The pain of absence
Galilea Montijo sadly remembers the moment when her son Mateo, then 11 years old, asked her to live with his father. The driver describes it as a feeling of being “deceased in life.”
She and Fernando Reina divorced in March 2023 after eleven years of marriage. Since then, they have maintained a cordial relationship for the well-being of their son, now 12 years old and on his way to being a professional soccer player.
Mateo lives in Acapulco with his father; Galilea, in Mexico City. Although they see each other frequently, their absence affects her deeply.
Confessions in “Divine Nets”
In the program of which she is a part, Montijo confessed that not listening to it at home makes her feel “like a zombie.” He remembered that when Mateo approached him when he was 12, he told him that he wanted to go with his father. She begged him not to, but in the end he respected her decision.
“Children are like leagues: you let go of them a little and you feel like they’re gone, but the league always comes back,” he reflected.
The host also revealed that she felt judged by her son’s decision. However, his therapist explained that Mateo was looking to accompany his father, who lives alone with one of his children. “I feel like Mateo felt responsible for taking care of his dad,” she said.
“For me, the empty nest is terrible. It started at 11,” she added through tears. He said that when his son left, he felt like he was losing his life. “I was walking like a zombie,” he confessed.
Galilea assures that, despite the distance, their bond remains strong. “He knows he has his mom 24/7,” he concluded.
