Sooo, this evening I got an email from someone I haven’t seen since I was probably 5 and haven’t heard from since I was 12. With no contact in between. My half sister, Sarah. She was in high school when she wrote me the last time and I remember her letter seeming final, like she didn’t expect or need a reply, but I don’t really remember who even wrote who first. I still have the high school photo she included with her big permed 80s hair (it was 1991 so, understandable).
Since then I’ve spent a lot of time looking for our father and failing. I even found her brother Emery when I was about 15 and called to talk to him about our dad. He sounded like a redneck and couldn’t care less if I ever called again. In the last couple years I got a DNA test that made me question if he even was my father, and her my half sister.
Most of the doubt is because my first DNA test at 23 and Me came back 99% European and about 1% native American. My dad had dark skin from photos I saw, so I uploaded my DNA to another website, MyHeritage, which added 20% Iberian, which sounded more plausible, but really, confused me even more. It was through that website that Sarah contacted me and I saw through our dna that we are indeed related and share a father. So at least that question was answered. Screenshots from both sites:
23 and Me
MyHeritage.com
And now a photo of our dad…hmmmmm. Me and Sara don’t even share Iberian, in fact I have Iberian and she has a little Italian. Very odd. And MyHeritage doesn’t show any native American, which I understand has to do with their databases.
At the same time I found out that I have another half sister, I also found out that our father is dead. Wtf life. It’s not that I wanted to meet him really, but I did want to learn more about him. No one seems to know anything at all about his past, parents, where in the country he’s from.
We’re half sisters, but only 28% related. I have another DNA test to send out to another site that might at least straighten out the Iberian thing. So confusing.
She has 2 daughters, one in her 20s and the other in highschool. So I have actual nieces. Half nieces but still…. So much to process. She sent me her number and lives in town, so I guess I better plan what to say. 😵
