Are You My Father or My Enemy?! | KARAMO

5 years ago, I reconnected with the man I believed to be my father. I drove across the country to see him, only to find out that he believes I'm not his child. Ricky's name is not on my birth certificate. I asked my mother, why isn't Ricky on my birth certificate? She doesn't know. I don't understand why she doesn't know when she's the one that laid down, had sex with the guy, carried me. I don't know why they can't give me a definite answer. I don't know if they're both just telling lies. I don't know what's going on.

There's so many doubts that he is even my son. I feel uncomfortable even saying son.

Why do you have the doubts?

Not only have I witnessed her leave with different guys, she's been known to be a thief. I mean, a serious thief. Known to lie, okay? I even seen her one time in Long Beach in an alley. Okay. She was in the alley, man. She was, you know.

In the alleyway.

You know, right when I was told that she was pregnant, Karamo, her stepmother told me that she had caught Rhonda coming out of her dad's bedroom with him early in the morning.

Hold on, so you're saying that she could have possibly slept with her father?

That's what I was told. That's what I was told, all right? And on several occasions she'd do disappearing acts, you know, be gone 4 or 5 days at a time, you know? And I tolerated this 'cause I loved the woman.

How did you find out that Solomon was born?

You know what, I heard it on the street because Rhonda was only 5 and a month and a half pregnant. Who would expect their girlfriend or whatever to have a baby at 5 and a half months, okay?

So Solomon was premature.

He was premature. Solomon, when he was born, he weighed 2 pounds, 2 ounces. And after I found out on the street that she had had Solomon, okay, I go up to the hospital, all right? And they reluctantly let me in 'cause I said I'm the father. They didn't say there was no father on the birth certificate. Rhonda was nowhere to be found. I mean, nowhere to be found at all, you know? And so Solomon was in there for almost 2 weeks. She wound up getting him out of the hospital. I didn't know when she got him out. And she disappeared for about 4 to 5, 4 and a half months or so, and had gotten her apartment somewhere. Karamo, I didn't hear from her for a long time.

Yeah, and I know my producers told me that you went to the Army for a while. Did you hear from her after you joined the Army?

Yeah, I heard from her. Matter of fact, I'd sit around up here with my dog tags, you know, way around my neck. You know, I'm in love, you know.

Yeah, of course.

Thinking she in love, you know, and proud to wear her man's dog tags. You know, her man serving the country.

Yeah.

You know, and so I catch up with her. I run into one of her friends. He said, Man, Rhonda on that crack. I see her walking through the park looking all scraggly with a brother that looking, he looking like he just got through sleeping up under a bridge. I looked at the brother, man, this brother got my dog tags on.

You have this woman you love, this potential child, your heart's broken right now.

My heart is totally broken. I love Rhonda.

When was the last time you saw Rhonda?

Somewhere in the '80s.

It's been a long time. Well, listen everyone, I wanna see what Rhonda has to say about this. Everyone, let's meet Rhonda. Ricky said that there's a possibility that your father is your son's father. What is that about?

That's what I thought.

That's nasty and it's really disgusting for you to do that, okay?

No, I'm just telling you what— I'm telling you what—

Let me talk, okay?

I'm telling you—

He wouldn't stop talking.

Stop.

Ricky, let me hear her side. I wanna hear what she has to say.

Thank you.

Because this is a lot. So you're saying, first of all, that there's no possible way that— Your father.

I'm very respectful. He treated me like a son. That's what you said.

Her daddy was a good man.

Let me finish talking, Larry. No, no, you said he nasty. He's dealing with the daughter.

Now you say he's a good man.

He is a good man.

That's what I—

He is a good man. And you said he's a good man. Why you never told me about that? Why you never told me about that?

Why isn't Ricky on Solomon's birth certificate?

They never asked me, what's— who's the daddy? He told you he in love with me. His wife, excuse that, okay? He do mess around, she knows too. But that's why, she know, she know. I wish you'd let her come up here, she tell the truth.

You know what, I forced myself to believe, I wanted to believe he was my son. I love this girl.

Well listen everyone, I wanna find out how Solomon feels about all of this. So everyone, please welcome Solomon to the show.

How dare you? How dare you? You's a sick individual, man. The man that you was speaking of is who you went to live with when I was taken from you due to your activities, sir. Due to your activities, I was taken from you.

Not just took it from her, I was took it from you.

