He feels like ‘the only dad I’ve ever had’
Roberto Carrasco with his “Texas dad,” Martin Carrasco. “Our relationship is stronger than ever. He tells me he’s here for me, hell or high water.”
“When my dad moved down here to start a better life for himself, I was about 9 or 10. It was pretty traumatizing for me because I loved him so much. He is not my biological dad, but he is like the only dad I’ve ever had since I was born.
“My real dad’s name is also Roberto. I remember when I met him for the first time. I thought he was just a friend of the family. We went to go eat at McDonald’s and he took me shopping. I didn’t really know who he was. I thought he was just this weird stranger. When he said, ‘I’m your dad,’ I was like, ‘My dad lives in Texas. I don’t know who you really are.’
“He threw a birthday party for me once, and it was really nice. It was this Mickey Mouse party because I loved Disney. He told me happy birthday and that he loved me, but it just seemed like he was always trying to buy my love. I couldn’t say I loved him back because I didn’t feel it. His family was super sweet. But to this day, I will never feel like his family is my family or that he’s my dad.
“We were starting to have a relationship, and he was supposed to pick me up one Thanksgiving. But it didn’t happen. I remember talking to him on the phone and hearing people in the background. He said he was at work and it was his coworkers, but I knew he was at home.
“I started calling him a lot to see how he was doing, but he was ignoring my calls. Eventually, he told me that he didn’t feel like we should see each other anymore. I thought that was a weird thing to say to a child. But I finally understood that he was like my biological mom. To him, I was an accident and he doesn’t want me.”
— Roberto Carrasco
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