The Ides

 Prompt - The Wrong Number (350 words): Someone answers their phone but the caller has the wrong number. Write a story in which the call, rather than ending there, continues. What might the consequences be?

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    It was March 15th, the day of the year I dreaded most. The day my son was born and the day he died, 21 years later.  I’d never see him marry, have children, or have a happy life.  I’d been an older mother, so no other kids. A lonely only.  And now I was a lonely only, too.  Ten years lonely.

    I hadn’t yet dragged myself from bed when my phone rang. 

    Who was calling on this of all days? My friends knew to leave me alone. I considered sending the call to voicemail but decided to answer. “Hello?” 

    “Hi, Mom?”  It was a girl’s - no, a young woman’s - voice.

    A pang. “I’m sorry, but I think you have the wrong number.”

    “Mom, just listen to me. I know we haven’t spoken in years, but … I need to tell you something.” The wariness in her voice would tug at even an ogre’s heart.

    I sighed. I wasn’t her mother, but damn, I wished I were. “I don’t know quite what to say, but I don’t have a daughter.” 

    “Mom, don’t you think you’ve taken this far enough? I know you disapprove of my lifestyle, but I’ve got news.” The hurt was oh-so-clear.

    I wouldn’t ask. I shouldn’t ask.  “What news?” I heard myself ask.

    A heartbeat. A second heartbeat. “Jenny and I got married 18 months ago. And … we decided to start a family.”  A third heartbeat. “I’m pregnant, Mom. You are going to be a grandmother.”

    Tears. “That … that’s lovely news, dear.”

    There was a long silence at the other end of the line. “Mom … Wait, am I speaking to Rhonda Jameson?”  

    “No. My name is Callie Kaiser.  But … forgive my asking because I know it’s none of my business, but when is your baby due?”

    I could almost sense her desperate wish for a reconciliation. “October 15th.  It’s a little girl.”

    “Oh, hon … I’m so happy for you. I wish you and Jenny all the best.”

    “Thanks, Callie.  Do you have kids?”  I could tell she was smiling. A little.

    “I had a son.” Another pang.

    “Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean…” The smile was completely gone from her voice.

    “It’s OK.  He’d be 31 now.”  

    “That’s how old I am.”

    Our call continued for an hour.  And we made plans to grab coffee at a local coffee shop. I’m not sure why it worked, but perhaps it was because she was a girl desperate for a mom, and I was a mom desperate for a child.  And on October 15th, Julie named her baby Callie.  

-- October 19, 2022

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This is very much a work of fiction, and I have two (living) kids. :-)

Notes from the prompt: To draw out a story from a scenario, such as a wrong number, start a line of inquiry like a detective would. Follow a series of questions and answers. For example: why does the wrong number caller continue speaking? Because they recognize the voice on the end of the line. Why is the voice recognizable? Because it is similar to that of the caller’s deceased mother. As the line of inquiry continues, a narrative will emerge. 

The Q&A I used to write this:

• Why does the wrong number continue speaking? Because they think you are their mother who has disowned them.
• Do you recognize the voice? No
• Why did the mother disown them? Because the girl is gay
• Why does the girl keep talking? Because she’s getting married to her girlfriend
• Why do the narrator keep talking? Because she lost a child