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NPE: Not Parent Expected

When your DNA test reveals the worst

By Joyce O’DayPublished 11 months ago 4 min read
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NPE: Not Parent Expected
Photo by Lauren Richmond on Unsplash

Jessica Demetriou Petrillo opened the email with enthusiasm. After six weeks, her DNA results had finally arrived. Her hands were shaking with excitement as she logged onto the website.

Her mother's ancestry was boring: English and Dutch who settled in New York before the Revolutionary War. Her mother Janice was an official member of DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution). They were as American as it came. However, her father's family was more exciting! Stavros Demetriou was born in Nicosia, Cypress, in 1965 and moved to Anaheim, California, in 1975. His cousins lived down the street from Janice Chamberlin.

Over the years, Janice and Stavros interacted on numerous occasions: birthday parties, Fourth of July celebrations, and later at house parties with kegs of beer, bags of weed, and garage bands. However, it was the New Year's Eve party in 1985 when they shared their first kiss. Things moved fast after that. In March, Janice found out she was pregnant. In June, she graduated, and in November 1986, Jessica was born. Two brothers followed closely behind.

Jessica was excited to find her relatives back in Cyprus. She and her husband Tony were planning to visit the island this summer, following two weeks in Italy, where Tony was also hoping to connect with long-lost relatives in the town of Salerno.

Her nerves had gotten the best of her, and a wave of nausea overtook Jessica. She ran to the bathroom just in time. In her second month, morning sickness was a regular affair. Jessica swiftly returned to her computer and immediately clicked onto the section that read "Ethnicity Estimate."

44% Italy

34% England and Northwestern Europe

16% Germanic Europe

6% Greece

"This can't be right," Jessica said to herself. "I should be 50% Greek, not 6%." Jessica then went to the "Shared Matches" section of the Ancestry site. She immediately recognized relatives on her mother's side, but there was not a single Demetriou or anyone with a Greek-sounding name. "Where's my dad?"

She scrolled down the list of names and immediately saw a variety of Italian names: Caruso, Danza, and Anthony Petrillo. "What the hell! What is my husband doing on my list of relatives?" Jessica jumped up and ran back to the bathroom to vomit again, but this time, it wasn't morning sickness. It was something deeper, something worse.

Jessica laid down on the couch, trying to process it all. Her dad did not show up on Ancestry. That could only mean one thing. DNA doesn't lie. Stavros Demetriou was not her biological father. Did her mom know?

Worse than that, her husband Tony showed up as a second cousin. They had met at Cypress Community College seven years ago in their English 101 class. Sparks did not initially fly. But when they ran into each other at a charity event five years later, the attraction was definitely there. Now they were expecting their first child.

Jessica picked up the phone and called her mother. "I got my DNA results back."

"That's nice! Any surprises?" asked Janice.

"Actually, yes. I'm only 6% Greek and there are no Demetrios in my family."

"Maybe no one has tested in Cyprus," said Janice.

"That's not the problem. Mom. I have a slew of Italian first cousins, and Tony is coming up as a second cousin."

"Your Tony? That just doesn't make sense. The company must have mixed up your test with someone else."

"They didn't, Mom. Your family members show up: Uncle Bob, Cousin Becky, Aunt Terrie. Did you sleep with someone besides Dad back in the day?"

"No!" snapped Janice.

"Be honest, Mom. This matters - a lot."

"There was one other guy before I connected with your father. His name was Mickey or Mikey, something like that. It was only one time."

"Where did you meet him?"

"At a party. It was so long ago." Janice took a deep breath. "Jessica, you have to promise not to tell a soul. Can you imagine what our friends at church will think? Besides, it will destroy your father."

"That's not my fault. There are bigger things at stake. What will Tony say? What will I do about this baby? This is incest, Mom!"

"You said second cousins. That's not so bad. Is it?"

"Did you ever suspect I wasn't Dad's child?"

"Never. You look just like him with the dark hair and brown eyes."

"Dad needs to know. Either you tell him or I will. Even if I wanted to keep this a secret, it's impossible. Aunt Carissa has tested, and when I don't show up, she will definitely question Dad."

Jessica heard the door open. Tony walked into the kitchen and kissed Jessica on the cheek. "How has your day been? Feeling any better?"

"I've got to go, Mom. You need to talk to Dad."

"I'll try." Janice hung up the phone, placed her hands on her face, and began to cry.

Jessica stood up and gave her husband a hug. There were tears in her eyes.

"Is everything alright?" asked Tony. "Is the baby okay?"

"I got my Ancestry results today. We need to talk."

"I'm guessing there was a surprise in your results."

"It's not good, Tony. My dad is not my biological father. He does not show up at all."

"He hasn't tested," said Tony. "He wouldn't show up."

"His sister Carissa should have shown up, but didn't."

"I've heard of this," said Tony. "It happened to a guy at work. His birth certificate father was not his biological father. I think the term was "not parent expected" or something like that. Hey, Sweetheart, we'll get through this. Stavros will understand. He loves you like crazy. You know that."

"I do," said Jessica. "We have a bigger problem." She clicked back onto the "Shared Matches" function, scrolled down to the name Anthony Petrillo, and clicked on the name next to a picture of her husband.

"Holy shit!" Tony covered his mouth with his hand and closed his eyes.

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About the Creator

Joyce O’Day

After retiring from teaching world history for over 20 years, I am living every day on holiday: enjoying life with my family, traveling, gardening, engaging with my community in Las Vegas, and reflecting on the current state of the world.

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