Met My Long Lost Daughter This Saturday

I just had the most heartwarming but shocking weekend of my 49 years. I don't know how to feel, what to do, or how things are going to turn out.


I got a girl pregnant in high school and she put the baby up for adoption. I didn't really have a say in any of it, it was her parents idea.


Fast forward about 20 years. I was almost 40, unmarried and I was living half way across the state (U.S. state) from where I grew up. A long term relationship had ended, and to get me through the dry period, I started seeing working girls. I lived in Nevada, and I went to one of the brothels. I saw a young lady that caught my eye and we negotiated a price. I liked her, and we talked for a little bit, but not too long, because that's not what I was there for. I'd been to brothels before, and sex with her was better than I expected, so I kind of got stuck on her in particular. I saw her every time I came there if she was available.


One day I was told she'd left, so I found another favorite. After a year or so, I met someone and got into another long term relationship.


Fast forward again, nine years. I get a call from a woman who thinks I might be her father. We shared enough info over the phone to convince us both that she was the daughter I'd fathered with the girl in high school. We decided to meet in person this past Saturday.


I knew as soon as I saw her that she was my favorite from the brothel, and I couldn't hide it. I don't think she recognized me right away, but when she saw the look on my face, I think maybe she figured, well, if an older guy knows me, it must be from those days. She was shook up at first, but after a while, she thought it was ironic and kind of funny. I didn't react that way. I felt creepy and embarrassed. It's strange, because back then, I didn't see anything of her mother or myself in her at all. She was just another young blonde -- very pretty, but didn't look like anybody I knew. Now that she's in her 30s, I can see clearly both her mother and myself in her face.


She ended up comforting me, saying things like, "You had no way of knowing and neither did I. I'm not ashamed and you shouldn't be either. Let's not get stuck on this. I'm just glad I found you and I hope you feel that way too."


Well, I was glad she found me and I tried to let her know that, but I'm still shook up.


We moved on from that subject and caught up with each other. She had saved her money and gone to college and has a good job as a counselor at a youth facility. She had already found her bio mother, and I was glad to hear she was doing well.


I don't know how to process this. It's hard for me to see her as my daughter because of the memories from before.