The trip - Die Adoption,Teil 4 - Die Reise

On paper, Carlos Haas is German. But he was born in 1985 in Guatemala, Central America. At the age of 32 he went in search of his mother - and found her. But her violent husband stands between the two.

Nine months have passed since Marco Antonio Garavito - the man with the mustache whom everyone just calls "Maco" - found Carlos' mother in the highlands of Guatemala. I'm in the office of his organization in Guatemala City, which helps adoptive children find their birth parents. I want to know from Maco how mother and son became closer.

“It took several months, she spoke to me and I wrote to Carlos until one day I suggested that they speak to each other directly. But Victoriana couldn't make a phone call at home because nobody was allowed to notice. "

The mother secretly telephones her son

Especially not Victoriana's husband. Because she never told him anything about the adoption.

“It was like the relationship between Victoriana and Carlos's father was a secret, she would have taken it to the grave, and that's why it completely ripped the floor from under her feet when we found her and her from Carlos have told. "

But Maco has experience in these things. And an idea.

“We stayed with Victoriana in such a way that she calls me when she is in a safe place and not at home. I then sent Carlos a message in Germany that he could call her. And then they talked to each other for almost 80 minutes. "

At that time, I spoke to Carlos shortly after the phone call with his mother. He was upset but happy.

"One of the first questions was also whether I have a religion - yes, yes, I am Catholic - so she said: Thank God, she was very happy."

Carlos learns from his mother that Victoriana had four children from his first marriage before she became pregnant with him through another man. And he now knows that his birth father died shortly before he was born.

The secret will be revealed

“Then she stood there alone with four children and an infant and from this situation made the decision to give me up for adoption. And since then has kept it as a secret. "

In Guatemala, in Maco's office, I find out more. Of the four children from his first marriage, only two are still alive: Baudilio emigrated to California, the other, Luis, lives in Chiantla, not far from Carlos' birthplace. The mother tells him that he has a brother. Lo and behold: Luis is happy and promises to support her. Now she finds the strength to talk to her abusive husband too. And it reacts as expected. He screams, he scolds and prophesies that Carlos will hate her. But Victoriana has made up her mind. She is determined to meet her son.

Shortly before his departure from Guatemala, I skype one last time with Carlos in Germany. The whole family is coming tomorrow. The suitcases are packed.

"Here in Augsburg we're leaving tomorrow at seven, the taxi arrives, the airport shuttle, we are at the Munich airport shortly after eight, we have plenty of time, the plane to Atlanta leaves at five past eleven."

24 hours later I'm at the airport. Carlos, his wife and two children come through passport control.

"Everything went well, but now everyone is very tired!"

Finally in Guatemala

They drive through the chaotic traffic, past street vendors and food stalls to a friend with whom they will spend the night. But there is not much time left. The next day we continue to meet the mother. Maco and I are picking up the family.

Carlos and his wife Juliane sit tightly packed in the back seat of the SUV, between them the two children Valentin, 5 years old and Cecilia, one and a half. After just under an hour, Maco's cell phone rings.

"Hello Victoriana, we are already at the Patzicía level, I'll pass it on to your son" - "Hello? How are you? We're fine, the children are still pretty tired. "

After the row with her husband, Victoriana temporarily moved in with her son Luis. She's nervous, of course, but she's fine there, says Maco. Carlos is also excited, even if he doesn't show anything from the outside. But even during our Skype conversation shortly before departure, his thoughts were with his mother for a long time.

“Last week it was a couple of times, then I imagined what the moment would be like when I see the mother - I've already seen her a couple of times on video call - how it will feel to hug her. Then I already imagined a couple of times what it was like and then I was very upset, but then you probably can't really imagine how it really is. "

Now in the car everyone can feel the special moment. It is quiet. Everyone thinks of the same thing. Carlos, Juliane, Maco and me. Valentin and Cecilia, Carlos' children, look with big eyes at the mountains in the strange land, the steel-blue sky, the colorful clothes everywhere that they usually only know from Carlos. And they too feel: tomorrow will be a very special day in their father's life.

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