Jordan Solomon has always had the feeling that he is not related to the man who is said to be his father.
Then, in early 2020, while traveling with a backpack through Asia, Solomon received DNA results that finally confirmed this suspicion.
“It really threw me into a snare,” Solomon said.
“I was in Cambodia at the time and I remember being in a temple and then I had the feeling that I thought my real father was alive.
When the pandemic struck, Solomon returned to Calgary. Then he decided it was time to start looking for his biological father.
I had documents everywhere. It was all over the floor. – Jordan Solomon, Calgary resident
He began with a blank sticky note, and spent the next two years spending many late nights looking at family trees and genetic matches.
“It was annoying, it was a lot of information,” Solomon said.
“I had documents everywhere. It was everywhere on the floor.”
Solomon, who is a father himself, was also studying at the university at the time, as well as working full-time. He said his demand had taken effect.
“It was very rude, but it was worth it,” he said.
Much of his motivation stems from his son’s desire to know who his grandfather is.
“It was for the next generation.”
Breakthrough
After entering a number of rabbit holes, Solomon finally connected with one of his online DNA matches, just before she boarded a cruise ship in Florida.
She told Solomon to call her daughter in Toronto, who had detailed knowledge of their family tree.
Solomon said that when she showed him her origins, it was as if she had given him the last piece of a giant puzzle.
“I was sitting in my economics class and my hair stood on end,” Solomon said.
He posted a message on Facebook to the man he thought was his biological father, who eventually took a paternity test and learned that Solomon was indeed his son.
Solomon admits that his search was successful, but he needed to know where he came from because of his son. (Joe Horwood / CBC)
But the surprises didn’t end there.
Looking at her photos on social media, Solomon not only noticed that the two share a strong resemblance, but also gathered together that he had met the man before.
He said it blew his mind. The man was a former associate of Solomon’s, with whom he worked for three or four years.
As it turns out, Solomon and his father, Roger Arseno, had worked together at a mall in New Brunswick years earlier. Solomon was a security guard and his father ran a shop.
“There was something about him… I felt like I knew him,” Arseno said.
Both men clearly remembered the day Arseno slapped Solomon on the back and told him he was doing a good job. They said it was a moment of intuitive recognition that lingered in them over the years.
After the reunion, Solomon said his father had taken on a very supportive role.
“He turned out to be the father I thought he would be,” Solomon said.
“He took on the role of Grandpa pretty great.”
Jordan Solomon and his father, Roger Arseno, had worked together at a mall in New Brunswick years earlier. Arseno said he lit up when he first met his grandson. (Submitted by Jordan Solomon)
Arseno said the experience had strengthened his faith in destiny. He remembers meeting his grandson for the first time.
“My grandson, his son, entered the video chat [and] he looks at me and says, “Can I call you Grampy?” Arseno said.
“I just lit up, like I wouldn’t believe it.”
Add Comment