Meet Mia
When Mia became pregnant, she was 25 years old and working to support her college education. She was not ready to be a mother; she still had so much to do. Now, all her plans for the future seemed impossible.
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Now in her third year of college and planning to get a law degree, Mia had no support and did not know if she should just give up or find a way to keep going, even with the pregnancy.
Meet Fernando
Fernando was a handsome, genial guy. Mia met him, and he asked her out; after a couple of dates, Mia knew that this relationship was going nowhere. It was time to end it.
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Fernando was just the kind of guy who did not take life seriously. He was fun to be around and great at conversation, but when it came to serious topics, like plans for his future, he just laughed the questions away.
What’s with Fernando?
Mia felt uncomfortable with Fernando, but she could never figure out why. Something made her suspicious, and she was not the suspicious type. There was just some part of him that seemed mysterious.
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Sometimes you get a feeling about someone, whether it’s because of how they interact with you, the kinds of questions they ask, or their body language, and you know something is wrong. In time, unfortunately, Mai’s suspicions proved correct.
Scripted Conversation
Another thing that bothered Mai about Fernando was that his conversations seemed rote as if he had memorized them. He had prepared answers, and it sounded like he used those same answers with everyone.
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They had only hung out three times, but the feeling of Fernando’s insincerity got stronger. In addition, he seemed too full of himself, as if he was highly accomplished, yet as far as she could tell, he was not being truthful.
What Do You Do for a Living?
Mia never got a straight answer when she asked Fernando about his work. He’d say something vague but never gave a company name or what area he worked in.
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Mia’s suspicions grew the longer she knew him and the less he revealed about himself. He lacked ambition and tended to hang around the house all day. Then she went to see his apartment; that confirmed that something was very wrong.
Fernando’s Digs
Mia was looking forward to seeing Fernand’s studio apartment. She still had suspicions about him but felt it would be worthwhile to see his living arrangements. He opened the door, and she stood there, shocked.
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The apartment was disgusting. Mold covered the walls, the room had a terrible odor, and every appliance or piece of furniture was greasy. Didn’t Fernando see how revolting his place was? Then at night, it got worse.
Totally Disgusting
Fernando and Mia were lying in bed when Mia looked up to see cockroaches all over the floor. She was horrified. Then she noticed that the apartment was strewn with cigarette butts. This situation was out of control.
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How could a seemingly responsible adult live like this? Didn’t he see how awful it was? She knew she should get up and run out, but to her later deep regret, she did not. In fact, she could never have imagined herself doing what she did next.
Still Attracted
Mia knew something was wrong and had so many doubts about Fernando, but she still felt attracted to him. Somehow she couldn’t see herself breaking up with him; she felt drawn to him.
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It seemed that Fernando had Mia mesmerized, even though he was just about the opposite of what she wanted in a man. He seemed cagey; he lived in filth, yet she couldn’t keep away.
Having Fun
Mia and Fernando dated for three weeks, even though Mia knew this relationship was not for the long term. In the back of her mind, her doubts kept popping up, but she ignored them so that she could enjoy their time together.
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She justified the relationship to herself because she knew it wasn’t for the long term and she was just having fun. He was charming and good-looking, and she thought the relationship would just end at some point. It did not.
Where is He?
Suddenly, Mia’s texts to Fernando went unanswered. She waited for a few days, thinking perhaps he’d gone off somewhere, but no response ever came. Mia knew that the relationship was over.
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It’s not that she expected this to be a long-term arrangement, and she had her doubts from the beginning, but how he just disappeared was unnerving. At first, she figured, ok, that’s it, I’ll never hear from him again. Unfortunately, she was wrong.
The Symptoms
About a month after Fernando disappeared, Mia began to feel strange. Something was going on, and she was afraid to think of what it might be. She suspected she was right.
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Mia hoped that she was wrong, but she felt she might be pregnant. Praying for the best outcome, she went to her local pharmacy, bought a pregnancy test, and went home. She was shaking as she took the package inside.
Oh, No
With her heart pounding, Mia went to the bathroom, removed the kit from the box, and took the test. Now she had to wait for the result. And there it was – two lines indicating that she was pregnant.
Times of India
Shocked and upset, she thought of all her dreams for the future and imagined them all crashing to the ground. All because of a guy she’d had doubts about from day one. The only thing to do was to tell Fernando what had happened.
Finding Fernando
Mia dialed his number, hoping this time he’d respond. When she told him the news, he might pull himself together and take responsibility. After all, Mia hadn’t been with anyone else, so she knew he was the father.
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She called him many times, and each time prepared herself for how to break the news to him. Considering how irresponsible he seemed, did she think he’d own up to being the baby’s father?
Still No Answer
Fernando never answered the phone calls, so Mia decided to text him. It was easy to decline a call, but it was rare that people didn’t glance at their text messages. She was pretty sure she could reach him. After a few minutes, to her shock, Fernando called.
