A Zero-Sum Game. Eduardo Rabasa

of apartment 4A in Building 6—were crushed served as a warning that sentimentality wouldn’t stand in the way of the advance of the estate.

      As a young woman, Doña Bere had inherited the property in which she resided with her two sons, living frugally on her husband’s wages as a hydraulic engineer. After the children had left home, they got by on their pensions. When a brusque T&R executive presented them with the opportunity to spend their last years in an apartment double the size, they both knew this was nothing more than a formal procedure required by protocol. The couple had neither the means nor the desire to accept the offer. It was then suggested that they consider moving to one of the redesigned apartments on the lower floors. They’d be more comfortable with less space to worry about; and with the price difference, they would have sufficient savings for any of the eventualities associated with their age. Don Feli showed the executive the door: he left without responding to the hand held out to him.