Missing Year

Spring

Emma was wearing a red leather jacket with a casual floral dress and Hope was wearing a floral dress, tights, and a red leather jacket. Her hair was in a ponytail. The mother and daughter were playing in Central Park in the children's area enjoying the beautiful warm weather, not the rainy weather they had been having. Killian was at work and Henry was at school. She helped her daughter around the little rocks and hills, with her baby belly in the way.

Ariel pushes Melody in the stroller to Emma and Hope, where they planned to meet for their daughter's playdate. "Emma!"

"Hi, Ariel!" They waved at each other. "Hopey, look who is here to play with us."

Hope sees her ocean princess best friend. "Mel-Mel!" She goes to the stroller to see her best friend. "Hi."

"Hi, Hope! You are so big." She looked down at her daughter."Melody, we are here to play with Hope. Say hi to Hope." The 8-month-old Melody babbles.

Emma faced her goddaughter. "Hi, Melody. You have gotten so big!"

"Yes, she has grown so much. How are you feeling? You are 6 months?"

"Yes, I am enjoying the comfortable second trimester of my pregnancy. The baby is getting bigger everyday. Work is getting harder, but easier surprising perps. Killian helps me by catching the perps. I have three more months to go." Hope taps the stroller. "Hope wants to play with Melody."

"Hope, Melody will play." She sets her daughter out of the stroller. "She just began crawling."

Emma faces her daughter. "Be gentle with Melody, she just began crawling. She is not a big girl as you are." Melody crawls to Hope.

Hope smiles big. "Mel-Mel." Melody screams. Hope giggles. Emma and Ariel smile at their daughters.

Hope follows Melody around the open grass with their Moms nearby watching them. The mothers took their daughters on the baby swing. Ariel pushed both girls.

They took the daughters to the playground. Ariel was following the toddlers on the jungle gym, holding her daughter move around. Emma was assisting Hope from the outside of the jungle gym. She watched her daughter go down the slide. Ariel took photos of the mother and daughter on Emma's iPhone. When both girls were getting cranky, Emma and Ariel decided for them it was time to leave. They walked around the trails of Central Park.

A little while later, Emma pushed Hope in the stroller with Ariel and Melody to the nearest Starbucks. Ariel finds them a spot to sit. "Emma, I can watch the girls. You can order first." She faces her stroller to Melody. Hope babbles.

Emma ordered herself hot cocoa with cinnamon, a grilled cheese sandwich, and a pink cake pop for Hope. She returns to the table with her order.

"I will be right back." Ariel went on the line to order her Starbucks.

Hope sees her Mama have food. "Mama!"

Emma chuckles and takes her daughter out of the stroller and lets her sit on her lap. "Yes, you have a cake pop treat." She tore the cake pop into small pieces. Hope eats it.

Ariel returns to the table with green tea and a banana nut muffin. She sees her daughter fast asleep. "Hope, you tired Melody out for her nap."

"Mel-Mel."

"Yes, you are Melody's ocean princess best friend."

"Dada."

"Dada is working at the docks, sweetheart. We are going to see him at home."

"I read the newspaper about the exhibit."

"Yeah, Hope and Henry found that girl."

Ariel's jaw dropped. "Really?"