Pedo Paradise/Young/Pub/Mum

"Is this seat taken?"

You look up, trying not to seem startled. "Err, No, Sorry, I was miles away." At first, you think she's a girl, but then you realise that she is just petit. Five feet tall, maybe. Dark hair, almost black and smoky brown eyes. It's hard to tell whether her skin is tanned or naturally brown. Her body is slim, almost boyish. She puts a tray on the table with three plates and three drinks on it and you look around to see where the reast of her family is.

"Daisy. Poppy. Lunch." She calls out towards the playground, and the two girls you were watching come racing over. When they see you they skid to a stop, suddenly shy. "Don't be shy. this nice man (she flashes a smile at you) likes little girls." You get two gap-toothed smiles and they climb up onto the bench - one next to you and one next to their mother.

"This is Daisy, this messy girl is Poppy, and I'm Alysha," she says. She wipes tomato sauce off the face of the girl next to her.

They all look at you, expectantly. "Oh! Yes. Jim. Pleased to meet you. You still haven't got over "this nice man likes little girls". "Does she somehow know?"

"We've seen you here before," Alysha says.

"Always at this table," Poppy says with a grin.

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