There was a pause.
The father laughed.
“What?”
The mother said quietly, “She’s not exaggerating.”
Another pause.
The biker opened his eyes.
The mother continued.
“We met someone at the diner.”
“Okay.”
“He has your birthday.”
Silence.
“He has the same scar.”
Silence again.
The biker could hear distant machinery on the other end.
The father finally said, “Put him on.”
The mother handed the phone over.
The biker took it.
Neither man spoke.
The biker tried first.
“Hello.”
“Hello.”
They both stopped.
Hearing each other directly made the resemblance in their voices stronger.
The biker looked toward the highway.
“I don’t know how to ask this without sounding insane.”
The father answered quietly.
“Try.”
“Were you adopted?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know where you were born?”
“No.”
“Do you know the hospital?”
“No.”
“Do you know your biological mother’s name?”
There was hesitation.
“Part of it.”
The biker’s fingers tightened around the phone.
“What part?”
The father gave him the surname.
The biker stared at nothing.
It was his mother’s maiden name.
The mother beside him saw his face change.
“What?” she whispered.
The biker could barely speak.
“That was my mother’s name.”
Silence on the phone.
The father breathed out.
“No.”
The biker swallowed.
“Yes.”
“That doesn’t mean—”
“I know.”
“There are lots of people with that name.”
“I know.”
“What was her first name?”
The biker told him.
Nothing.
The father said nothing for so long that the biker checked the phone screen.
Still connected.
Then the father whispered, “That’s the name on the sealed adoption summary.”
The biker sat heavily on the edge of a concrete planter.
The mother covered her mouth.
The little girl looked between them.
The biker pressed one hand to his forehead.
“Can you leave work?”
The father did not answer immediately.
Then:
“Yes.”
“How far are you?”
“Thirty-five minutes.”
The biker nodded despite the fact the man could not see him.
“I’ll be here.”
The call ended.
The biker handed the phone back.
The mother took it slowly.
None of them knew what to say.
The little girl did.
“I told you.”
The biker laughed.
This time there were tears in it.
“Yes.”
The child smiled proudly.
“I told everybody.”
The biker looked at her.
“You did.”