I was took it from you, okay? Then not only that, you went back and lived with that man that you speak on, so tell me what's up, man. What the hell is your problem, man?

You're a deadbeat, you're a bitter deadbeat.

You have other children you didn't raise and deny. Sir, okay, dude, you not been there, sir.

You ain't none of my son number 1.

How is that? You been claiming ever since I've known you. Who would take a 4-year-old, 5-year-old boy in, then get him took from, but it's not your son? You contradicting yourself, sir.

You know what, Solomon, Solomon, you know what? I would love to teach you how to play basketball like I did.

I would love to teach you to know conflict.

Your mama had you out there. No, you sit your ass down.

Hold it, hold it, hold it, baby boy.

Hold it, baby boy.

Check it out, I ain't talking to you.

Talk to Tooth, talk to Mouth.

How you doing? Glad you're meeting somebody new.

Listen, let's go backstage.

Dang.

I just need to hear from you because I can see all the pain, I see all the hurt, I see everything that's going on. It's 42 years of you being in the middle of adults' confusion.

Yes.

So what was it like for you growing up before I took you back out there?

Anger, sad, and a lot of loneliness. Yes.

The entire time?

The entire time because I didn't have a father nor a mother in my life to be there and console me or teach me anything, you know? And others had to fill both of those people's shoes, whether it be grandparents or aunts and uncles.

That's why you was upset because when he made the accusation about your grandfather, is that the man who raised you?

No, it's actually my step-grandfather who raised me. However, the gentleman speaking of my grandfather, According to Ricky, a well-read, well-bred individual took him in. Yeah. Held his hand. Yeah. Even after he and my mother went together. So for him to come out and spill those type of words and venomous words, it's like, dude, you sitting here lying to yourself and lying to the public.

Listen, we're gonna take you back out. What I'm gonna do is I'm gonna put your mother in between you and the middle of Ricky so that y'all can have a chance.

Okay.

Because I really want to hear your side of all this as well. I'm here, right?

Ron, if you can move to the middle. Yeah, we can move to the middle.

Okay, thank you.

Now, Karamo, can I say something?

You can. No, no, how in the hell— Ricky, if you can take a seat for me and tell me though.

Yeah, but your daddy take me in at 25 years old.

Ricky, Ricky, if you could take a seat—

He took you in because you were bum. You were bum. You didn't have it all together, Ricky. You were a damn bum, man.

Listen, what you upset about is that your dad, that your granddad might be your dad. This is the first I've ever heard that.

This is the first I've ever heard that, bro.

This is the guy that took She went, helped you out, and now you spit this here. You've never said nothing of that nature.

Ricky, I got a question.

Ricky, hold on one second. Ricky, I got a question for you. Yeah. I need to know, I understand that you shared that fact with me earlier, but right now in this moment, whether or not this could be your kid, what do you hope to accomplish by saying that to him? I understand your pain with her, but what do you hope to accomplish by telling this young man who could be your child that there's somebody who could be his father?

Well, I just wanna know.

I'm not trying to accomplish nothing.

Because I understand your hurt.

I'm not trying to accomplish anything. What I'm trying to do is establish the fact of how Rhonda's activities were.

I got that, but that fact was established. You've already said that, but now he's here now, and I think the tone has to change.

We're not trying to establish anything. Why you and your wife reach out to me and my wife, partner through Facebook, and we drive 3 damn days to your fucking place, and then your fucking ass come and say, "Let us talk, let us talk." "This is nice, how much it cost?" You could have rented me and my wife's extra bedroom, man. I say, hold up, partner.

Solomon, do you want Ricky to be your father?

No.

Ricky, this is the thing for me. I understand your anger at this woman you used to date, but I don't understand comments of how you feel they're going to help you whether this is your child or not by saying things like, you don't mean shit to me. What is the purpose of that? This is what I'm saying. I understand you are in defense mode right now, but you come out here looking sharp and I just I just need you to match your attitude with how you look on the outside. Because right now, that ain't cute.

Okay, this woman.

Excuse me, Karamo, you're right, I'm not to him. You showed that by not coming back for over 36+ years. You ain't to me.

You're not to me. Listen, listen, it's time to solve this DNA mystery. It's time to solve this DNA mystery. We're gonna settle this. Listen, it's time to solve this DNA mystery, but before I give you this envelope to open so you can confirm if this is your father or not, I'm gonna give you my advice. The thing that needs to happen, whether or not this is your father or not, is you two owe this young man an apology, a sincere one. Because at the end of the day, no, hold on, hold on. At the end of the day, this was a young man that had nothing to do with the things that you two did as adults. He didn't deserve any of that. Before we go any further, Mom.

