Nanny ___ Chaesoo

Chapter 14

Rosé

                     

The first park I checked ended up being a bust. There was nothing that could have been even remotely described as a playhouse, so I moved to the next on my list. This one was smaller and thankfully a bit farther from Coney Island, but as I walked through the park, I saw some small colored structures ahead that could be playhouses. As I got closer, they were definitely small houses. It was a charming setup. Someone had designed what looked like a gingerbread village, though the houses were constructed from thick plastic. It looked weathered, and some had damage, but there were enough details remaining that I could imagine how it had been when it was new. If this was the place, I could easily see why Sky would have chosen it as her favorite. Still, this area wasn't the safest, and the urgency of the situation kept me on edge. 

                     

I moved to the miniature village as snow started to fall, cautiously peeking into the first window. There were three little girls and a boy playing together, and they all stared at me. None of them were Sky, so I moved on. The next playhouse was empty, and the third had two little boys, so I kept going. The fourth house revealed a small figure seated inside with a book on her lap. Relief filled me when I realized it was Sky, and I moved to the door. The house was definitely built for little kids, and it was a tight fit to squeeze inside. I had to practically bend over double and shimmy in. I was afraid I'd get stuck, but on the plus side, I'd be blocking the exit and preventing Sky from running if I did. 

                     

She seemed surprised to see me, and her swollen eyes and tear stained cheeks broke my heart as I finally wiggled my hips the rest of the way inside and crouched on the floor. "Hi, Sky." I struggled to find a calm, soothing tone. All I wanted to do was take her in my arms to make sure she was okay, but I didn't want to move too quickly and startle her. 

                     

"Hey." She closed her book and set it aside on top of her backpack, which I saw was stuffed to the point it would barely zip closed. "What did you bring with you?" 

                     

She looked at the pack and shrugged. "Warm clothes and my favorite stuffed monkey." 

                     

"And books," I nodded my head toward the one sitting atop the pack. 

                     

"The cab driver knew what place I was talking about when I told him my old address and described the park." 

                     

I shuddered at the thought of her taking a cab by herself, and I was angry at the driver for a moment that he hadn't bothered to report that a child had flagged him down, but my anger seeped away as relief filled me. 

                     

"That was good that you took a cab instead of the subway." It was New York, I supposed. She wouldn't be the first child to ride a cab unattended. There were even children who went back and forth on the subway every day for school, so it wouldn't have seemed out of place to the driver. I couldn't really blame him or her for not phoning the police. 

                     

"Mom said never take the subway alone." Sky's eyes clouded over, and her lower lip trembled. "Is she mad at me?" 

                     

I reached out a hand hesitantly, touching her knee when she didn't pull away. "She's really scared and worried about you, but she's not really angry. We were both just scared."