A resident of the American city of Abilene, Texas, 48-year-old Tony Vergas in 2018 purchased four packages of DNA tests for his wife and son and daughter. He wanted to learn more about his heritage in order to help one of his children cope with mental problems. Although, he should have guessed that most often such procedures divide life into before and after, or lead to ruined relationships.
However, along with the results, the man received much more interesting details.
Tony always knew that the blood of different nationalities was mixed in him, but the Mexicans still prevailed, and his father Robert was also one. However, when the results came in and he finally got to the pedigree information, he was in for a surprise.
I thought it was a mistake, he said. — I saw Ashkenazi Jews among the ancestors. I also saw the Germans, Swedes, French, and thought that they had confused me with someone else.
What he saw greatly confused Vergas, so he called his mother Ray to understand what it all meant. The woman could not answer anything intelligible to her son for a long time, but in the end, after the call, she wrote to him that they needed to talk in private.
Having met with a parent, Tony unexpectedly found out the secret of his mother’s past. In the early years of their marriage, Robert was called to serve in Vietnam. When the man returned home after 18 months, a pregnant Ray was waiting for him. The child was not his.
It took my father a few days. So he went to live with his parents, but later came back to her and said, “Look, it didn’t work out the way I thought it would, but we’re married.” I want to raise this child as my own, and we just won’t discuss it,” Vergas explained.
After learning the truth 46 years later, Tony began to search for his biological father on his own. To do this, he joined all possible thematic Facebook groups and registered on a site dedicated to genealogy, for which he also passed a DNA test.
Luckily for the man, finding answers was easier than he thought. Soon he received the results, which included the name Rick Estrin. Vergas just had to find his photo from the school album and compare with his picture.
Our faces were almost identical. Cheekbones, eyes, nose, everything but hair,” he added.
After that, Tony wrote a letter to his biological father, in which he explained that he was his son, and later both men agreed to meet. Acquaintance, to the surprise of Vergas, was more than successful: they talked for more than three hours and immediately hit it off.
Since then, Tony has maintained a close bond with Rick, and in 2019 introduced him to his adoptive father, Robert. The two also managed to build a good relationship, which greatly pleased their son.
I am happy because they are both present in my life. I’m happy because my mom was tormented by this but was able to tell the truth and deal with some really painful memories from her past. But I love her and I love them,” Vergas concluded.
