01/04 Chapter 526: New Friends And New Places To See
Yesterday, when I was overwhelmed with everything that was happening, I ended up posting a message in my sales group. I wrote, “Good evening everyone, I know this is a long shot, but if anyone has close contact with an appeals court judge, please let me know. Thank you 😔 I truly mean it, I will be grateful for the rest of my life. Sometimes help comes from people we would never expect, because the ones we do expect are the ones who disappoint us the most. Again, I would be eternally grateful.”
At first, I posted it very genuinely. It’s my group, there are about 400 people there, many of my clients are close to me and like me, so the chances that at least one person might know someone like that didn’t feel impossible. Of course it was unlikely, but it didn’t cost anything to try.
But then I remembered that my aunt was in the group.
She rarely even checks it, so I didn’t know if she would see it or not… but of course, she did. And instead of coming to me, she went straight to my mom, saying that I must be upset with them, that she felt hurt, all of that… her usual drama.
So today, I went to the store to talk to her and explain everything, because this whole situation with Leonardo didn’t start now—it goes way back, to a time when your dad and I were just dating and you weren’t even in the picture yet.
Back then, Leonardo had been in a long relationship with a girl named Andrezza. She was very sweet, everyone liked her. One night, your dad and I invited the two of them over for pizza, wine, and a game night, and it was actually really fun. We laughed a lot, everything flowed easily, and by the end of the night Leonardo kept saying how much he had loved it, that next time it would be at his place, that he would invite us, that we would do it again.
But that invitation… never came.
After that, there was another time we invited them to go bowling, and it was nice too, we had a good time, but again… the invitation was never returned. And honestly, that wasn’t even the main issue.
At that time, when your dad moved in with me, we had this kind of agreement that it would be like a one-year trial—to see if he would adapt to living here, how his life would be, whether he liked it or not, so we could make a decision about our relationship and our future. And since I really wanted him to stay, especially because we already had an apartment together—which is something many people take years to achieve—I did everything I could to make things feel good for him here. And making friends was at the very top of that list, because I know how much friendships change the way we experience life, how important it is to have someone, to feel connected, to feel like you belong somewhere.
So it really mattered to me that he felt happy here, not out of place.
And I put a lot of hope in Leonardo.
But in the end… I was disappointed.
It started with that game night, which made me think something could grow from there. Then we found out Leonardo had started playing tennis—and your dad had gotten a scholarship in the U.S. through tennis—so I thought that could be something that would bring them closer. And every time Leonardo saw your dad, he would bring up tennis, because he played almost every single day at a park that was very close to us, and he would say he was going to invite him to play.
But he never did.
Not once.
And to us, that felt like complete disregard.
Your dad even joked once that if he saw him again and he brought up that same tennis invitation that never actually existed, he was going to make a sarcastic comment about it.
We ended up feeling like it was such a lack of consideration. It almost felt like he was doing us a favor just by accepting our invitations, you know?
And the funniest part is that there was a time he went out with my cousins, and my cousins are completely wild—they love to drink, sometimes even mess around with things they shouldn’t, go to raves… a totally different vibe from Leonardo. And yet, he went out with them once and later told his parents he hated it, that it was awful, that he would never do it again… but he still kept hanging out with them and stayed close to them. Meanwhile me—someone who actually has a lot in common with him, who thinks in a similar way—he just kind of pushed me aside.
And the cherry on top was your birthday, when you were one or two. He was invited, confirmed, and then canceled last minute because of some surprise party… and didn’t even send a message to explain, or to say happy birthday to you. At that point, honestly… fuck off. No more politeness left.
So I explained all of this to my aunt, that my disappointment with him didn’t start now, that this was something that had been building for a long time, and this situation was just the final drop. That when I said family can disappoint you, I meant him—because he is family. And I have every right to feel the way I feel.
Surprisingly, she reacted well. She said she agreed, that she doesn’t know what happened to her son, that this new girlfriend seems to have changed him completely, made him colder. But honestly… that’s not my problem. I was just there to clear the air with her and keep things peaceful between us.
Of course, part of that message was also directed at my uncle, for agreeing to help and then going to ask his son, who had nothing to do with it in the first place. But they were already feeling bad enough, and there was no point in pouring more gasoline on the fire. Completely unnecessary. With my aunt, I felt that responsibility—we work together, we’re about to travel together… it mattered to fix things there.
