The Policia Arrived at 5:20 am

I hate when a TV series pulls a lazy flashback episode. You know the ones — the main characters are talking and suddenly, WHAM, recycled footage from three seasons ago. It’s filler fluff dressed as art, a contractual obligation masquerading as entertainment, and it does nothing except drag us down Sentimental Boulevard.

Now allow me to slip into full hypocrisy mode. We’re doing a flashback. Picture it: November 3, 2025 — a warm night in the sketchiest corner of Montevideo. Oaks and Tyson woke us at 5:00 a.m. (because apparently their circadian rhythms are aligned with demonic roosters). We step outside and six police trucks roar up, and park along the curb on the opposite side of the street, at this point I knew it was not to deport Mikey and I to some part of Russia. These aren’t really trucks or cars, but tiny futuristic pickup hybrids. Honestly? They’re kind of adorable, and I almost wanted to pet one.

Two officers per truck leapt out and sprinted toward the abandoned building like they were chasing down Voldemort himself. They slipped through a hole cut in the metal mesh, and their flashlights swirled around inside like Guardians of the Faith hunting a runaway handmaid.

I desperately wanted to know what was happening. But curiosity killed the cat — and I’m too much of a dog person to risk it. So Mikey and I kept walking, letting Oaks and Tyson do their morning “business,” while we pretended the police weren’t staging a live episode of CSI: Uruguay right behind us.

When we returned, most of the trucks were gone except one. A few officers stood around chatting — no dramatic arrests, no fireworks, just cop banter. I don’t know whether whatever they attempted worked, but I do know this: it was another reminder that we were living in the sketchy Airbnb of nightmares. Every day, I wish that we find a long-term place and evacuate with our ten suitcases and two greyhounds like refugees escaping a dystopian novella.

Thanks for reading to the end. Be kind to one another and stay safe.