovzAJ
"You could take a few days to a week off so you can go visit him. For her."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDa1aTHVsz
"She'll be turning one in three days."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvChzS8l7to
"Perfect!"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUzU8nscOqL
"What's perfect?"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwRktMCJ4vT
"You could take her to see him for her birthday."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9oq0WxCKM2
I look at Nightingale, who's looking at me with a confused look on her face.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjxLX76znrM
"Mommy?"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5oo6lZw7Gx
"Oh. Yes. I'm mommy."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcjSeXBNxj
"I daddy."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR9BaC55j7t
"You're daddy?"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvbkIfFhdS1
"Uh-uh. I daddy."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Z93FyFjES
"Oh. You want daddy."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsfjkhghxcm
"Yah. I daddy." She looks up at me with a sad look in her eyes.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡovoR3j7Gy7
"Oh, baby. Come here."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgUJ1zrnCl
She climbs into my lap and puts her head against my breast. I can hear her sobbing.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPtcIwVFuB2
"I … daddy," she sobs.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7OZGwIzk64
I stroke her hair. "Oh. It's alright. Shh."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCRr24o5QJi
Samual looks at me sympathetically. "Well, you could call work and ask for a week of vacation."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTKP3x4K1D
"Why would I do that?"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBoHDcRAJPb
"It's obvious she wants to see him really badly. You could do that for her first birthday."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvYZm85ff6
"But I don't know my way out there."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWPBlSJtTX
"I could take you."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXuArwnv8sP
"But Nightingale needs a car seat."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAWjXcHRswf
"You can hold her in your lap and I can take the back roads."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHVH85oV1d5
"Oh. Fine. For her." I pull out my phone and call my boss.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC5KWhyqtqB
"Hello?"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspdH5walkD
"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."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmBCBGw69UT
"A week? Are you sure?"430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCIaKWBbmaU
"Yes, I'm sure."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30y517yTMI
"That'll leave you three weeks."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4pBQN9qqm
"Yes, I'm aware of that."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBtUjAEr2n7
"Alright. A week it is."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQVk71PmUr
"Okay. Thank you."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ10AURPDDik
"Yup. Bye."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1hJlVgzuX
"Bye."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk2iRXwpvFO
I end the call and smile. "It worked."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKOLddSmJbl
"Seriously? You're kidding."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDQr5QIH23S
"Yeah, seriously. I got a week off."430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡavfCymoVDf
He just looks at me.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡftfrxgUuPl
I smile.430Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3eDVyrn4IY
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