Fruit of the Drunken Tree

In Venezuela, Mamá and the girls endure a succession of hearings and interviews. During these interviews, Mamá plays the tape of the guerrillas admitting that they have captured Papá and threatened the family. Mamá calls Abuela to tell her that Papá has been kidnapped and they have fled. They receive the package containing the cremated ashes of Papá’s fingers. La Soltera had smelled the package, which had been left on the Santiagos’ old porch by the guerrillas, and called the police. Papá’s company obtained the fingers from the police, had them cremated, and sent them to Mamá in Venezuela.

The Santiagos’ application for asylum in the U.S. is accepted, and they fly first to Miami and then to Los Angeles. An African woman named Dayo greets them at the airport in L.A. and takes them to an apartment building which houses other refugee families from around the globe. Chula marvels at the plentiful running water. Dayo invites them to a potluck with the other families. The others explain “the rules of the tribe: every person share[s] their story one time, then [it is] forbidden to talk about it again” (267).