Luke Mejares’ lonely search

As a young boy growing up in Tagbilaran, Bohol, he was always subjected to the cruel jeering of "Negro! Negro!" In school, as soon as he walked into his classroom, the other boys would pound on their desks to simulate the sound of ethnic African drums.

It was a painful experience that sometimes still pains his heart. Back then, he would only seek comfort and relief in the soothing words and warm hugs of his parents, Leonides and Elvira Mejares, who assured him that no matter what the world said about him, he would always be the world to them.

His parents’ constant assurance of their love for him, however, didn’t stop him from asking them every so often why the color of his skin was different from everyone around him – including his own parents. "Ipinaglihi ka kay Michael Jackson," his parents would always tell him. In fact, his mother idolized Michael Jackson so much that they even named him Michael Luke.

As he grew older, talks about his origins became more unjust. He asked so many questions, but couldn’t get any answer. There was this woman (Grace Macalolot) – actually a maternal aunt whom he called Mommy – whom he suspected of holding the key to the secrets of his origins, but he couldn’t get anything from her. When Luke couldn’t stand it any longer, he rebelled. He would come home very late – or sometimes wouldn’t come home at all.

Luke was 18 then and his parents felt it was about time they told him the truth. They called for a family meeting which included his Mommy Grace. "Once and for all," he asked them firmly, "who are my real parents? Who is my real mother?" "Who do you suspect?" shot back his parents.

Luke then pointed to his aunt, his Mommy Grace. "So, you knew all along," was his parents’ casual reply. No, this scene was not punctuated with tears and drama – they all saw to that. What could have been an awkward moment was followed with a lot of laughter – and relief, especially from Luke’s end. "We really just laughed it all out to spare everyone from embarrassment," he recalls.

Eventually, he learned the truth about himself: His Mommy Grace – so it turned out – had a brief love affair with a member of the US navy named Robert Davis sometime in 1974. This dalliance produced a child who turned out to be Luke.

Unfortunately, Captain Robert Davis had to leave for San Diego in California for further studies. Luke never saw him. His Mommy Grace felt it was best for her to turn Luke over to Leonides and Elvira Mejares who – after years of marriage – had remained childless. Grace eventually married and had her own children, but often went to Bohol to visit Luke – all along pretending to be a maternal aunt.

Now, that he knows the truth about himself, Luke has learned to love his foster parents even more. However, there is still this one piece missing in his life: his biological father.

For the longest time, he tried to find a clue about his father’s whereabouts. Captain Robert Davis was originally from Memphis, Tennessee. But no one knew exactly where he relocated after his studies in San Diego.

Without Luke’s knowledge, his good friend MTV VJ Sarah Meier was earnestly looking for a solution to his problem. Through the Internet, Sarah was able to piece together information and managed to locate the Captain Robert Davis who may possibly be Luke’s father.

Luke checked carefully all the information about Captain Robert Davis and all those matched with the details he got from his Mommy Grace. And to his amazement, the picture of Captain Robert Davis on the print out from Sarah Meier’s diskette bore an uncanny resemblance to him. Luke was so sure this was his father. Lukso ng dugo – as we say in the vernacular. Captain Robert Davis – so the Internet said – was now a school official in Hyattsville, Maryland. He is also married with three kids and three grandchildren.

Last summer, when he heard that his priest friend and spiritual adviser, Fr. Joseph Skelton, was leaving for the US, Luke asked him to help find Captain Robert Davis.

Fr. Skelton was the perfect man for the job. As a priest, he was patient and persevering. And he was also African-American, like Captain Robert Davis.

From Michigan, Fr. Skelton called up Captain Robert Davis in Maryland and told him if he (Fr. Skelton) could come over so that they could talk about this boy in the Philippines who may just be Davis’ son. Captain Robert Davis agreed to meet the priest .

Fr. Skelton immediately flew to Maryland and in no time at all found his way to the school where Davis works. With him was a package from Luke containing his tapes, CDs, magazine covers and print ads of Hartmann underwear (of which he is one of the endorsers) to show his achievements here in the Philippines and – more importantly – to prove that he was not after Davis’ financial support.

After handing over the package to Davis’ secretary, Fr. Skelton was made to wait outside for hours on end, but Davis did not even bother to go out of his office to see him. Fr. Skelton then left his number so that Davis may call him up at the hotel. Davis never called.

When it was time for Fr. Skelton to leave Maryland, he gave Davis a call and got through the line. Davis spoke to him, all right, but all he said was, sorry, maybe Luke got the wrong guy.

Undeterred by the frustrating turn of events, Luke applied for a US visa and was granted a 10-year multiple entry. He left last Wednesday for Maryland in the hope of being able to talk to Robert Davis in person. It’s Luke’s first visit to the US and he doesn’t know anyone in Maryland. It’s a long trip across the globe – without any assurance that his father would acknowledge him as his son.

"He may throw me out – I’m prepared for that. But the important thing is for me to see him – even just for a minute," says Luke.

As you read this, Luke may have been reunited with his father. Or he may have been turned away.

It will surely be painful for him. But it’s part of his search for this one missing piece in his life.