The shock didn’t wear off quickly. In fact, the details of my first phone call with my father are still a bit fuzzy for me. His Hawaiian accent was strong. I strained to not only hear him but to understand what he was saying (and to suppress the hum in my head that was still trying to process what was happening). I remember hearing him say I had three brothers, he was one of nine children and that our lineage was royal. Hold please. Say that again? Despite the google search I had already done when my fathers name was revealed, I was stunned to hear the connection to the Hawaiian monarchy was real. It couldn’t be! Isn’t this every adopted girl’s dream…to find out your father is a member of a royal monarchy?
I found my father to be strong and direct. I found him immediately to assume the role of parent. In fact, one of the first things he said to me was, “did you receive my calls today?” He went on to say, “you need to know that when I call my kids, I expect them to call me back.” Talk about stepping into the parental role quickly.
It was refreshing but also a little overwhelming. Since we were planning on being in Hawaii the next day, he wanted to meet me and wanted me to meet “my” family. And so, I very quickly began making plans to meet my father within the next 48 hours!
