Fruit of the Drunken Tree

Blackouts occur once a month in the Santiagos’ neighborhood, and Cassandra and Chula celebrate when they take place. In the streets, they befriend twin girls, Isa and Lala, who are the neighborhood pranksters. They spot Petrona out with teenage friends. Chula, Cassandra, Isa, and Lala search for “The Purgatory Spot,” a mythical place where the souls of light sinners linger. They encounter a mansion; Isa says the woman who lives there is “a Nazi,” and they decide to refer to her as “the Oligarch.” The girls run into Petrona and her friend Leticia, who are holding stacks of cash. Leticia tells the girls that “’[I]t’s Monopoly money’” (29), but Isa and Lala express doubt about this statement. 

Mami laments that Petrona, who is white-skinned because of her imperial Spanish ancestry, must work for the dark-skinned Alma Santiago, who has Indian heritage. While at work, Petrona marvels at the Santiagos’ plentiful resources; in the invasión, by contrast, every meal is bread and soda. Chula reminds Petrona of Aurora. Petrona’s brother Ramón begs her to steal from the Santiagos, but Petrona promises to feed him with wages of honest work.