By Margaret Anjelie Llorico
ON the fifteenth day of October in 1997, a baby boy was born. He was deeply loved from the moment his eyes fluttered open. But unfortunate circumstances made his biological parents decide to put him up for adoption.
And there he was: a small baby covered in cloth, little hands reaching out to a stranger – the man he never knew but whom he will call, “Dad”, “Daddy”, and “Father” forever. In that moment, he found home.
Twenty-year-old Karl Dominique M. Torres was raised in the busy streets of Calumpang, Molo, Iloilo City by his adoptive parents, Joel and Carolina Torres.
Whenever he gets asked about the reason why he was put up for adoption, Karl would answer, “All I know about my biological family is that they wanted me to have a better life.”
His late grandmother, Alicia Torres was the reason why he met his parents. Karl said, “She (Alicia) is the key to the opportunity in meeting my father, Joel Torres.”
Joel made sure that Karl’s childhood was filled with laughter and fun. Karl gave a glimpse of his happy early years when he shared, “My Dad would always take me out to watch movies. He would always take me to places we’ve never been before. Most of all, my Dad is best in bringing people together. When he gathers our friends and relatives, it makes me feel like it’s fiesta.”
And in the tough times, they were there for each other too.
Karl said, “When my grandmother, Alicia passed away, it shattered our hearts but my father encouraged me to move on and he reminded me that for as long as we live, we shall have her values in our hearts.”
He added, “I wouldn’t have moved on without my father by my side.”
On 2007 when he was only ten, his mother went to USA to work as a nurse. His father followed just after a short while and Karl was left in the care of his uncle.
Despite missing his father so much, Karl did his best during his high school years in Colegio del Sagrado Corazon de Jesus. He was awarded for being a declaimer, singer, guitarist, impersonator, basketball player, artist, and theater actor.
His parents travelled back to the Philippines to be with him as he graduates high school.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA
“I withdrew my college education in St. Paul’s University to be with my parents here in America,” Karl shared.
Under the blue sky and the swaying tall palm trees, Karl felt extremely happy when he was finally beside his father and mother in 2015. Together, they spent the seasons enveloped in each other’s embrace and cherished moments when they explored the Golden State.
But despite being with his family, Karl still encountered a difficult adjustment period when he was living in the foreign state. He contemplated on which road to take in life. He thought about his career – whether he will be a nurse or not. He was feeling lost.
And then one night he sat before his father and told him the conundrum he felt within himself.
Joel, knowing his son well, suggested that Karl should join the US Navy since this career will make him a better person and will give him the opportunity in serving his country.
Karl thought about his father’s suggestion and it ignited a spark in him. The question on where to go in life was evaporated when his father guided him to the path he never knew he wanted.
Before being sent off to bootcamp in October, Karl spends most of his time with his father who helps him prepare for the future there is to come for him in the US Navy.
A father indeed leads his son to the path he shall take.
HOME
Home is often associated with an image of a house drawn with windows, roof, and door. In contrary to that, Karl proves that anywhere you are, as long as you are with the ones you love, you are at home.
He found home when he was a baby cradled in Joel’s protective arms. He found home in a childhood filled with memories of love. He found home when the plane landed in California and he was locked in his father’s embrace.
From the bustling metropolis in the Philippines and all the way to the sunny California streets, Karl always feels the essence of home. Wherever he is, just as long as he is with his father, there’s no doubt in his mind which place he belongs.
It was once written, “Home is not a place, it is a feeling.”
In Karl’s case, home is a person.
Home is his father./PN
