What Wasn’t Yours Was Never Meant

When I was growing up in Mexico, a series of commercials ran on television with a simple but piercing message: “El hubiera no existe.” The should have doesn’t exist.

Each ad showed a moment where something small failed to happen. Like a word not spoken, or a step not taken, or a decision postponed. Then the screen opened into an imagined future, revealing everything that might have unfolded if that single action had occurred. People found love. People gained fortune. They had a different life entirely. And just as the vision reached its peak, the story snapped back to reality. None of it happened. Because the moment had passed. Because the should have does not exist.

Now, years later, I hear echoes of those commercials in conversations with family. Investments not made, or risks avoided, or paths unseen at the time that now appear obvious in hindsight. My dad speaks of them calmly, without dwelling, but the question lingers beneath the surface: What if?