Love's Redemption

Redmption 342

Arthur was quite brazen. He didn't even care if someone would report him for engaging in shady dealings.

Arthur was visiting, so I couldn't go in there. But I didn't want to go to Ellie's ward either, so I wandered into the hospital's little garden.

"Miss, can you play ball with me?" I hadn't been sitting on the bench for long when a little girl of about three or four years old ran over, looking at me with eager eyes.

Honestly, I didn't want to play, but faced with those eyes, I couldn't refuse. "Alright."

I thought I'd humor her for a bit and then be done with it. But as we played, I started thinking about the times when I was little and how my parents used to play ball with me.

"Madeline, you're a bit clumsy."

"Madeline, you got hit again."

"Madeline..."

I was the young girl's playmate, yet I was still being criticized. How ridiculous! But, honestly, was having a great time.

"Tiffany!"

With that call, the girl stopped in her tracks.

I saw a beautiful woman dressed in a tube top and long pants.

"Mommy, I'm playing with Madeline." The girl brushed back her hair that had gotten messy from running around.

"Tiffany, Daddy's done with work. We need to go," the woman called to her.

Tiffany pouted. "No, I want to play a little longer, just a little longer."

"No, if we're late, Daddy won't wait for us." The woman walked over, swaying on her seven-inch stilettos.

Watching her walk like that, I was a bit worried. The grass was so soft, and if she lost her balance, she could fall.

But she was confident enough to wear them, making her way steadily to where Tiffany and I were.

She ignored me and went straight to her daughter, saying, "Come on. Let's go! You're getting more and more difficult to deal with as you get older."

"I don't want to. I just want to play a bit longer... just a bit!" Tiffany insisted, holding up one finger.

"Fine. Play all you want. I'm leaving!" The woman got frustrated and tried to scare her daughter.

It was an awkward situation, so I

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help coax the child. "Tiffany, e first. Next time you come

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"I won't see you next time." Tiffany was a smart girl. She knew that we were just two strangers and that therewas no chance we'd see each other again.

I reached out and patted her head. "We will. If it's meant to be, we'll meet again."

"Let's go! Let's go!" the woman said impatiently already pulling Tiffany along. She muttered under her breath, "Didn't I tell you not to play with strangers? What if she's a

human trafficker? She

you!

I was speechless.

kidnap

"She is not! Madeline is my good friend. She plays with me, but none of you do!" Tiffany gave her mother a

sassy retort.

The woman grew even more furious. "How dare you talk back to me!"

As the woman angrily raised her hand, I instinctively moved to protect Tiffany.

At this point, a low, menacing voice growled, "Sally Clark, you're getting out of hand. How dare you hit my daughter!"

I shuddered when I heard this and looked up to see Arthur walking over.

I glanced at Tiffany, who was in my arms, then at Arthur, and then at the woman who was about my age. My jaw dropped to the floor.

"Daddy!" Tiffany wriggled out of my protection and ran toward Arthur.

He scooped her up in his arms and kissed her. "It's okay. Daddy's here."

Sally's nervousness was palpable, despite her heavy makeup. She swayed her hips as she hurried over.

"Arthur, I was just teaching her not to talk to strangers. There are so many human traffickers nowadays. What if she gets kidnapped?"

After she spoke, Sally shot me a glare. I gave a helpless smile and turned to leave.

But Arthur said, "She's not a trafficker." Then, he turned to me and asked, "Isn't that right, missy?"