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"It was a relief and a joy to hear her voice for the first time after such a long while and I know it was a joy for her," Danny Ellis told THE STAR yesterday.

Ellis had been searching for his daughter Melonie for two years. He finally got the chance to rekindle their relationship after one of Melonie's relatives saw the article headlined 'Dad desperate to find daughter he's never met', that was published in THE WEEKEND STAR on August 21. The following day, Ellis got in contact with Melonie.

"I'm so grateful because I've been searching for her for years and within two days I found her," he said.

He explained that one of his other daughters reached out to the people who commented on the article on Facebook.

"So a young lady responded to my daughter and said Melonie was her aunt. She linked us to her mother who is Melonie sister and she gave me her number but I couldn't get through, so the sister brought her phone to Melonie and we talk and exchange numbers," he said. Ellis, who migrated to the US in 1971, did not know about Melonie then.

Creating a bond

But, two years ago, he learnt about her after a relative met her at a bus stop. That conversation led Ellis to initially contact Melonie.

They started conversing in hopes of creating a bond, however, the relationship ended abruptly after he lost her contact details.

Ellis said that since the reconnection, their bond is even stronger than it was two years ago.

"We talk like two times every day now and have good conversations, I even did video call on the WhatsApp. She and my other daughters are also having good conversations now too because my kids love each other regardless if they just meet or not," Ellis said. "I talk to her two daughters too which are my grandchildren, and their children."

Melonie, whose given name is Dionne Ellis, told THE STAR that she is just as excited to reunite with her dad.

"I'm so excited that he reached out and found me because it has been many years, but me give thanks because God brought me through," she said. "We talk regular pon the WhatsApp and video chat and ting." The woman said when she got news that her father was trying to locate her, she was in disbelief.

"I never really see the story because I don't have a smartphone. Is one of my family tell me about it and I never believe it until I saw it on the phone and me say 'yes'," she said. "The only thing now is just to see him in real life and I can't wait because my mom passed in 2008 and I was her only child so it has been rough. Right now me glad."

The only thing preventing their meeting is the novel coronavirus. "My kids go to Jamaica mostly in the summer time but because of corona nobody not moving," said Ellis. "We just gonna wait to see if this corona thing pass, then I try to see her before the year ends but my plan is to really get her up here in the States."