"She moved to Omaha. Her husband got a job there."
Husband. So she got married and changed her name. I figured that's why I couldn't find her.
"Do you know her husband's name?"
"Dale Zellis. I only remember that because he dated my sister back in high school. So why are you looking for Donna?"
"She's my..." I clear my throat, "my mom."
"Donna didn't have any children when I knew her," she says suspiciously, like she thinks I'm some psycho stalking her friend. "And if she had one in the past ten years, it'd be a kid. It wouldn't be—"
"She had me a long time ago when she was dating my dad."
"Oh. So you're saying she took off?"
"She left when I was a baby, and I haven't heard from her since."
"I'm sorry. That's a shame. But I guess I could see that happening. Donna was kind of flighty. She liked to do her own thing, not be tied down. It wouldn't surprise me if she ended up divorcing Dale."
"I'm guessing you don't have any contact info for Dale or my mom."
"No. Sorry."
"It's okay. At least I have a name. Thanks for calling me back."
"Sure thing. Good luck finding her."
I end the call and get my laptop and sit at the kitchen table, searching for a Donna Zellis who lives in Nebraska. Nothing comes up for Donna, but Dale Zellis does. It says he's a mechanic at a garage in Omaha. So he's still there, but is my mom still married to him?
There's a phone number for the garage so I call it. It rings forever before someone finally answers. "Five Star Car Repair," a woman says. "How can I help you?"
"I'd like to speak with Dale Zellis. Is he available?"
"He's currently servicing a vehicle. Is this about your car or is this a personal call?"
"It's a personal call."
"Our mechanics can only take personal calls during breaks."
"Could you take down my number and have him call me?"
She agrees, and I give her my name and number. Then I hang up and wait. My stomach's in knots, my chest tightening. I'm thinking this may have been a bad idea. I'm not prepared for what I might find out. I didn't think it'd be this easy to find her, and maybe it's not. Maybe she left Dale and he doesn't know where she went.
As I'm nervously waiting, Callie walks in, already changed out of her work uniform and wearing a white tank top and denim mini skirt. Shit, she looks hot, and given my earlier request, I think she wore that outfit just for me. If I wasn't so distracted waiting for this call, I'd set her on my lap and slide my hand up her gorgeous legs and see how far she'd let it go.
"Hey." She comes over and sits across from me at the table. "What are you doing?"
I hold up my phone. "Waiting for a phone call."
"From who?"
"My mom's husband. Or it could be an ex-husband. I'm not sure yet."
She leans forward. "Wait—what? You found your mom?"
"I found the guy she was married to ten years ago. I don't know if they're still married. I got the guy's name from my mom's former co-worker but she hasn't talked to my mom in ten years so—" My phone rings and I answer it, my heart pounding. "This is Nash."
"Nash, this is Dale Zellis. Someone said you called."
"Yeah." I glance at Callie, who looks as nervous as I feel. "I'm looking for Donna. Someone said you're her husband?"
"Who is this?"
"Nash Wheeler. I'm her..." I pause. "I'm her son."
"She didn't have a son. You must have the wrong Donna."
So my mom never told anyone about me. Not even her husband. Did she ever think of me? Wonder how I'm doing? Or did she completely forget about me?
"She had me a long time ago, back when she was living in Chicago. She wasn't married. She was dating my dad, and after I was born, she took off."
"Huh. She never told me about a kid." He sounds like he doesn't believe me. "But she did say she lived in Chicago after high school."
"So you two are divorced?"
"No." I wait for him to say more, but he doesn't.
"Then could you give me a number where I could reach her? I'm not trying to interfere with your lives. I just want to meet her, even if it's only over the phone."
The phone is silent, and then, "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but Donna died last October. She had a brain aneurysm and died soon after it happened."
I let out a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose.
"You still there?" he asks.
"Yeah." I set my hand back on the table and Callie reaches over and holds it. "I just wasn't expecting you to tell me she died. She wasn't very old."
Callie squeezes my hand and I glance up and see the pained expression on her face.
"The doctors said aneurysms can happen at any age," Dale says. "They weren't sure what caused it."
"Well, I'm very sorry for your loss."
"I'm doing a lot better now that it's been almost a year."
"Did you two have any children?"
"No. She never wanted children."
That explains her disinterest in me.
"Did her father come to the funeral?"
"He showed up but he didn't stay. Donna and him never got along. He'd call her about once a month, but she'd either fight with him or wouldn't talk to him."