My children's brother?

I just talked to my ex-husband's son and not the one we had together.

I'll start at the beginning.

My ex-husband is a phantom. He lives his life under the radar so it's not unusual that I would get a call from someone looking for him...like tonight.

I noticed a TN phone number on my caller id that I did not recognize but because I have family in TN, I picked up the phone.

The male voice on the other line asked for my ex-husband by his first name. Obviously, I responded that he had the wrong number and hung up.

I was marginally concerned that an individual was calling for him versus the usual business or creditor but swept it under the rug...for 10 minutes.

My heart leapt when the phone rang again from the same number. This time, when I answered, the caller apologized first and then asked if I knew ** ** (name of my ex), it was very important he said.

I explained that he was my ex but I had not heard from him in over 3 years.

"This is his son."

My heart fell--I knew of this adoption so I knew, from what he shared, that he was telling the truth.

This 19 year-old young man just had a son himself and is trying to find his father, a man that makes a life of leaving loved ones buried in the past with not so much as a glance back in their direction--even those whose diapers he changed, whose little fingers grasped his own as they were taking their first shaky steps, those whose first word was da-da and they meant it for him.

I gave him all the information I had which amounted to very little.

I didn't tell him he was chasing a ghost.