Since I was a little girl I've always thought I was different from my siblings. My skin is lighter, my hair is wavy, my eyes are light brown and I don't look anything like them. I remember one day asking my mom point blank if I was adopted. "No, eres mi hija," she said. I asked her if I had a different father. "No, tu papa es el mismo que tus hermanos." I believed her until the day I met him.
On January 18 2012, I was checking my Facebook, and just as I was about to hit the logout button I received a private message from someone I didn't know. At first I thought about deleting it but them my curiosity got the best of me. As I started reading those Spanish words my eyes filled with tears, and soon I understood what he was trying to say. I know those lines by heart because those words changed my life forever. As I read, "Mi amor quiero confesarte que soy tu papa." (My love, I want to confess to you that I'm your dad.) I found myself in complete shock. I felt like the world had stopped, and I was an ice sculpture because I couldn't move or speak. I could only feel tears running down my face.
It was then when I realized what I just read. I had a dad, one that had been looking for me, one that really cared about me, one that shared the same light skin, wavy hair and light brown eyes as me.
Even though I'm relieved about where I come from, I know that my family will have some issues accepting me because of their beliefs of "pure blood kids." I don't really know why they think that way but I don't really care because at the end I know I'm different from them.
With a perspective, I'm Natalia Espinoza.