Eleven months later …416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKbBTvQLJHL
"Hey, little Nightingale?"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzoALDjwlx6
"Dah! Dee! Doo!"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6OQXzrcOPY
"Nightingale?"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡibEnoS7j2Z
"Uh?" She drops her blocks and looks up.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz74GaEXXbS
"Do you want to go somewhere? Hm?"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9j2kJEp4Nf
She tilts her head, like, woman, have you lost your mind? Of course! She jumps up and falls on her butt. She screams.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGPMXnxtiF
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."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVDPfjQEAoc
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.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi7HPOZdrP1
"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.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqaQc7XQ2BX
"You're one happy camper, aren't you? Happy you finally get to come outside in public? Hmm?"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaNJOSdDWJM
She squeals again.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfoD8BbPFCN
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."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡioESUlOaf9
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.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNPBvo1Igv
He bends down and strokes her hair. "You're absolutely beautiful."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxIu6N1hgi7
"Dee!" She puts her hands over his eyes and giggles.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOSwytjbPCi
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.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUjpOGLfTr
"Hello?" I ask. "Who is this?"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQUWxHcgCD
"Why, Nikki, how could you not know?"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv0mGLZXXAx
"Mom, I didn't look at the phone number. I didn't—"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTK5BcrqGAM
"I found a foster—"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJRVzc9zawZ
I groan. "Mom, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not getting rid of Nightingale. At all. Is that understood?"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRD1pVwOxWm
"But her father isn't—"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Otj2EkGTJ
"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."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTdbiLs8Vc
"But what about college?"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCDRD1EjDZU
"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."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ3HOpSvKoD
I suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn around to see the man standing behind me.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡafZoBwNTrI
"You alright?"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfnt2eeIj58
"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."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6SF9adyAkR
After an hour, I finally am starting to wonder who the mysterious man is. I look up and see him looking at me.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3oc7uPbUy5
"Who are you?" I ask.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA3ByAXXhK0
"Samual. You don't remember me?"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijlh3jHbc6
"No."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZ4bIh7PwB
"I'm sure Dracula would absolutely love her." He looks at her and back at me. "Has she learned to walk yet?"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSmuzpKX8qj
"No. She hasn't. She's only eleven months old."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvvkgv0gzpd
"Well, as soon as she learns to walk, you could let me know and I could take you two to see Dracula."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn02GjAp18N
"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?"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeVTqUWIlca
"I doubt that second one. The part of him not recognizing you is more reasonable than anything else."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK4Y8ScY264
"True. But what about Nightingale? Will he even know who she is? What if he thinks she's someone else? What if—"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7kjDEaOT8b
"What on earth is your daughter doing?"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIwY12MDrAu
"Playing with sand."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9LDKOywpD
"I don't think she is. It doesn't look like it."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHvw4Ipm1SP
I look at Nightingale and gasp. "Nightingale, what are you doing?"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2wVIyh1RRs
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.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrLOTGgVGg
"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.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDSlWO5Xxwt
"Da! Doo! Da! Dee!" She squeals.
I laugh and smile. "You're so cute."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoiBSjmMIfQ
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.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsAs7HxuYw
"What did you say?"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkqlqyz4MQP
"Dad! Daddy!"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEZDoagQnaT
I gasp. I look up at Samual. "What am I going to do? I can't just go visit him. I have a job."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLvDWd2gDA
"Do you have any vacation days?"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzxqJRZFEqN
"I think I have about a month so far."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ1iFEzjiRH
"You could take a few days to a week off so you can go visit him. For her."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU13y9szee3
"She'll be turning one in three days."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjEttNL7ZbM
"Perfect!"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe52YJYUJtd
"What's perfect?"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsc5G5EK1Qw
"You could take her to see him for her birthday."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnBMlYfKHnF
I look at Nightingale, who's looking at me with a confused look on her face.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdCfe8yO7si
"Mommy?"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXtVqwjImR
"Oh. Yes. I'm mommy."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡueA3ILaOxN
"I daddy."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxk1jtUw7IN
"You're daddy?"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBhHsyQwmQM
"Uh-uh. I daddy."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl2y5VG6U7S
"Oh. You want daddy."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLE4ur1Nyz
"Yah. I daddy." She looks up at me with a sad look in her eyes.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOKteCOZraW
"Oh, baby. Come here."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1I0uQkn2h
She climbs into my lap and puts her head against my breast. I can hear her sobbing.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtptNM7QCSB
"I … daddy," she sobs.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUpNYv78DJT
I stroke her hair. "Oh. It's alright. Shh."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxw4r0A9VSr
Samual looks at me sympathetically. "Well, you could call work and ask for a week of vacation."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNAMcoWbhj
"Why would I do that?"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0SKkit7m15
"It's obvious she wants to see him really badly. You could do that for her first birthday."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfdpmdv9OB
"But I don't know my way out there."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQi3waJME79
"I could take you."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAql5utpVVa
"But Nightingale needs a car seat."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡowS2t73UqF
"You can hold her in your lap and I can take the back roads."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUkYLoQUwI
"Oh. Fine. For her." I pull out my phone and call my boss.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwTUG3TBOoQ
"Hello?"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2QWmXFy5eT
"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."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqT6wl10rx
"A week? Are you sure?"416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXUHdNXvXb
"Yes, I'm sure."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwsLufDJNo
"That'll leave you three weeks."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUW4Kmy17cV
"Yes, I'm aware of that."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUgz7KLSdNT
"Alright. A week it is."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4IFJpdhsx
"Okay. Thank you."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsqjvTCmRSR
"Yup. Bye."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvYIMTO01Dn
"Bye."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQUsVxdllMu
I end the call and smile. "It worked."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwivetIhadI
"Seriously? You're kidding."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtFRlqagZd5
"Yeah, seriously. I got a week off."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKEMRzh7NkZ
He just looks at me.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6qrZaiauaM
I smile.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG9xHCoaCc6
