Jaime Bayly reflects on family conflict and loss in his hometown

The author spent four nights in the dusty, fog‑filled city where he was born, staying in an apartment he had bought twenty years earlier for his ex‑wife and their daughters. Construction noise from nearby buildings prevented him from sleeping, and he recounts feeling trapped by the property he owned. After remarrying, his ex‑wife left the apartment in anger, taking the children with her, and the narrator describes the ensuing estrangement. He also notes his 86‑year‑old mother’s severe speech difficulties, describing her silence and his attempts to help her find words. The essay portrays a personal sense of regret and emotional isolation linked to family, property, and aging.