I shall call it Bob!
Can I Meet You?
"Yes." I say sort of confused.
"Umm did you at one point date an Alison Trawny?" I hadn't heard that name in more than fifteen years.
"Yeah Ali, I remember her. But who is this?"
"This is Theresa Trawny."
"Her sister?" I remember she had a sister, I just couldn't remember her name.
"No, her daughter."
"Wow, she has a daughter?" I say in slight disbelief. "What can I do for you Theresa?"
"I'm your daughter too." I can't say anything. "Frank?"
"How? What? I-I-I? You? How?"
"Well from what my mom told me you two were going out and you're the only guy she had sex with for those three months." She says bluntly.
"No I mean, how come I never-" I can't even complete my sentences. "Can I meet you?"
"Yeah!" she says happily. "Do you still live in Oakland?"
"Yeah, I do."
"Okay well we live in San Francisco."
"Do . . . .you . . . .want . . . to meet . . . tomorrow?" I ask taking my time with every word.
"That sounds great."
"I-I guess I'll pick you up around noon, and we can go to lunch." I suggest.
"Okay, I live at 555 Ashbury Drive, apartment 6, but you don't have to worry about the apartment number; I'll wait outside."
"Umm okay, I'll see you then." I say still trying to digest I have another daughter.
"Oh wait!" she practically screeches, "I've only seen a couple of old pictures of you, what do you look like?"
"Umm well right now my hair is a freakish blond."
"Okay."
"And I'll wear a plaid green shirt, okay?"
"Okay, I have bright red hair and I'll most likely be in black with punk belt and shit." I laugh.
"Alright then, I'll see you then."
"Bye." She says and the phone goes dead.
I look at my watch, Mike must be back from his day with Stella. I dial his number furiously.
"Heeeeello?"
"Mike! I have a daughter!"
"And she's very sweet." He says in mockery, "Sweet Ramona."
"NO! Another one!"
"What?"
"Remember that girl I dated when we started touring with Nimrod, Ali?"
"The one who left without a trace?"
"YES!" I practically scream, "I have a daughter with her."
"Then she must be like Jakob's age." He says obviously in deep thought, "That would explain why she just left like that."
"She just called me."
"Ali?"
"No, Theresa, she just called me."
"I take it Theresa is your daughter?"
"Yes!"
"What's going to happen now?"
"I don't know, I want to talk with Ali and find out why the fuck she never told me!" I say exasperated, "But tomorrow I'm going for lunch with Theresa."
"Well that's a start." Mike says, I can tell he's probably nodding, "It's all making sense now."
"What?"
"Before she left, I remember she had the flu and she was also talking to me a lot about Stella."
"Yeah." I say thinking back to the days before she disappeared.
"Well I wish you the best of luck to you." Mike says in an attempt to end this conversation.
"Alright, bye." I mutter as I hang up the phone.
"Umm did you at one point date an Alison Trawny?" I hadn't heard that name in more than fifteen years.
"Yeah Ali, I remember her. But who is this?"
"This is Theresa Trawny."
"Her sister?" I remember she had a sister, I just couldn't remember her name.
"No, her daughter."
"Wow, she has a daughter?" I say in slight disbelief. "What can I do for you Theresa?"
"I'm your daughter too." I can't say anything. "Frank?"
"How? What? I-I-I? You? How?"
"Well from what my mom told me you two were going out and you're the only guy she had sex with for those three months." She says bluntly.
"No I mean, how come I never-" I can't even complete my sentences. "Can I meet you?"
"Yeah!" she says happily. "Do you still live in Oakland?"
"Yeah, I do."
"Okay well we live in San Francisco."
"Do . . . .you . . . .want . . . to meet . . . tomorrow?" I ask taking my time with every word.
"That sounds great."
"I-I guess I'll pick you up around noon, and we can go to lunch." I suggest.
"Okay, I live at 555 Ashbury Drive, apartment 6, but you don't have to worry about the apartment number; I'll wait outside."
"Umm okay, I'll see you then." I say still trying to digest I have another daughter.
"Oh wait!" she practically screeches, "I've only seen a couple of old pictures of you, what do you look like?"
"Umm well right now my hair is a freakish blond."
"Okay."
"And I'll wear a plaid green shirt, okay?"
"Okay, I have bright red hair and I'll most likely be in black with punk belt and shit." I laugh.
"Alright then, I'll see you then."
"Bye." She says and the phone goes dead.
I look at my watch, Mike must be back from his day with Stella. I dial his number furiously.
"Heeeeello?"
"Mike! I have a daughter!"
"And she's very sweet." He says in mockery, "Sweet Ramona."
"NO! Another one!"
"What?"
"Remember that girl I dated when we started touring with Nimrod, Ali?"
"The one who left without a trace?"
"YES!" I practically scream, "I have a daughter with her."
"Then she must be like Jakob's age." He says obviously in deep thought, "That would explain why she just left like that."
"She just called me."
"Ali?"
"No, Theresa, she just called me."
"I take it Theresa is your daughter?"
"Yes!"
"What's going to happen now?"
"I don't know, I want to talk with Ali and find out why the fuck she never told me!" I say exasperated, "But tomorrow I'm going for lunch with Theresa."
"Well that's a start." Mike says, I can tell he's probably nodding, "It's all making sense now."
"What?"
"Before she left, I remember she had the flu and she was also talking to me a lot about Stella."
"Yeah." I say thinking back to the days before she disappeared.
"Well I wish you the best of luck to you." Mike says in an attempt to end this conversation.
"Alright, bye." I mutter as I hang up the phone.