By Alejandro Zambra, from Multiple Choice, which was published this month by Penguin Books. Zambra’s most recent collection of stories is My Documents. Translated from the Spanish by Megan McDowell.

Pay no mind, my son, to what I tell you; pay me no mind at all. I hope that time, in your memory, will mitigate my shouting, my inappropriate remarks, and my stupid jokes. I hope that time will erase almost all my words, and preserve only the warm, still murmur of love. I hope that very soon someone invents a remote control that lets you lower my volume,…