This is Jon Baxter. I was told you’re trying to reach me? My niece told me you referred to Millie in Miami??
His name is Jon Baxter.
My hands are shaking as I reply. Thank you for getting in touch. Millie is my mother. I know this might be shocking to you, but I think you might possibly be my father.
I hold my breath, waiting to see if he’ll reply.
When the phone rings with an out-of-state number, I nearly die of shock. How could it be this easy to find him?
Nico puts his hands on my shoulders. “Take a breath, babe. You got this.”
I take the breath he suggested and press the green button. “Hello?”
“This is Jon. I… I don’t know what to say. I had no idea. She never told me.”
“I’m so sorry to drop this on you, but I’ve been trying to figure out a way to find you for years. A friend suggested I try social media, and it was remarkably easy.”
“How old are you?”
“I’ll be twenty-seven in June,” I say, adding the date of my birth.
“That adds up to when your mom and I were together. I’m speechless. Truly. All this time, I’ve had a daughter out there I didn’t know about. Why didn’t she tell me?”
“I don’t know. She and I are basically estranged, and it’s better that way for me.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Your name is Sofia?”
“Yes, Sofia Diaz, which is my married name, but I’m getting divorced. I have a five-year-old son named Mateo.”
“So not only do I have a daughter I didn’t know about, but I also have a grandson. Wow. I’m going to need a minute to wrap my head around this.”
“I understand. I’m not getting in touch because I want anything other than to know you. I’ve wondered about you all my life.”
“It’s unreal to me that Millie wouldn’t have reached out to me. She knew I was going home to the Minneapolis area after I got out of the navy.”
“I wish I knew what she was thinking, but I’ve never been able to read her. That was part of our problem. Do you… Are you married?”
“I am, and we have four children. The oldest is eighteen, and the youngest is eleven.”
I gasp at hearing I have siblings as well as cousins. “Wow.”
“Do you have other siblings?”
“No,” I say softly. “But I’ve always wanted them.”
“This is unreal, Sofia. All this time… I’m just stunned.”
“I’m sorry to do this to you. Like I said, I just wanted to know you. I’d understand if this is all you’re able to do.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Now that I know you’re out there, of course I’m going to want to see you and your son and… Well, God, Sofia… You’re my daughter.”
I blink back tears at how emphatically he says that while sensing my entire life is about to change in ways I never could’ve imagined before today.
“I need to speak to my wife, but can you come to Minneapolis? I’ll send plane tickets for you and your son.”
“I, uh, you should talk to your family first.”
“What’s there to say? This happened long before I met my wife, and I had no idea you existed until today. They’ll be as surprised as I am, but it’s not going to be a problem.”