But as for Leonardo?
I’m done.
I don’t want anything to do with him anymore.
He’s dead to me.
Bye bye. Bon voyage.
02/04 Chapter 527: A Little Thrill Of Possibility
Today I found myself thinking about writing the following complaint online about the construction company, more as a warning than anything else:
“Never—under any circumstances—buy from Lavvi. Seriously, if regret could kill, I wouldn’t be here writing this. I purchased a property worth R$1,600,000 through a consortium. It is fully paid, completely settled, because the bank released the funds even before the registration process was finalized. And even so… they simply refuse to hand over the keys.
The most absurd part? Their own contract clearly states that the property should be delivered after payment. And the payment has already been made—it just didn’t follow their ‘ideal’ order, because it was anticipated. We sent a formal notice. The result? No response. And it gets worse: they’ve had the contract since March 18th, and Lavvi itself said it would be signed and returned within 5 business days. Today is April 1st. And so far? Zero contact. Zero explanation. Once they have your money, they simply disappear.
Now I’ve had to spend a significant amount of money to file a lawsuit with an urgent injunction, all because they refused to resolve things amicably. We had to attach every conversation to the case, gather evidence, organize everything… a level of stress you can’t even imagine. And it becomes even clearer: those who pay through a consortium are treated differently from those who pay upfront. In the end, I’m left waiting for a judge to move the case forward just to gain access to something that is already mine by right. It’s completely absurd.
Let this be a warning: do not do business with this company.”
But just before sending it, I felt something in my heart telling me it would be better to ask my dad first, because I was afraid it might somehow harm him. He told me to wait until the next day, since FabrÃcio—one of the lawyers from his company—had a meeting scheduled with the judge at 2 p.m.
I felt a rush of excitement, genuinely happy, but at the same time I couldn’t help feeling curious… how is it that a judge, supposedly overwhelmed with cases and too busy to review urgent injunctions, somehow still has time to meet with lawyers?
Anyway, I don’t know how this works, but somehow it did and FabrÃcio actually met with the judge. He later told Darlene (the one who shares all the behind-the-scenes details with me, because if it were up to my father, I wouldn’t know any of this) that the judge was very kind and attentive to him. Which makes me wonder… what if my father had already submitted that document back then…
And then, guess what? That very same night, the judge finally issued a ruling, but requested a long list of documents from my father, giving him 15 days to submit everything so the injunction could move forward. Thank God, I already had every single document they asked for, and that same night he was able to gather and submit it all.
Now there’s a holiday coming up, so maybe—hopefully—by Monday we’ll finally have some kind of update on this case that feels like it’s been standing still forever. I can’t wait to finally get my apartment. I feel like I’ve already been patient for far too long.
The downside is that the judge didn’t grant my father’s request to postpone the court fees until the end of the case. It was a strategic move, since he believed the chances of winning were high and, in the end, the other party would be responsible for paying but it didn’t work. To move forward, he now has to pay 24,000. I thought it would be 16,000, but I’m not even sure why it’s 24—like I said, my father doesn’t explain things very well and rarely answers what we actually ask.
Now all we can do is hope we win, because otherwise that’s 24,000 gone… along with the frustration of everything we’ve already been through.
06-08/04 Chapter 528: Everyone's Dreaming Of A Better Life
The apartment saga drags on. My dad submitted the documents but the judge hasn’t said a word. He’s already asked FabrÃcio to go to the courthouse 3x to speak to him, and still no decision. All we’re asking for, what is rightfully ours, is the key to an apartment that’s already been paid for. Somehow, even that feels out of reach.
I was hoping to at least get started on the renovations—replace the flooring, have the custom cabinetry measured, since those take months to be ready… I already thought moving at the beginning of the year would be late, but now it looks like everything will only come together toward the end of the year—practically 2027.
There’s something you should understand about Brazil: the rule of law feels like a suggestion, not a certainty. Criminals are treated like heroes, and heroes like criminals. And on top of that, it can take years—years—for something as simple as a legal case to reach a conclusion.
Take the doctor I’m suing. We found another case against him that was filed back in 2022. It’s now 2026, and there’s still no ruling. It’s a hard country to live in. I can already picture myself going to Disney and crying on the flight back home.
