Three Months Later

"I don't give a shit about your rules, I'm supposed to be down with the crew in five minutes and I don't have anyone to watch my kid.  Like one more baby is gonna kill you.  What, you afraid she's gonna infect the little college babies or something?"

To his credit, the slender man standing in the door of New York University's child care center doesn't back down, he only glares right back at me.  "This facility is only for the children of the students and staff here, not for construction crews.  I'm sorry you're having trouble finding a sitter, but I would be risking my position here if I let you leave your daughter here."

I shift the baby my hip.  "Ok, look.  I have to get down there to work.  If I don't make it, they fire me.  If I don't have a job, I can't buy food.  So you can either bend your little rules or it'll be on your head that this little kid starves.  Do you want that?"

The man looks at me for a moment.  "Fine, but only this once."

I hand my daughter over to him.  "I knew you would see it my way.  Thank you," I glance at his nametag, "Michael."

He only glares at me again before walking back into the room.

Trying to repair a building is hard work.  Getting all we need to have done for today on the new residence hall for NYU takes longer than expected and it is almost night time before I manage to get back to the child care room.  When I get in there, I see most of the lights are off, and for a moment, I panic, convinced that the idiot from the morning turned me in for neglect or something like that and my baby's being shipped off to foster care.  Then, I see one light on, and under it, a man is lying on the floor.  My daughter lies next to him, sleeping peacefully.  The man looks up and sees me, and as he stands, I see that it's Michael, the same guy from this morning.  "We closed three hours ago," he tells me, no malice in his voice.

I shrug.  "Work ran late.  Sorry."

He busies himself with cleaning up stray toys from the floor.  "Your daughter is a cute kid.  What's her name?"

"Hallie."  Ok, this is odd.  Just a few hours ago, this guy hated me, now we're having a civil conversation?

"That's a pretty name.  You and her mother must be proud."

"Well I am, but she doesn't really have a mom."  The words come out without me wanting to say them.

Michael gives me a sympathetic look.  "Did something happen to her?"

I roll my eyes.  "Yeah, she ran out of the hospital right after having the kid."

He's starting to get pale.  "That's awful...."

"Yeah, but what can ya do?"  I bend to pick Hallie up off the floor and amazingly, she doesn't wake up.    "Thanks for helping me out today.  Usually my grandma watches her, but she's sick today."

Michael blushes.  "Glad to be of help."  He pauses, like he's working up the courage to say something.  "You...uhm...seem awful young to have a baby."

Oh great.  How long has this guy been in New York?  Obviously not long.  "I'm 19.  Hell, I at least got outta high school first, that's more than most can say."

The blush gets much deeper.  "Oh.  Sorry I asked."  He takes a deep breath.  "For what it's worth, I've seen adults who've done worse jobs with their children."

Now it's my turn to blush a bit.  "Thanks.  It's all Hallie though.  Really, she's just a great kid."

He smiles shyly.  "She seems like it."  In a burst of movement, he pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket.  "Look, if you need some help in the future, with Hallie or anything, you can give me a call, ok?"

For a moment, I'm struck speechless.  I'm not used to strangers even approving of me being a parent, so this offer of help has me shocked.  "Thanks.  Don't.... uhm...don't be surprised if I take you up on it."

He grins.  "I hope you do."  He extends his right hand.  "It was nice meeting you.  I'm Michael Cole, by the way."

I shake his hand.  "Pete Senerca."  We exchange parting words, and then I'm standing outside in the spring air, just me and Hallie.  "Well, that was certainly odd," I comment to her, and I swear, the kid smiled at me.