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After locking the car, I started back to the playground. My eyes scanned the equipment, and then scanned it again. Where was Marisol? My heart began to beat a little faster. My gaze slammed over to where I had been sitting with Jersey, but she wasn’t there. Adam was talking to his mom, but Marisol was nowhere to be seen.
I started to jog toward the playground. Was Mari in the slide tube? Maybe she was sitting at the top, and I couldn’t see her. When I got closer, my heart was slamming into my breastbone, and panic was beginning to claw at my gut.
“Marisol?” I yelled as I ran a bit faster. My gaze raked through the playground, searching everywhere. “Mari!” I screamed as I grew closer. No! Not Marisol! Please, God, don’t let this happen to Marisol! No!
I reached the shredded wood around the playground and was in almost full panic mode when I started to race around the side. The sight in front of me slammed into me with such force that I literally slid to a stop for a moment.
A man dressed in sweatpants and a dark hooded sweatshirt was squat down talking to my daughter next to a picnic table. His dark blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the base of his neck, and his cheeks were scruffy with a beard. He reached out to touch her face, and fury hit me in an instant.
I ran toward them as Marisol’s bottom lips pouted out. How dare that grungy man get near my daughter! There was no way he was going to take my daughter! Not while I was alive!
I rushed toward them, shoving him out of the way with every ounce of adrenaline that I had in me. He fell to the side, and his cheek bounced off the wooden bench, but I didn’t care. I hoped that it left a scar and reminded him never to touch someone’s child again.
“How dare you touch my daughter! You pervert! Sick bastard! I’m calling the police.”
He turned to me, shock clearly written over his features, and blood started to drip down his cheekbone from where he had hit his face. I grabbed Marisol off the bench, wrapping her so tightly that I was pretty sure I was smothering her.
“Lady, I—”
I spun around, nailing him with a look that I hoped he would never forget. “How dare you! You sicko! Get the hell out of here, and don’t you ever come back.”
I rushed away from him, walking toward the bench where Jersey was standing, her mouth hanging open.
“Mom.”
“It’s okay now, baby, Mommy’s got you. I’m so sorry that man touched you, but you’re okay now.” I kissed her head.
My body shook, and I knew that the other mother’s around the park were staring at me wide-eyed. Were they taking note of the douchebag that had tried to take my daughter? I hope they did.
“Why the hell weren’t you watching her, Jersey?”
She blinked, “I was.”
“No, you obviously weren’t! A strange man had my daughter! How could you not watch her! You know what I went through before! I can’t believe you, Jersey!”
“Charlotte,” She started, and I shoved my palm into her face, grabbed my purse off the bench and stalked away.
“Mom,” Marisol said softly.
“Charlotte!” Jersey yelled from behind me, but I was so angry that there was no way I could speak to her, much less listen to a lie about how she was paying attention to Marisol.
“It’s okay, baby, you’re okay. I’m so sorry that man touched you, baby. It’s going to be okay.” The words continued to pour forward as I carried her. We got to the car, and I unlocked it, quickly opening the back door, “Get yourself into your seat, sweetheart.” I kissed the top of her head again and pushed her inside.
As soon as I was in, I locked the doors and tried to get the keys into the lock, but my hands were shaking so badly, that it took my three tries.
Memories slammed into me, a hand on my arm, the smell of the dirt, and I felt myself getting ready to hyperventilate. I put my face into my hands, holding back the sobs and forcing myself to slow my breathing. It took me a couple minutes, and once I felt more in control, I wiped the tears from my face and glanced in the rearview mirror to prove to myself that she was alright.
My eyes landed on her face, and I spun around. “What did he do to you?” On the right side of her forehead was a big egg-shaped knot. “Oh, my god! Marisol, what did he do to you?”
She shook her head, “Mom, he didn’t do anything.”
“But your head! Did he hit you?” I was seeing red and ready to hunt him down and beat the living shit out of him.
“Mom, I fell and hit my head. He said he was a doctor and saw me fall. He said he was going to check it.”
I froze. The man hadn’t been a psycho trying to abduct my child? Had he really been a doctor? Or did he just tell her that? Had he been watching her the whole time and saw a chance to get her? He sure as hell didn’t look like a doctor. He had looked like a homeless junkie in ragged clothes and unshaved.
“Marisol, are you okay? Does your head hurt?”
“It hurts, but I’m okay. Why did you push him? I thought doctors were safe people.”
“He was a stranger, Marisol. You know how mommy feels about strangers.”
“Yeah, but he was a doctor, he was checking my head.”
“We’ll put some ice on it when we get to Nana’s, okay?”
“Okay,” she said softly and leaned her head back in her booster seat.
Was he really a doctor who had seen a child fall and wanted to make sure she was alright? Oh my god, I squeezed my eyes closed. Did I just assault a man who was trying to help my child?
