Alice opened the test results and fell to the floor. Nothing would be the same after this. She needed an explanation. She gathered her family together, showed them the test results, and demanded an explanation.
But in all her anger and confusion, she forgot to spare a thought for her father. Suddenly, her mistake was gut-wrenching.
It was just another Sunday for Alice Parson and her extended family. The Parson’s had a tradition to eat dinner together every Sunday.
With everyone grown up, moved out, and wrapped up in their own lives, it was a way for the family to stay connected and updated in each other’s lives. But this Sunday, Alice had a surprise in store.
Her eyes widened as she read the test results. She frantically flipped the page searching for the punchline. But this wasn’t a joke. Nothing would ever be the same again.
Since childhood, Alice had seen her father struggle with his sense of identity, and it was this struggle that sparked her interest in ancestry. She was always fascinated about where she and her family came from.
Alice’s father grew up in an orphanage. Luckily, however, his estranged sister later managed to reconnect with him. From there, he learned that he was Irish and that he was a year younger than he thought he was.
Her father’s story was one of the reasons she was so interested in knowing exactly who she was. But she had no idea her playful interest would uncover a ticking time bomb.
Alice excitedly placed the DNA testing kit on the table and told everyone, including her aunts, uncles, and cousins, to swab the inside of their cheek. She was going to find out exactly where everyone came from.
Everyone seemed eager to participate. Everyone but her mom seemed oddly adverse to the idea. But she couldn’t refuse her entire family, so she did it too.
The next morning, Alice sent her family’s DNA test tubes to the company. With an English/ Scottish mother and an Irish father, she expected her DNA to be mostly made up of Irish, English, and Scottish descent.
So it was no surprise that when Alice received different test results, she was very confused.
At first, she didn’t think much of it, but then when she looked at the DNA results of her sister and cousins, she realized something was very, very wrong.
Her sister’s DNA seemed to match hers but their DNA didn’t match up with their cousins, at all. Genetically speaking, they were complete strangers. But there was more.
Both Alice and her sister had less than fifty percent of DNA that was of Irish, English, and Scottish descent. The other half was made up of European Jewish, Eastern European, and Middle Eastern DNA.
She contacted the company and explained that they must have made a mistake. They sent another two tests for her and her sister to retake. But soon, the truth was about to become more than she could bear.
Alice told her sister about their strange results and asked her to do it again. But what her sister admitted next made her stomach drop.
What she said reminded her of the same eerie feeling she felt when she visited Ireland years ago. A feeling she’s ignored for years but now, it came rushing up, bubbling to the surface.
Alice and her sister reminisced on their trip to Ireland and admitted realizing at the time that no one looked like their father there. He was a short, 5-foot-4, sallow-skinned, dark-haired man.
Did their mom have an affair? Is that why her mom didn’t want to do this? What was happening? It wasn’t long until they found out the devastating truth.
Once the results came back the same, Alice took matters into her own hands. She gathered her parents and sister together, showed them the test results, and demanded they explain what was going on.
But in all her focus on her own DNA, she missed what was happening with her father’s DNA. Suddenly, her mistake was gut-wrenching.
As her father looked at his DNA, he realized that he was mostly of European Jewish, Eastern European, and Middle Eastern descent. This wasn’t the DNA of an Irish man and did not even match the DNA of his long-lost sister. They were genetic strangers.
Alice’s mom peered over his shoulders. But she wasn’t in shock. In fact, it was almost like she saw this coming. What was happening?
Although Alice’s mom had doubts that her husband was Irish as he didn’t resemble his sister at all. She had no idea that she was right.
Alice’s aunt wasn’t her aunt at all. She watched as her father sadly digested the information in front of him. As though his worst fears had come to light. It was the same old identity crisis but this time, Alice was to blame.
She cried as she promised her father that she’d find out where he was from. She spent 2 years searching for his family until finally, one day, a woman reached out.
She was Jewish and had a brother who was sent to the orphanage at the same time her father was. She cried as she realized this was what she was looking for all along. Her father’s real sister.
But what about her aunt’s real brother? She later found out that the orphanage had mistakenly switched the baby’s names upon arrival. Both men grew up assuming each other’s identity.
It was a debating blow. One that toppled their families’ world. Especially her father, but he was also relieved to finally know the truth, and reunite with his other long-lost sister!
