Oliver dedicated his entire life to the military and was deployed during the Vietnam War, but his personal life was not that successful. Then he received a phone call from a man claiming to be his son and discovered a whole set of family members he didn’t know existed.
Oliver Brown was already 82 years old, and although he was still in good health, people tend to think back on their lives at that age. I did a lot with my life, but I never had a family, he often thought to himself.
Oliver didn’t exactly regret it. His dream had always been to serve in the military, just like his father and his grandfather. He enlisted as soon as he turned 18 and trained in Fort Benning near Columbus, Georgia.
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He was soon deployed to Vietnam during the war, but when he returned, he became part of the National Guard and worked in the military until his retirement in 2004. As he got older, he sometimes regretted not having a family.
But Oliver dismissed those thoughts quickly, as he had served proudly and honorably for his country. Besides, he only dated one woman, Sophie, long ago. They met when he got back from the war and they had a passionate relationship.
When Oliver was transferred to Fort Wolters in Texas in the mid-1970s, Sophie didn’t want to move with him, causing their relationship to end, and they never talked to each other again since then. He hadn’t thought of her all these years until he received a strange call one day.
“Hello?” he answered his home phone.
“Hello! Am I speaking to Mr. Oliver Brown?” a man asked.
“I’m Coronel Oliver Brown. How can I help you?” Oliver retorted, demanding to be addressed by his rank.
“Ah, yes, Coronel Brown. This is going to sound strange, but my name is Daniel Green. My mother was Sophie Green,” Daniel began. “I believe you dated her in the early ‘70s?”
“Sophie…,” Oliver whispered fondly. “I haven’t thought about her in years. Are you her son? How is she doing?”
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“Ah, sir. My mother died last year,” Daniel revealed.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, boy,” Oliver replied apologetically. “So, how can I help you?”
“I believe I am your son,” Daniel stated.
Oliver had no words. That’s impossible, he mused. Sophie would’ve told me if she was pregnant. Right?
“Hello? Are you still there?” Daniel asked to break the silence.
“I’m sorry. Yes, I’m here. I… Are you sure?” the older man said, still struggling to process what he had just learned.
“I took a DNA test a few months ago, and the results stated that there’s a 99% chance that you’re my father. You also took the same test, I believe?” Daniel explained.
“Yeah. It was a gift from a buddy of mine. We all got tested to see what diseases we should watch out for…But how can you be my son? Sophie never said anything.”
“On her death bed, mom told us about you and how she found out she was pregnant after you broke up and left the state. She didn't know how to reach you so she raised us on her own. Then we took the test hoping to find you,” Daniel added.
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“Oh, ok. That explains it then — wait a minute. You said ‘we.’ Who is ‘we?’” Oliver wondered, dumbfounded.
“My twin brother, Anthony. Listen, I still live in Georgia. Is there any chance we could meet?” Daniel asked eagerly.
“Of course, I moved to Texas when Sophie and I broke up. I’m still here. Can you fly here?”
“YES! We’ll be there this week!” Daniel agreed immediately and ended the call.
Anthony and Daniel soon flew to Texas to meet Oliver. They talked about everything, and the older man apologized for not being in their lives.
But the twins didn’t care because they understood why. “I never imagined this would happen in a million years. After retiring, I had regrets about not having a family of my own, but I couldn’t see myself in that role before,” Oliver opened up to the boys.
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“Honestly, I thought about going into the military in my teens, but my mother encouraged me to go to college instead,” Anthony told him.
“That makes sense. Sophie didn’t like this life, and I mean, you probably would’ve been deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq. That was serious business. Very dangerous,” Oliver said.
The boys also shared that they had started their own families and wanted Oliver to meet his grandchildren. The older man cried that night in his home and made arrangements to move back to Georgia as soon as he could.
He enjoyed the last ten years of his life in the company of many kids running around and who loved to hear his stories. Oliver was only sorry he had missed Daniel and Anthony’s upbringing, but was grateful Sophie raised them well.
“Thank you for reaching out, Daniel. I would’ve missed all of this if you never had. Your kids and Anthony’s daughters are amazing. I can’t believe it,” Oliver told his son one day after a family cookout.
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“We're glad too. My wife doesn’t have any family left, and when Mom died, the kids missed their grandmother so much. I think gaining a granddad was the best thing for them,” Daniel gushed. “Thank you for moving here.”
When he died, the twins discovered that Oliver made a will, bequeathing all his assets and property to his children, as well as trust funds for his grandchildren for college.
What can we learn from this story?
- Family is more important than anything. While having a career can be fulfilling, your family will always be more valuable. Cherish them in every day!
- It’s never too late to change your life. Oliver could have refused to move back to Georgia, as he was settled and content. But he did and discovered it was the best decision of his remaining life.
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