The Opportunity Of A Lifetime
Dale Jefferson had just turned forty-four when he was handed the opportunity of a lifetime. He got a chance to adopt a child, which was something he had wanted his entire life.
Dale didn’t know that the little girl would not only turn his life upside down but would also disappoint him in a way no one else could.
Single
Since he was a young man, Dale wanted to be a father, but something stopped his dream in its tracks.
Dale was a hopeless romantic and had never found the woman he was looking for. That meant he had only one option to get a child - adoption. When he turned 44, he decided that he had waited long enough and filled in the application form.
A 6-Year-Old
Dale got a call from the agency telling him that they had a 6-year-old girl that needed a home and asked if he would be interested.
Dale wouldn’t let the opportunity slip through his fingers and immediately agreed. He had no idea that the agency was keeping things from him.
Her Last Chance
There seemed to be a problem with Lise. Every time she was taken in by a home, she was returned. It was very difficult for someone her age to keep moving around the adoption system. And the agency knew Dale was her last chance.
People preferred the smaller kids over the bigger ones. So if he didn’t take her, she would remain in the system until she was an adult.
They Were A Good Match
That was why they chose to withhold information from Dale. They thought he would give up once he knew the truth.
But Dale and Lise instantly hit it off. He was happy to have the child he always wanted, and Lise was delighted to finally have a place she could call home.
Not Many Obstacles
Of course, there were some pros to adopting a six-year-old, especially for a single parent like Dale. He didn’t have to worry about sleepless nights with a crying baby, and Lise already knew everything she needed to know, like discipline.
However, as she grew, Dale started realizing that some things weren’t as he thought they would be.
She Was Holding Back
Over the years, Dale realized that building a father-daughter relationship with Lise was very hard. He tried his best to get her to open up and felt he did a good job at raising her. But Lise was holding back, and Dale could sense it.
He kept trying to be a dad she would be comfortable talking to when something bothered her, but his attempts were futile.
Her Behavior Draws Attention
After years of being a family, Dale still felt like Lise was distant and disconnected, especially toward him. But she wasn’t acting much differently toward others either.
She mostly kept to herself and never really had any friends, which was odd for a teenage girl. And at first, Dale thought she might just prefer being alone.
What To Do
But Dale started getting concerned when she spent hours in her room without saying a word to him. And then she started spending her afternoons away from home without giving him an explanation.
Dale was unsure of what to do. He wanted to talk to her about it but didn’t want to push the boundaries.
Leaving For College
Lise passed through her teenage years, but nothing seemed to have changed, and before Dale knew it, she was preparing to leave for college.
Dale thought Lise would make more of an effort to stay close with him now that they would be so far apart. But he was in for a surprise.
Trying To Stay In Touch
Dale tried his best to stay in touch with Lise for the first few weeks. But keeping her engaged in a conversation was difficult with so much distance between them.
He already had a hard time with it when she was still living at home, but it became a lot worse since she left.
Surprise Visit
Her actions saddened Dale. Lise was living so far away now, and he was missing his daughter, but he had no way to keep the relationship they once had. That was when Dale decided to do something drastic.
He decided to visit her, but she was nowhere to be found when he arrived. The college told him that she had dropped out after her first semester.
Big Secret
She had been lying to him for months, but that wasn’t what bothered him the most. He had no idea where his daughter was and whether she was okay or not.
Dale was sad that she kept something like that from him. However, he was too concerned about her safety to stop and think about her secrets.
She Refused To Talk To Him
Dale immediately called her, but there was no answer, so he sent her multiple text messages. He was getting more concerned by the minute, but then something crossed his mind.
What if she didn’t want to talk to him? Should he call the police to check on her? Or would that do more harm than good?
He Was Worried
Dale felt like a failure. He had spent years trying to be a good father, but now that his daughter didn’t want to talk to him, he wondered if he wasn’t as good a dad as he thought he was.
He wanted nothing more than to get his daughter back, but there was no use in forcing her if she wanted nothing to do with him. He sent her one last text asking if she could just tell him if she was okay. Her reply left him with more questions than answers.