Yes.

I need you to sincerely look at your son and apologize.

I apologize.

Talk from your heart.

Please forgive me for being selfish, okay? Not strong at the time. I always will love you. I always have loved you. I can't go backwards, but I can keep moving forward, okay? Don't take it personal.

I love you. I know you.

Rhonda, he gonna take it personal, so you can't say that. What you can say though is, "I will take accountability for that. I abandoned you." Say that, 'cause you abandoned him.

I'm responsible for abandoning you. I apologize. Forgive me, please. I mean really forgive me.

I accept your apology.

This one, this one.

This is the first hug I got in years.

What's making you emotional? What's going on? This is your moment now.

Yeah, yeah.

This is your moment. And listen, before you start, remember that little baby that you saw that was premature, that you walked, you said outta your own mouth, you was in that hospital looking after him. Can you just think of that child right now as you say an apology to him?

Him.

It's not about her, it's about that little baby.

Yeah, I understand that. Solomon, I apologize for that because you didn't do nothing to nobody. You didn't even ask to be here. But the thing is, Solomon—

Just stop there.

Just stop there. Don't say the thing is because that's where the deflecting is. It's a growth. He's been in a pattern for many years. You 42 years old. This is how he's been communicating. So it's not gonna change in one second. So we're gonna stop right there. That's gonna be the beginning of an apology. And I think now it's time to get to your results. Are you ready to hear this?

Yes, I'm ready.

Yes.

That's for sure.

In this envelope is the answers to the DNA mystery that you have been searching for for 42 years. Is Ricky your father or not? This is your moment. How do you feel?

Scared.

Yeah.

Nervous. Been waiting on this for a very long, long time. Ricky is Solomon's biological father. Okay. All right.

Hold on one second.

No, no, no.

Hold on one second. No, no, no, no. I don't want you to say nothing to him. Let me tell you the reason I don't want you to say nothing to him. No, no, no, no. Hold on.

Hold on, hold on, hold on.

Rhonda, what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna ask you to just walk backstage. I'm gonna come back there.

Thank you.

Because this is a moment right here. Between y'all because you started the apology and now you know without a doubt that you are his father. And I'm taking her out the equation because I understand that confused it. Her drug abuse, her disappearing confused the situation. But now you know. So all that stuff about he ain't nothing, that is your seed you talking about. That is yours.

Yeah, well—

That is yours.

Yeah.

So you gotta, this is where the journey starts to make amends. This is where it starts right now.

If it's possible.

What do you gotta say? You said you a military man. Show us your military, man.

Let me tell you something, man. You know, I'm glad that you are my son. You know, I—

Talk to me, dude, like they taught you in the military.

Look, look, let me— They ain't talking.

As you think and talk, look me in my eyes.

You going to let me talk?

Yeah, go ahead.

You want to talk?

Go ahead.

You want to talk?

Talk.

Okay. If you had any idea how your mother was, any idea—

Ricky, Ricky, Ricky, you know the truth. And I understand that you've been in a habit of 42 years of reverting back to the things that happened to both of you and blaming her. But at this moment, anything you do is on you 100%.

Yeah.

So when you turn to him and you gotta say, he deserves to be angry. He also, by the way, got your temper. So you looking at a reflection of yourself, but he deserves to have it. He deserves to have it.

To have it.

And we know now that he did not get that because his father, you, were not there.

Well, Karamo, let me put it like this. You put it like your father, you wasn't there. Okay, this lady, number one, disappeared. I'm not the FBI.

So guess what?

She would never—

She would accept accountability.

Well, guess what? You're right.

You a boss, brother. And I come from trash, but I'm a boss. Okay, have a great day.

You have the truth now.

I will.

You have the truth, brother.

You have the truth. You got an apology from your mother. You're welcome. You got an apology from your mother, and I hope that he can one day take the journey to be there for you as well. I do. I really do. I pray. And I believe he will. I believe he will.

You don't have no idea how these people done did me wrong.

Check this out. Come on out to California.

We'll treat you well, partner. We'll go out to the beach.

I wish you all well. Brother, I wish you the best. You didn't deserve none of this life. You didn't deserve any of it. You deserve greatness.

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