My New Year’s Resolution Is to Find My Father | KARAMO

So Fatima, you've been searching for a man you believe is your father and you posted a message for help and we have the full post. Can I see it, y'all? Okay, it said, delete if not approved. My name is Fatima, I'm 34 years old, born in blank. I'm searching for my father, Derek Alexander. The only information I have about him is his name, parents' name, and his last known address. That's a lot of information to have though. Which is Brooklyn, New York. I'm unsure of his birthday, but it may be in January. My mom is blank, known as, got pregnant with me while staying in New York before moving to South Carolina. I've been searching for my father since childhood. Please contact me. And Derek Alexander, Brooklyn, New York. Wow, okay. So what made you make this post?

So I made myself, I made this post because I made myself this year a promise before I turned 35, which my birthday was September 6th.

Okay, happy belated birthday.

Thank you. I made myself a promise that I will find my father before my birthday, which was September 6th. And throughout my childhood, I've been trying to find my father. So I made this post, like different little groups. Like I grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and I'm from Brooklyn, New York. So when I made this post, a random person inboxed me like, "Hey, I saw your post on Facebook." So as we communicating back and forth, she was sending me like little random pictures and I'm sending to my mom like, "Hey, do this face look familiar?" And she's telling me, "I don't remember." [Speaker:KARAMO] Yeah. Hmm.

Here you go, love.

So we finally writing back and forth. She sent me some numbers connected with Derrick Alexander. It's like, "Hey, if I send you some random numbers, are you scared to call him?" So I was like, "No, I'm not." So she sent me the number. She sent me 8 different numbers. Some on reject the call. So when I finally got to his number, I call him. He rejected the call at first, then I sent a text asking like, "Hey, are you Derrick Alexander?" He responded back, "Yes." So I text him back saying like, "I'm searching for my father, Derrick Alexander. All I know is his mom name, his birthday. Are you that person?" He responded back to me, "Yes." Wow. So I said—

What thought went through your mind when you heard that response?

When he said yes, I bust out in tears 'cause I'm thinking like, hey, is this a scam? Is like, is this really happening to me?

Yes, I'm your father. Wow.

All this happened August the 18th. Me and him was communicating back and forth every single day.

August 18th of this year?

Yes.

Wow, so this is all very fresh in the search.

Before all this, I'm on Facebook searching like, hey, Darell Alexander.

'Cause how long you been searching on Facebook?

Since childhood.

Childhood, you've been going online.

Even like with, I'm childhood elementary, I'm in school, my recess time, hey, I'm on Google search trying to find out who my daddy is.

Wow.

So like my childhood growing up, I've been from place to place, house to house, sleeping in cars, et cetera. Like I never had that father figure in my life at all. Like father-daughter dance, like teach me how to ride my first bike. Even when I went in labor with my first child, I cried asking like, hey, why my dad's not here? Do he even love me? Do he know I even exist?

It says, "Yes, I've been searching for you for years." And he says, "I'm here, search no more." That's beautiful. How did that make you feel when you saw that?

I was very emotional 'cause that lets me know like he was searching for me just as well as I was searching for him.

I gotta go to this really quickly 'cause I know you told me about how it was growing up. Was your mother not able to provide any more information?

Every time I would ask her for information, it was like, She get mad, she tell me, oh, well, DNA test need to be involved. That's the only thing you could tell me, a DNA test needs to be involved? No, I don't think that was appropriate for you to tell me.

Yeah, I don't know your mother and I don't know her story, so I don't wanna judge, but I do know that it's imperative that parents, whatever trauma, whatever experience they had, that they actually take a moment to say, I had to put that aside. Because as we can see with your emotions, you deserve these answers. You've been craving these answers. And you were a child in all this, so she knows something. You know what I mean? And I understand why you'd be frustrated with her response. You know what I mean? I'm not calling her a bad mom or any of that, but I do understand that she needed to give you more. But I'm happy that you went on the show for yourself. So I heard you say earlier that when you were having your child, you were asking, where's my dad? Why is he not here? What else happened? Has your father missed out on?

He missed out on my whole childhood, 'cause when we talk on the phone last, he say last time he saw me I was 2 years old. I don't remember that. That's years ago. I'm 2 and I feel like my dad should've been there to comfort me.

Yeah. Have you been married?

I am married. Are you? I am. And he wasn't there. He wasn't there to walk me in the courthouse. I don't blame him, He tried, he tried to find me.

Yeah, yeah. Well, you look beautiful there, by the way.

Thank you.

Well, Fatima has only texted with Derek, everybody. So when Derek walks out, this will be your first time coming face to face with him.

Yes.

Well, I think it's time for you to meet your potential father, Derek. So are you ready for this, Fatima?

I am.

Okay, well everyone, please help me welcome Derek to the show. I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry.

This is, I didn't get a chance to dance with you, but you'll get plenty more chances to dance with me, you heard? I'm so sorry.

How you doing, sir?

I'm fine, thank you for being here. Thank you so much.

You got me all choked up when you started dancing with her. That was a beautiful thing. Fatima has been searching for you her entire life. Can you share with us from your perspective what happened? Let me get this to you too.

Yeah, well, I mean, me and her mom, we were young.

Yeah.

