At the age of 44, Dale Jefferson from St. Cloud, Minnesota was given the opportunity to adopt 6-year-old Lise Barber, a foster kid that no one else seemed to want. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the situation, Dale didn’t think twice and seized the opportunity, believing it to be his only chance to have a child. However, it would take him almost three decades to unravel the heartbreaking circumstances that led to her arrival in his life.
What’s Going On Here?
The police were the ones who ultimately let Dale know about the situation.
When they arrived at his door, he was completely oblivious as to what was going on. He hadn’t even considered the possibility that it had anything to do with his adopted daughter. When the police made him aware that their visit was in relation to Lise, Dale was taken aback; he hadn’t heard from her in 16 years, so it was a shock to be informed by the authorities that she was the reason for their visit.
The Painful Truth
The police took a seat with Dale and began to explain the strange circumstances.
After only being given a brief overview of the situation, the elderly man was filled with tears and was unable to speak. His feelings of sorrow and shock were evident, as he suddenly realized what had been hidden from him concerning his adopted daughter. It was an upsetting revelation, one that he would have rather remained secret.
One Last Chance
Dale was crushed by the news he received–so he decided to ask to speak with Lise one final time.
The authorities were understanding and accommodating, and they agreed to arrange a meeting between Dale and Lise so they could communicate, get some closure, and find out the truth. Dale believed that he deserved that much. What had Lise been keeping from Dale? Was it related to the reason why no one wanted to adopt her? And why did it take nearly 30 years for all of the information to eventually be revealed?
Dream Come True
When Dale’s dream of being a father was eventually fulfilled, it was a momentous occasion that he had been longing for since he was young.
Despite the difficulties of being a parent, he was eager to jump into the role, as he was aware that a family was something he had been missing.
Single Parent
Unfortunately, Dale hadn’t been in a romantic relationship for many years, and was living his adult life without a partner.
Although he was disappointed that he had never found the love of his life, he was content to accept it. He decided that he still wanted to pursue his goal of having a child and raising them, and looked into adoption as a potentially viable option. He was aware that raising a child on his own would be a challenge, but he was willing to take it on nonetheless.
She Was Already Six
When Dale decided to adopt a child, Lise was already 6 years old.
Lise had lived a fairly difficult life, moving throughout the adoption system all her life. Lisa never thought that she was going to be adopted when Dale entered her life. In every orphanage, Lise saw fellow orphans who had become friends get chosen and get adopted. Lise on the other hand kept getting rejected and as she got older, she truly felt like she was never going to find a permanent home.
Her Only Chance
It was unusual for a child to get placed in a new home at 6 years old.
At the orphanage, everyone felt like Lise getting adopted so late was likely going to be her last chance. This is probably why a lot of information about Lise’s background was withheld from him when he chose Lise. They were worried that knowing more about Lise’s background would make him change his mind. Eventually, they were confident that Dale would come to know the details about Lise’s past, but until then, they were happy to keep it all secret if it meant Lise would be successfully adopted.
The Best Fit
As expected, Lise and Dale seemed to hit it off. Dale, who had dreams of becoming a father, even though he was single, was finally enjoying his life.
And Lise, happy to have finally been chosen for adoption, was on her best behavior.
Dale was a good man. Unusual as it was to have a single dad adopt a young girl, Dale was overjoyed to have a new addition to his household who could fulfill his dreams of becoming a proud and kind father.
They Got Along Well
One of the things that made Dale’s life easier was the fact that Lise was already 6 years old when she was adopted.
He didn’t have to go through the challenges of raising a newborn because didn’t have to do a lot to raise her. Lise was behaved and independent. Lise knew discipline from the orphanage. Dale’s only problem was establishing a genuine connection with her adoptive daughter and to show her compassion, kindness and support. A family was what Lise needed, and he was willing to give that to her.
Years Went By
As the years went by, Dale tried his hardest to build a real relationship with Lise.
He made it a point to spend time together when they were younger and objectively, he really felt like he raised her well. But he felt like Lise was holding back somehow. Through her childhood and teenage years, he tried to be the best father that he could ever be, he wanted to make her trust him and make her comfortable to share with him whatever worried her. Even if he tried his best, he always felt like not everything was perfect.
She Was Quiet And Distant
Despite the years that they spent together, Dale felt that Lise was still distant and disconnected from him.
After all this time, Lise was still very reclusive. He didn’t see Lise spend time with a lot of friends her age but he tried not to think much of it. Maybe she just really preferred to be alone with her thoughts. She didn’t try to talk to him about it either.
Often, Lise spent most of the day in her bedroom without Dale hearing a peep out of her. Eventually, Dale noticed that she also spent many hours away from home after school without any explanation. He was feeling like she didn’t want to spend any time with him.
He Wanted Her To Make Her Own Choices
Dale was confused and didn’t know what to do.
On one hand, he thought it was best to speak to his daughter and try to talk to her about making an effort to be more outgoing and sociable. It wasn’t normal for a teenager to spend so much time alone without friends. On the other hand, he wanted to give Lise the freedom and independence that she seemed to prefer. He wanted her to make her own choices and her own mistakes. So he decided that the best thing he would do for now was to go with the latter.
Nothing Changed
As Lise grew older, nothing really changed.
What Dale thought was a teenage phase seemed to last until Lise turned 18 years old. And before long, Lise already had to move out of the house to go to college. At this point, Dale truly thought that Lise would make a bigger effort to bond with him as she was already leaving home. But it seems things took a turn for the worse and it was something that Dale really couldn’t have anticipated when he first decided to adopt the 6 year old child.
Losing Contact
In the first weeks, Dale was trying to keep in contact with her daughter but it was even harder to do so when she was so far away from home.
It was already hard enough keeping Lise engaged and connected when she was at home. What more could he do when they were apart? Of course, this was something that made Dale feel really sad. Lise had chosen to study at a college that was very far away from their home. It was difficult to go and see her and visit to simply check in.
He Tried To Visit Her
One day, Dale eventually decided to travel to the university to surprise his daughter.
He had been planning it for weeks and was looking forward to seeing Lise after such a long time. When he arrived at the campus he asked the reception in which room Lise was in. But they came back with some very concerning news. He couldn’t believe what he just heard, he expected anything from that visit but this.
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