Eleven months later …301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpq3wQECBeW
"Hey, little Nightingale?"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUXYB9cxKX8
"Dah! Dee! Doo!"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU1xbU5kZe6
"Nightingale?"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6smPRvMU4X
"Uh?" She drops her blocks and looks up.301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMN0Z69jIL
"Do you want to go somewhere? Hm?"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8QednT9Z6u
She tilts her head, like, woman, have you lost your mind? Of course! She jumps up and falls on her butt. She screams.301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtxopEJHqWY
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."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKgHo4DSuza
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.301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡclx4z9b9m3
"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.301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOhMgrU3LoQ
"You're one happy camper, aren't you? Happy you finally get to come outside in public? Hmm?"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYUBXbY4e3S
She squeals again.301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvso3W06haq
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."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyB4qQpqKak
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.301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46dZC2fTTI
He bends down and strokes her hair. "You're absolutely beautiful."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAshvai5phl
"Dee!" She puts her hands over his eyes and giggles.301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2UVVwxyo8
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.301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrjgDcK1tc
"Hello?" I ask. "Who is this?"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ70VOAwHqrR
"Why, Nikki, how could you not know?"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL9rfchqsOV
"Mom, I didn't look at the phone number. I didn't—"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAf5Ow6x8hI
"I found a foster—"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1yEtUf9tgr
I groan. "Mom, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not getting rid of Nightingale. At all. Is that understood?"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49IqaWf2PI
"But her father isn't—"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyuTu7rTnyf
"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."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbBUShX98UT
"But what about college?"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQsWPxwyMgi
"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."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIrj29gt1IL
I suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn around to see the man standing behind me.301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4PgpJ4Q1b
"You alright?"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnHew2JhuC
"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."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQtUfgE5iN
After an hour, I finally am starting to wonder who the mysterious man is. I look up and see him looking at me.301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡckcmr4mmff
"Who are you?" I ask.301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJakQJ1rQy
"Samual. You don't remember me?"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwHorO0ugmf
"No."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhXFpPCKvN
"I'm sure Dracula would absolutely love her." He looks at her and back at me. "Has she learned to walk yet?"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8bnjh0k268
"No. She hasn't. She's only eleven months old."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOfEyeD5LzU
"Well, as soon as she learns to walk, you could let me know and I could take you two to see Dracula."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGP5vQASqZI
"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?"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeCXznncJ4S
"I doubt that second one. The part of him not recognizing you is more reasonable than anything else."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOfOAFUFUCw
"True. But what about Nightingale? Will he even know who she is? What if he thinks she's someone else? What if—"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3ynW6PfIs
"What on earth is your daughter doing?"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv11LS18Lnc
"Playing with sand."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡomwJVk75I7
"I don't think she is. It doesn't look like it."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENBFBd5UQt
I look at Nightingale and gasp. "Nightingale, what are you doing?"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOE6PViC2mo
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.301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxF4PC4Uat4
"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.301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwiqDOZF7vE
"Da! Doo! Da! Dee!" She squeals.
I laugh and smile. "You're so cute."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQiAU8WXKA
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.301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWcp1r2APC
"What did you say?"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCtVU1rvLgB
"Dad! Daddy!"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL8NMX1DhQ9
I gasp. I look up at Samual. "What am I going to do? I can't just go visit him. I have a job."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgjuz2XwTWT
"Do you have any vacation days?"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKdOuQzbB86
"I think I have about a month so far."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpUWeSRKPJB
"You could take a few days to a week off so you can go visit him. For her."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjkUK3K7bLn
"She'll be turning one in three days."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGjD5vHuzmV
"Perfect!"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKwsonSNCT
"What's perfect?"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Kpy8zzwfh
"You could take her to see him for her birthday."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ14ANvzUf1E
I look at Nightingale, who's looking at me with a confused look on her face.301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaOjGK64rrj
"Mommy?"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBKHokBVMcc
"Oh. Yes. I'm mommy."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsFmBL6eRvN
"I daddy."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8sYrs0vIZ6
"You're daddy?"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKgG1Ppp98
"Uh-uh. I daddy."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV9eVJ06eSs
"Oh. You want daddy."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMzYXJWdGl
"Yah. I daddy." She looks up at me with a sad look in her eyes.301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwTKSQLxciI
"Oh, baby. Come here."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDEA3gQaiMo
She climbs into my lap and puts her head against my breast. I can hear her sobbing.301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡakAfiNrPgP
"I … daddy," she sobs.301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSlNzIKzfTb
I stroke her hair. "Oh. It's alright. Shh."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQiFFmHBrL
Samual looks at me sympathetically. "Well, you could call work and ask for a week of vacation."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3p0p6w6TNs
"Why would I do that?"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkVZZKjzfFR
"It's obvious she wants to see him really badly. You could do that for her first birthday."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvRvN0nEKXh
"But I don't know my way out there."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9zt3ij9w1
"I could take you."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfThtbxUrKg
"But Nightingale needs a car seat."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPQDcVMF78Y
"You can hold her in your lap and I can take the back roads."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqg1U8vnDmO
"Oh. Fine. For her." I pull out my phone and call my boss.301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSzTOXnpDB4
"Hello?"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe53sXFIPqL
"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."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNrTNXe6aSZ
"A week? Are you sure?"301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTu6eY1Ff2
"Yes, I'm sure."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ65WupdjS3b
"That'll leave you three weeks."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc7vlbXMbGk
"Yes, I'm aware of that."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi0SWYT6yjr
"Alright. A week it is."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGsiSfSHgZG
"Okay. Thank you."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNFIA9goyt
"Yup. Bye."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPuf1rtrUM
"Bye."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTjvNAspGZe
I end the call and smile. "It worked."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4kSrG930i
"Seriously? You're kidding."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37tTghk2eM
"Yeah, seriously. I got a week off."301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0dxUJH3T7B
He just looks at me.301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqcuUPlg5mp
I smile.301Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ84gVxvprzy