And we were close. And it just, things wasn't working. So, you know, maybe her mom was smarter than me and said, well, I have to, 'cause I got a baby now. But eventually she brought Fatima back so I could see her. Let me know, okay. And then she went back. And every September 6th, I know that's my baby's birthday. Wow.

That is your birthday. Yeah, and so the fact that he knew that beforehand.

All her life, all her life. A date that will always stick with me, you know? And I did try to find her.

Yes.

You know? And it's like—

What happened when you were trying to find her?

You go on Facebook, it was Fatima Martins there, but it wasn't her. You know, you never stop. But see, she left so young that I didn't have nobody to go to and ask where was her and her mother.

Makes sense.

The last couple of years, I tried again, I tried again, And one of my friends said, "Well, why don't you go through, you know, the family tree thing?" I said, "All right." I went through the same thing.

I got a dead end 'cause I don't know whether his mom and dad information was the right information with me. So it was kind of hard trying to—

I know you've had a lot of unanswered questions. Do you wanna ask Derrick anything right now?

I'm here. I'm here. I'm sorry that I wasn't with you through your childhood.

I just hate you miss a whole lot and I hate my mom took me from you at a young age 'cause you really miss out on a lot. So that's with my first son, his birth and everything.

Yeah, I know. What's interesting to me is you say that her mother brought you to her, which is obvious because you knew her birthday and everything. But you said your mother says she knew nothing. Like she wouldn't give you information. If she brought you to him, why do you think she wouldn't just say, I brought you to this man? Like, yeah, he knows about you. Why do you think she's holding it, held it back?

I don't know. That's the answer. She never told me.

Got it. Derek, do you have other children? No. You don't have any other children?

No.

So this would be your only child? Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. And I never doubted.

Have I doubted you ever since?

No. And I had loved that by him. It's not like most men's out here like, "Oh no, that's not my baby." He was very confident when I talked to him on the phone that I was his.

And I'm still confident. I'm still, yeah.

This is my baby right here. Well listen, I love the confidence and I love the vulnerability that's happening on this stage. Fatima, are you ready?

I am. I wanna get this closure.

Well, come with me. All right, baby.

Come with me. Make it official, baby. Let him know. Let him know. Let him know.

All right, Fatima. Karamo, this envelope is the DNA truth that you have waited 35 years for. It's not my truth to open, it's yours. So there you go.

I'm so nervous about this. Whatever the outcome is today, I would still love you the same.

I love you too, babe. I love you too, but it's gonna be good. It's gonna be good. All right. Take your time. Take your time.

Take your time.

Oh, sorry. What is it? What does it say? I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I wanted you to be mine so bad.

I'm so sorry.

No, no, no, no.

I'm sorry. You still my baby anyway. I don't care. I'm so sorry. I am so sorry. I am so sorry. You can cry. I'm so sorry. I am so sorry. I'm still your father. You've been calling me, I've been talking to you. I'm still your father. I don't care. I don't care. I don't care. I don't care. You still corny. You still corny.

I don't care. I'm so sorry this is happening. Come on over.

Okay, come sit down.

Derek, will you come in for me? I wanna give her, I'll give her a moment to process.

Okay.

I'm so sorry for that. I'm so sorry because I know that you had high hopes that that was your daughter. Is there any information that you have that you can provide during that time? Because I have the most amazing staff in daytime TV that will work their butts off to help, but we just need a lead. If we have a lead, we can help her to get the answers she needs. Is there anything you can remember about that time?

Honestly, all I know that they lived on [MASKED] with family. It wasn't their place. Moved with family. And I used to go see her mom almost every day.

Yeah.

And if I wasn't there, she was with me, with my grandparents.

Is there any other guys that might have been around that were just friends or somebody that you can remember a name of? Like, you know what, I had a suspicion they were talking or anything, anybody at all?

Well, when I did live, In Williamsburg, there was one guy that she did go to school with. I'm not familiar with his name or anything though.

With even the slightest crumb, we can figure out what to do. So as you think about that one guy, please let us know. And to Fatima's mom, if you're watching this, I wanna invite you and ask you to come here. This is a safe place where my job has always been to heal and help. And if there's any information that you can give to Fatima so that that she can get answers. We ask you, your daughter deserves this. She has spent 35 years not having answers and it's time that you give her the closure she deserves. So thank you. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I heard what you said and the fact that you're still willing to be in her life, you're a great man.

You're a great man.

You're a great man.

Of course. We're about to go and talk to my other daughter.

Hey, I'm so sorry, love. I'm so sorry.

I'm so, so sorry.

I'm so, so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Well, listen, we talked a little bit out there. I asked if he has any information and he said he remembers another guy around that time. You don't have to search anymore alone. We have a team here that will help you. To find any crumb and get you your answers. You deserve closure, you hear me? You deserve it. So I don't want you to know you're not in this alone. You have somebody who loves you. You have me here and all of my team that will help you in any way we can. Also, if you have information that I can get in contact with your mom, I will try and help you in talking to her to get more information, okay? You all right? I know you're not, I know. You not. I know you not. I know you not.

I know you not. But we're going to help you, okay? We're going to help you, all right? We going to help you.

You're not alone. We going to help you, okay? Come on in.

So I'm sorry, baby. I am so sorry. I knew you was mine. Could nobody tell me you wasn't mine? I knew you was mind. I don't know. I don't know.

We're gonna get some information.

We're gonna figure this out, okay?