Turn Around, Look at Me

He had no idea she’d be waiting.

She knew that.

He had no idea who she was.

She knew that, too.

That, however, never diminished her hope or her enthusiasm. Katherine would come to the park every weekend and wait.

She’d seen him there for the first time a few months ago. He was there with an adorable little girl Kate assumed was his daughter.

Each time she saw him, she never once saw what might have been the child’s mother.

Did she work weekends? Was he a weekend dad? Was he divorced? Or was he a widower?

Part of her hoped for divorce. She didn’t want to think of that beautiful little girl without someone waiting at home for her.

And yet, again, she found herself sitting on the bench every weekend – waiting, waiting for some stranger who she was sure didn’t know she existed.

Sometimes, she brought a book to read. Other times, she brought her camera. The scenery at that park was too exquisite not to try and capture it on a camera card.

Although tempted, not once did she take pictures of the little girl with or without her dad. Kate thought it would be an invasion of their privacy. She knew the beautiful little girl would make a most memorable photo, but still couldn’t justify her ambition over the family privacy.

Wandering around the park, snapping photo after photo, she inadvertently overhead a conversation between the little girl and her dad.

“Daddy, when am I gonna see mommy, again?”

He replied, “Not for a long time, sweetie. She had to go away.”

It broke Kate’s heart thinking that the little girl had no mom to go home to. Then she heard something else that had her rethinking the situation.

“Nancy’s your mom now. You like Nancy, don’t you?”

“Yes, Daddy, but I miss mommy.”

The girl’s dad sounded a bit abrupt when he said, “Well, Anna, you won’t be seeing her anymore. Get used to it!”

Kate didn’t want to spy but yet, she felt the need to hear more. She quietly sat on the ground and waited.

Anna said in a heart-breaking tone of voice, “Daddy, why do you call me Anna? I told you my name is Tracy. And where is my real daddy?”

The girl began to sob. She sniffed and continued, “I want my mommy and daddy. I want to go home, now.”

Kate’s heart rate rose drastically. This man is NOT the girl’s father? Then who is he? And who is the woman Nancy that’s waiting for them to return? And where are the girl’s parents?

Kate quietly rose to her knees where he could see the man and Tracy. She was hopeful they wouldn’t see or hear her.

As quiet as possible, she focused her camera on the pair. Their backs were turned, and she couldn’t get a photo of their faces. The idea came quickly to Kate. She silently walked backwards, a small step at a time so she wouldn’t draw attention to herself. She had her camera in her hand and her backpack that contained her camera accessories slung over her shoulder.

After retreating several steps, she shrugged her shoulders through the straps of her backpack and adjusted the weight. She walked a few yards to the other side of the playground.

There out of view from the man and child, she attached the zoom lens on her camera and focused it on Tracy and the man who called himself her dad. Then she snapped the shutter. As they moved, she snapped a few more. She studied the photos through the viewing screen and satisfied that she had many decent photos, left the park, got in her car, and drove to the nearest police station.