It wasn’t what I thought my life would become when I met a poor man who had the same birthmark as me. A DNA test that could change everything came about because of our meeting. I feel a lot of different feelings as I wait for the results: doubt, hope, and a sense of what might be possible.
During my lunch break, I was lost in thought, thinking about my past and how my mother always stood by me. She always had faith in me, even when I didn’t. Her death left a hole in my life, but I’ve kept working hard to make her happy.
That’s when I saw him—a rough-looking homeless man. He didn’t even look up when I gave him a ten-dollar bill. I looked down and saw him point at my arm. “The birthmark… I have the same one.”
When he showed me the same crescent-shaped mark on his neck, my heart skipped a beat. He asked with tears in his eyes, “Is your mom’s name Stacey?”
I was shocked. “How do you know that?” I asked, my thoughts going fast.
He said his name was Robert and told me about himself. He was a guy who had lost his memory and had a tattoo of my mother’s name on his arm. Even though I wasn’t sure about him, there was something about him that spoke to me.
We chose to get a DNA test, and the wait was unbearable. I was so sad when I read the results: “You’re not my father.”
Robert’s face broke, and we both felt terrible. However, I said something that even shocked me: “Let’s stay friends.” We can help you get back on your feet and figure out who you are.
Robert had tears in his eyes, but they were tears of happiness. “Thank you, Alex. “This is very important to me.”
In that moment, I knew that our meeting wasn’t just a coincidence. There was hope and a fresh start for us. It was a chance to find ourselves again and start over.