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In his typical lighthearted manner, he asked if she was joking. Fuming, she assured him that it was true. He was silent for a moment, then denied responsibility, claiming the baby wasn’t his.
Fuming
Mia was so angry, not only at his denial but at his irresponsibility. She felt alone; her family lived in Brazil, so no one could help her. Her dismay and her irritation grew and grew.
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Her anger turned into determination. She could not let Fernando get away with this; he must be forced to admit his responsibility. Now she just had to figure out how to make that happen.
Planning the Next Step
Mia decided to go after him until he agreed to talk to her. She texted, she called, and she even confronted him on the street. Her goal was to wear him down until he could speak with her about the baby.
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Then things got worse. The immature, irresponsible Fernando decided to completely ignore her and pretend she didn’t exist. When she saw him on the street, he pretended he didn’t know her. It was time for a new tactic.
Start of a New Plan
Mia’s plan of hounding Fernando was going nowhere. She knew what the next step was – she had to hire an attorney. There was a rock-solid case, and a good lawyer would be able to find a way to force Fernando out of hiding.
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As a pre-law student, she knew enough about the legal system to figure out a strategy. She spent hours researching the forms of legal action available to her. Then it was time to call a lawyer and get things moving.
Time for Action
Although she couldn’t afford a lawyer, as a pre-law student,, she did have people to turn to. Her first stop was to the office of her professor, who told her about attorneys who would handle her case for free, or pro bono.
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Pro bono lawyers are highly qualified professionals. Often, they work for firms that delegate several attorneys to take on cases for free for those who cannot afford the firm’s regular fees. She found one of these lawyers; that was her first step in the right direction.
Time for the Test
Mia soon found herself in court and was ready for her lawyer to do his job and make Fernando take responsibility for the pregnancy. She was so relieved that this horror story was going to end and she could relax.
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Fernando was ordered to take a DNA test to confirm his paternity. The results were a total shock. The DNA matched not only Fernando but someone else as well, and both were the baby’s fathers.
Two Men
Mia watched as the courtroom door opened, waiting for Fernando to walk in. But it wasn’t just Fernando. It was him and his identical twin. She felt ill – she couldn’t even tell which one was Fernando. What was going on?
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Fernando had never told her that he was a twin. Suddenly Mia imagined all sorts of scenarios in which she might have been duped and felt confused and dazed. How was this story going to end? What was going on?
And Now it Gets Worse
The judge asked Mia to identify the man she had a relationship with, but she could not. Both men looked exactly alike. All she could testify was that the man had called himself Fernando.
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It was then Fernando’s turn to speak. He stated that his twin brother, Fabrico, had stolen Fernando’s identity. The two men sat in the courtroom accusing each other, each denying being the father of the baby.
The DNA Dilemma
The problem was that the twins had identical DNA, and no test could prove which was the true father of the baby. Mia thought that the DNA test would end the issue, but apparently, it just made everything more complicated.
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Mia was astounded; it felt that the bad news just kept coming. How would this ever end? Who was going to help her with this awful situation? She’d already gone through so much with the bad relationship, finding a lawyer, and coming to court, and yet there was no resolution.
More Bad News
More information started coming out during the trial. The twins had a horrific history, in which Mia had become involved. If she had only known at the first meeting that things would turn out this way, she’d have run away.
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As the courtroom heard the story of these twins, gasps could be heard in the audience. Even the attorneys involved in the case and the reporters in the room were shocked. Now the reporters had a news story that would amaze their readers.
A Decision
The presiding judge, Judge Filipe Luis Peruca, made a wise decision. He ruled that both twins needed to provide financial support to Mia. They were ordered to give her one third of their monthly paychecks.
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The Judge stated that one of the twins was concealing his responsibility, so both should feel the consequences. He spoke harshly to them about their clumsiness, and revealed more about the twins’ history.
Impersonators
Although it seemed obvious when the twins walked into the courtroom, their identical appearance was a good way to fool people. They had often impersonated each other with women, trying to compete in a weird game of dating as many women as possible.
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The court’s statement read, “Since adolescence, the pair used their identical appearance to hide betrayals and win over more women.” Mia finally had some resolution from this nightmare experience.
Mia Speaks
Mia finally spoke to the press, expressing her dismay over the whole situation, “It’s a very sad attitude, there was no need for this. They know the truth but took advantage of the similarity to escape responsibility,”
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Mia knew that Fernando had a twin brother, but had never met him. She could never have suspected that the man she was dating was not the same person each time they got together.
Mia was Lucky
In the end, Mia was fortunate to have escaped a continuing relationship with the twins. She worries about her child growing up wondering about his or her father’s identity, but she’ll have to deal with that in the years to come.
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She feels so fortunate that her baby will be better off without either of these men around, and she knows that she escaped what would have been a horrible relationship. Hopeful one day, she’ll find the man of her dreams to be her husband and father to her baby.