Well, they did leave the Awful Grandmother in Acapulco. The reason being is that the Awful Grandmother tells Lala's mom that Candleria is her husband's daughter. The grandmother has known this the entire time and the girl is only a few months older than Lala's oldest brother. Apparently, every one knew about the girl, except for Inocencio's wife. At the news of this Lala's mother starts laughing while they are driving back to the house on the beach. She then screams at her husband to stop the car or she will jump out while it is moving. He pulls over and she takes off through the streets. Once her husband finally catches up to her she screams of how ashamed she is and how foolish she feels. He keeps apologizing and then his mother chimes in. She tells her husband that he only needs his mother and to let his wife leave. This sets off Zoila and she tells his mother she isnt going anywhere and refuses to get back into the car with her. The Awful Grandmother tells her son to choose her or his wife. He cant have them both and for the first and last time in his life he picked his wife.
I liked how this chapter ended because it picked up with The Awful Grandmother when she was a child and actually had a normal name, Soledad. She was the daughter of a man who was famous for dying rebozos black,which in those times was a very difficult job. Her mother braided them together into beautiful intricate designs. Soledads mother died suddenly and did not get to teach her daughter how to braid and knot the rebozos.She left an unfinished rebozo that no one was able to finish due to the complexity of the knots and it was the color of Caramelo. Since Soledad's father could not do anything with it, he gave the rebozo to Soledad as a play thing. Rebozos made of silk were very big in the fashion back in those times. They were used to accept dates, marriage proposals, to carry water, to carry babies, and to be death shrouds. Soledad cherished her rebozo, even if it had not been completed.
Soledad's father the butchers widow and sends Soledad to live with his sister in the city. Aunty Fina has so many children she can not remember the actual count, but she has 12 when Soledad arrives. The house is chaotic and Soledad is forced to babysit the plethora of children instead of working on things that would make her ready for marriage. Aunty Fina washes and presses people's clothes for a living and her husband is a traveling musician who is never home. One day while crying out the window of a bedroom Soledad vows that the next man to pass will be the one she marries. Next to come through the gate was Narcisco Reyes. He was wearing his ARMY cadet uniform and came to drop off money his mother owed to Aunty Fina. While there the crazy children got his uniform dirty and Aunty Fina offers to clean it free of charge. Soledad follows him out the door crying. She apologizes for crying but tells him the thought of watching him leave brought her great sorrow. She tells him her entire life story and to keep her from crying he kisses her. It takes her by surprise, but since he misses and kissed her eye she knows it was not sexual. He offers for her to come home and work for his family.
Soledad goes home with Narcisco and becomes their maid. He is the only child of Regina Reyes and her elementary school music teacher husband. Narcisco goes back to school and the Mexican War begins. It doesnt last long, but while it does The Reyes' family struggles and they have no food. It is too dangerous to go out into the streets but Regina goes out with a white pillow case for a surrender flag to find food. She comes back and tells Senor Reyes that she offered someone his piano for 2 bags of oats. He freaks out and tells her that it was once played for the King of Spain and Soledad is quick to remind her that the piano is what kept them safe and kept insiders from coming inside. During this time Narcisco is not doing what he joined the ARMY to do. Instead of being a hero he is burning dead bodies and decides to run home to his mother. On the way he gets struck hard in his side. He makes his way home and is quickly taken to the doctor where they remove 3 ribs. For the rest of his life he will have a whole in his chest that he has to put iodine on at night and can no longer go into the ocean.
Narcisco's mother sends him to Chicago with his Uncle Old. While he is there he goes out to night clubs and work. He becomes a womanizer and after a year or so with his uncle he goes back home to Mexico to be with his ailing father. When he gets home his father can barely speak and Soledad tends to him. He can not feed or care for himself. This upsets his son. Narcisco also notices Soledad. She has blossomed and he takes notice. Soon he is sneaking into her room at night....................
It is nice to see where the grandmother came from and see the reason why turned out the way she did. I cant wait to read more.
Read time: 30 minutes each night in the tub for 3 nights.
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