“Okay… I miss you too, Dad.”
My entire body froze.
Dad. Dad?!
“Who were you talking to?” I asked carefully.
She wouldn’t meet my eyes.
“Wrong number,” she whispered
Wrong number? No. Not that soft tone. Not Dad.
The landline’s call log wasn’t hard to access. There it was. A number I didn’t recognize.
I stared at it for a long time before dialing.
“Susie,” the voice murmured.
“I was starting to think you wouldn’t call again tonight.”
I couldn’t think.
“Who is this?” I asked.
Silence followed. Thick and deliberate.
Click.
The line went d3ad.
The next morning, after a night of pacing and imagining every horrifying scenario, I confronted Susie at breakfast.
“Sit down,” I said.
“I heard what you said yesterday,” my voice shook despite my best efforts. “Please, sweetheart. No more lies.”
Minutes later, she returned clutching a pale, creased envelope.
I opened it slowly. Charles.
“My name is Charles. If you’re reading this, it means I’ve finally built the courage to reach out. I’m your father.”
“I’ve been following your life from a distance. I panicked when you were born. I wasn’t ready. My mother helped me disappear. I thought I was doing the right thing. I see now that I was wrong. I’d like to talk. If you want to.”
At the bottom was a phone number.
“How did you find him?” I asked softly. “Did he find you?”
“I found him online months ago. I didn’t want to tell you. He did send the letter first but I wanted to see him on socials first. I needed to look at his photos and see if there was a part of me in them. I needed to know that this wasn’t a hoax. I needed to know if I had his eyes or smile… I have his eyes, Mom.”
She paused.
