Silence down the line...
“Dad, are you there?”
Roberto was astonished, dumbstruck.
“I can’t believe it,” he thought, “That damn woman again...” He tried to give an appearance of tranquillity in his reaction, “Love, let’s see, read me the letter please. Wait while I get a pen...”
His daughter read to him.
“It was posted in Mar del Plata two days ago. The text is as follows:
I am writing to you in representation of Ms Juana Artigas, fulfilling her express instructions, to inform you:
a) That you have had a relationship with my client, which began several years ago and was taken up again recently.
b) That as a consequence of the aforementioned relationship, my client finds herself pregnant by approximately seven months.
c) My mandator assures me that you refuse to acknowledge paternity.
d) Based on the above, I inform you as follows:
1) I notify you that within five days of receiving this letter you should make a declaration about the situation, conclusively clarifying your planned conduct. Specifically, you should clarify whether or not you accept your paternity.
2) I also notify you in name of my client that you should contribute to the provision of financial assistance which is necessary to attend the pregnancy, as well as to adequately cover the costs of the birth, given that my mandator has no health insurance to cover these items.
3) Finally, and in advance, I also urge you to acknowledge your paternity, inscribing it in the Provincial Register of Persons and therefore fulfil all the duties of family assistance derived from your position as father.
e) Should your answer be negative, or in the case of failure to respond, I shall be obliged to proceed by legal means, demanding acknowledgment of filiation and requesting the realisation of biological tests to prove it. This is the final warning.
Yours faithfully,
Doctor Sebastián Allegri.
Roberto finished copying, unable to avoid a slight tremble in his hands; this meant his writing was scarcely legible. He mumbled a goodbye to his daughter that reflected his troubled state.
“Julieta, don’t worry, this is a fabrication, a tall story. It’s OK, I’ll be back soon, I’ll tell you when. I’ve got time to answer, don’t think about it any more. It can’t harm me, bye... Look after yourself, please.”
Worried, she only managed to say, “Bye, dad, please tell me if anything happens, don’t forget... I love you very much and I’m waiting for you.”
And the line went dead. Everything was surprising, Roberto didn’t understand anything, he couldn’t find an explanation. He started to study every possibility.
“It seems ludicrous,” he thought, “although my instinct tells me there must be some truth in it, Juanita wouldn’t take stupid risks. She visited me, she tried to seem on intimate terms, several people made jokes about it, I remember it well. Once she ruffled up her clothes, as if she’d been embracing me. What’s that bitch up to? Good job I didn’t go to bed with her! If I had done, I’d be up the creek now. Has she gone mad? That must be it; otherwise there’s no explanation for her attitude. I must keep calm; at worst, it’ll just be another scandal. At my time of life, that doesn’t worry me, I don’t care what people say.”
Calmer now, he went back to the table where Alicia was waiting for him, worried. She had seen him become nervous, his hand trembling as he noted down what his daughter was dictating to him. Something strange was happening and she sensed it was something bad.
Roberto sat down with a stern and pensive expression, gave a long sigh and said to Alicia, “Unfortunately a problem has come up, it’s surprising, I would never have imagined it! You won’t believe it...”
Copyright © | Ricardo Ludovico Gulminelli, 1990 |
---|---|
By the same author | |
Date of publication | July 2002 |
Collection | Global Fiction |
Permalink | https://badosa.com/n145-39 |
Wonderful. I think that the story is fascinating, the situacion is provocative, and the end is surprising. Congratulations. It's a fantastic book. I'm so happy to have found it.
In my opinion, Ricardo Ludovico Gulminelli is an excellent writer... I'm from Miami Beach (Florida) and I have been studying Spanish since 1999 and I'm very happy indeed that I had the opportunity to be able to read this wonderful book. I know that I liked it because he described everything so well, as if he had lived it, and I felt very identificated. I hope to read more materials from Ricardo Ludovico Gulminelli. Thank you!
I fell in love after reading the description of the character Roberto Burán of Fraudulent Fertilisation (Episode 11). The man I am currently dating is so much like him... except, he's not an Attorney. I work with Attorneys. I'm a legal assistant... and I think Attorneys are so fascinating!
Me gustó la obra: me hizo sentir deseos de seguir leyendo página a página, no sólo por la trama, también porque me sentí identificado con su protagonista, su forma de ver las relaciones, su concepto de la mujer como compañera e igual. Hay también manifestaciones sobre determinados temas (aborto, matrimonio) que comparto y me hicieron reforzar mis propias opiniones.
Soy un asiduo lector y hacía mucho tiempo que un libro no me despertaba tantas emociones. Gracias a Badosa por publicar libros así (además gratuitos).
Creo que se trata de una novela-folletín que, en cuanto atañe a aspectos judiciales, está muy bien documentada; se nota que el autor procede de la abogacía y judicatura. En el e-mail que le envié, le dije que vale más un folletín bien relatado que novela suspirada, pero no conseguida. Salut i tenis-sala.
Como escribe de lo que entiende, se le entiende todo lo que escribe. Salut i tenis-sala.
Éste ha sido un gran libro, donde el lector se va adentrando a la vida de cada uno de los personajes, es un libro bien documentado en cada uno de los temas a los que se refiere. Debo felicitar a Badosa.com por brindarnos este servicio.
Mi opinión es que es una historia excelente. Me atrapó verdaderamente leer el libro, me enseñó, comprendí lo complejo que puede ser un tema que parece tan simple. Es un orgullo tener académicos de tan alto estirpe, espero que el Dr. Ricardo Gulminelli haga otras obras tan interesantes como es Fecundación fraudulenta.
Es un libro muy interesante, muy bien planteado, que lo atrapa en su lectura de principio a fin. Lo recomiendo ampliamente.
Inquietante la secretaria, se llama Estela, como mi hermana ídem de un médico... Un saludo Ricardo,
Un libro que atrapa, una historia plausible, muy bien tratado el tema, mis felicitaciones para el Dr Ricardo Gulminelli.
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