At 14, I received a Facebook message from a man named ”Dave”. He stated he was my uncle, but I had never seen him before. When I asked my parents, they became pale. He would send me a greeting every year on my birthday. When I turned 18, he asked to meet me.

My skin crawled when I noticed someone who looked precisely like me approaching me. At that point, I understood Dave wasn’t just a stranger. He said he was my father, and his real name was “Ricky.”

When my mother was pregnant, he went to prison for fraud. Her parents wanted to keep him away from me, so they had him sign a document vowing to remain out of my life. When he got out, he wanted to contact me but couldn’t because of the arrangement. Now that I am 18, I can make my own decisions, therefore he wanted me to know the truth.

It has been five years, and I am still quite close to him. I adore him more than the father who reared me, who was always aloof and indifferent to me. But my mother claims she will never forgive me.