At 92, Robert Azemar found his son 50 years after losing sight of him, thanks to a private detective. Encounter.
Tears stream down her cheeks. The nonagenarian desperately searches for a tissue to wipe his face, his eyes red with emotion. “What moved me the most was when he called me dad in his mail,” Robert tells us, handing over the five-page letter depicting the emotions of his son, Gilles, now 63 years old. Robert loses contact with his only son when the latter is only 12 years old. A divorce, visiting rights, then contact becomes less frequent until it disappears completely. ” That's life “, philosopher our host living near Quissac, still moved by destiny and its marvelous surprises.
Fear of refusal
For 3 years already, the idea had been running through his head, and in that of Karima, his cleaning lady who had become a true friend by force of circumstances. “At the beginning, he was afraid of his son's rejection, after fifty years…”, Karima tells. “I preferred to let it drag on rather than suffer a painful refusal”confides Robert frankly. Then he finally gave the green light. The first searches on social networks did not yield much, Karima then considered using the services of a private detective. Two or three are contacted, one woman agrees to find Gilles' trace.
Gilles' trace is found
Some rare information is transmitted to the detective: age, place of birth, date of marriage, divorce, etc. On June 8, the request was made in exchange for a deposit. In August, the news broke: Gilles had been identified in the north of France. A wave of happiness invaded Robert, as much as apprehension. After getting in touch with Gilles, the detective delivers the verdict: “he was completely willing to meet me”fool Robert.
Birthday day, reunion day
What follows are weeks of stress and questions coming together at high speed. “What does he look like?” Is he tall, short, fat, thin? “, then list Robert. On the occasion of his 92nd birthday, his son was invited to attend the birthday party. The big dive. “We offered him the hotel, he absolutely wanted to sleep with his father, eat with him,” remembers Karima who picks him up at the airport. On the journey, Gilles lets his curiosity overflow: what is his father like? “He is happy, he loves people, he drives his car, gardens and dances. He never complains”then describes Karima.
“It was automatic, it was wonderful”
“We prepared everything, we went to buy furniture for the room, organized a whole bunch of activities for the three days,” comments Robert. Gilles ends up crossing the threshold of the door, “it was obvious, it was automatic, we fell into each other’s arms”Robert remembers with deep emotion. Decision is made to move forward, “I still have chills”abounds the nonagenarian. The father and son try as best they can to make up for lost time, to confide a few anecdotes to each other, and some challenges too. “He has a 13-year-old daughter, he speaks very well, he does karate,” rejoices the father, full of admiration. In his letters, Gilles recalls the memories he has of his father, such as this outing to the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. The link is maintained via email, Gilles regularly receives news through Karima. A next stay is already under discussion. “It’s wonderful,” concludes Robert, happier than ever.