When you grow up in the mud, you don’t know there’s anything beyond it—you’ve only ever known the mud. But once you’ve seen what lies outside of it, once you’ve lived somewhere cleaner, coming back feels like being dragged through it all over again. I hope that metaphor makes sense.
09/04 Chapter 529: We're Almot There
Our trip had finally arrived. The flight was at 3:30 in the morning and I’ve always loved flying at night.
A little side note: I used to be terrified of airplanes. Truly terrified. But now, every time I travel with you, that fear just… disappears. Completely. It’s almost unbelievable. You’ve become my anchor in the air. There was a time when I would literally shake at every bit of turbulence.
Before boarding, we checked our bags, and the airport was nearly empty—one of those quiet, in-between hours that make everything feel suspended in time. We were carrying four suitcases, each weighing 32 kilos, for Luciana, for you, and for me. She had paid for a business class segment on the second leg of the trip, which already allowed for two checked bags, and to help offset the cost of her ticket, she also sells Brazilian products in the U.S.
But I trust her completely—without hesitation—so I didn’t worry for a second about the bags or what was inside them. I traveled feeling light, calm… and genuinely excited for what was ahead of us.
On the Copa Airlines flight, there were no seatback screens in economy—which felt like a bit of a blow for all of us, honestly. But it was so late by then that it almost didn’t matter. I gave you a melatonin, took one myself, and before long we were both asleep.
And we slept well. The kind of deep, uninterrupted sleep that makes time disappear. I only woke up to the pilot announcing we’d be landing in thirty minutes. I love when that happens—when a whole flight passes without you even noticing, as if you slipped right through it.
10/04 Chapter 530: Feels Like Home
I’ve always been pretty calm going through immigration, mostly because I’ve always done everything by the book. But this time felt different. I was a little on edge. With my visa process underway, I couldn’t help worrying that if they pulled up my information, they might think I was trying to enter the country and just stay until everything was sorted out.
The airport itself caught me off guard. I barely recognized it—they’d built a brand-new terminal. And, oddly enough, in this one you collect your luggage before going through immigration. Every other time I’d been to the U.S., it was the opposite: immigration first, bags later. This way was a bit more inconvenient, especially because we had four large suitcases to drag along while speaking to the officer.
There were six of us, and we thought we’d go through together—but they didn’t allow it. Apparently, the agents don’t like large groups, and you’re only allowed to go together if you all live at the same address. So it ended up being me, your dad, and you at one counter, and Igor, Rosely, and Grandma at another.
They were extremely nervous. They don’t speak a word of English, and the plan had been for your dad and me to handle everything. But there’s no negotiating in that moment. We tried to explain, but it didn’t make a difference. Ironically, they were cleared much faster than we were. They simply told the officer they didn’t speak English, he asked—in Spanish—how many days they’d be staying, they answered “ten,” and that was it. Approved in seconds.
With us, it was more thorough. Photos, questions about the purpose of our trip, how long we’d stay, where we’d be, whether we were carrying money… the usual checklist. But in the end, everything worked out, and we were let in.
Back on American soil. Finally, it felt like home again. That familiar, comforting air—the one I feel every time I step into the country that holds a piece of my heart.
It took us about forty-five minutes to get to the house, which honestly surprised me—I had imagined it would be much closer. The neighborhood was charming, and the house itself was really nice, though not quite as special as the one we rented in Kissimmee when you were just six months old.
Once we got everything settled, they all wanted to go to Denny’s. I checked with your dad first, asking if it would be okay just for that first day, since we didn’t have any groceries yet. I had promised him we’d stock up on proper food and healthier options, but it was our first night… He hesitated. I even told him that if it bothered him, the three of us could go somewhere else. In the end, he gave in.
So off we went. Everyone loved it—except your dad. He really doesn’t like Denny’s, but the rest of us do… what can you do? We ordered salmon for you. You took your time, a bit reluctant at first, but eventually you ate a little.
To wrap up the night, we stopped by Walmart to grab the basics for breakfast. Just the essentials—we were far too tired for a proper grocery run. Of course, we still ended up picking up a few extra things here and there.
Tomorrow is when our days really begin. But even now, I already feel different here—lighter, happier, almost glowing. And at the same time, completely exhausted from the trip. Even with the little luxury of flying business class on the shorter leg for the first time. So much legroom, a comfortable seat… but no TV. Not even in business class. Still, I can’t complain—the food was great.
And just like that, our vacation begins.
