Summary
The next session begins with Cara telling Lissette she talked with Ángela. She says that they had an intense argument in the lobby of their building. They go back and forth. Eventually Ángela says she does not want to lose Cara in her life but wants her to stop behaving like their mother. Ángela says she wants to be different from their mother and make her kids feel good about themselves. Cara apologizes and says she will try to be different. They embrace and make up.
Cara says she received an email from her psychic saying good things are coming in the future. She says she is applying for citizenship. She talks about buying a lotto card and winning twenty-five dollars. Finally, Cara talks about how she thinks La Vieja Caridad is dying. She says that La Vieja Caridad told her not to feel sorry for her and that she has lived the life she wanted to. She tells Cara that the most important thing is being present for the people in your life who you love. The chapter concludes with text from the citizenship application as well as a flyer from a salon where Alexis works.
In the next chapter, Cara apologizes for having missed the previous session. She says many things have happened in the intervening time. She thanks Lissette for not reporting her absence. She says that La Vieja Caridad passed away and that she made all of the arrangements for the body and the funeral. The loss breaks her heart, as she had become so close to La Vieja Caridad, she says she felt a profound sense of emptiness. Later, she says that she was watching Julio at a birthday party and managed to scold him gently, impressing Ángela.
She says that she had many strange dreams after La Vieja Caridad died. She then talks about how she found a piece of paper in La Vieja Caridad's things indicating that she was leaving her a good deal of money. She is shocked by this, as it was never something they discussed. She says that, because she had this money, she decided to take Lulu to the salon, to give her a break from Adonis and his family and make her feel better.
Together, they go to Alexis's salon. Alexis cuts their hair and gives them a generous discount. Cara tells Lulu she can move in with her, as she has lots of space. Lulu worries what people will think, but Cara says it doesn't matter, thinking of La Vieja Caridad. The chapter ends with Lissette's final report on Cara. Lissette writes that Cara is a gifted storyteller and hard worker. She says that she has done a great deal of unpaid labor for the people in her life and recommends that her benefits be renewed.
In the final chapter, Cara returns to the office and brings pastelitas. She thanks Lissette for her help with everything. She says she is managing with the money from La Vieja Caridad. She thanks Lissette also for allowing Tita into the program. She says that living with Lulu is difficult at times but that they get along fairly well most days. She adds that she ran into Sabrina and her mother in the elevator the other day and that Sabrina's mother said she saw Fernando in the lobby.
Cara says this news made her heart swell. She says that when she returned to her apartment she found chicken wings with rice, beans, a salad, and tostones in a to-go bag. She says the bag had a note that said, in Spanish, Happy Mother's day, I love you. She says she feels like she has finally been able to embrace La Vieja Caridad's advice and live in the present. She tells Lissette to write down that "Cara Romero is still here, entera," (which means "whole" in English).
Analysis
Motherhood is a significant theme in the book's final section. In a confrontation with Cara, Ángela says that she is just like their mother. She refers to the way that Cara screamed at her son Julio. She feels strongly that they must not behave like their mother and harm their children, physically and emotionally, like their mother did. Cara is resistant to this criticism at first, but eventually recognizes that there is validity to what Ángela says. In this way, the book shows how having a negative relationship with her mother has wounded Cara, making her behave in a similar manner, even if she acknowledges that her mother's treatment of them was brutal and nasty. She later expresses a desire to do things differently, showing how she has come to see the important parts of motherhood in a new way.
Another important theme in this part of the book is the purpose of a life. Cara says at one point that she can tell La Vieja Caridad is going to die, as she senses that her cancer has come back. Cara tells her this, but she says that Cara should not feel sad, as she has gotten to live the exact kind of life she wanted. She tells Cara that the most important thing is to be present with the people that she loves. This causes Cara to reexamine her life and seek out the people in her life with whom she has lost touch. This shifts her thinking as she realizes it is more important to be with these people—Ángela, Fernando, and Lulu—than it is to hold onto her fixed ideas or criticisms about how they are living their lives. Cruz shows how La Vieja Caridad influences Cara and allows her to step outside the past and into the present moment.
Money is also a major theme in this part of the book. Cara is finally repaid for all of her generosity when La Vieja Caridad leaves her money in her will for all the care she has provided for her over the years. Cara is shocked by this, but the reader is aware that this is extremely well-deserved, as she has been helping people for years without any thought of repayment. La Vieja Caridad's gift to her demonstrates her great appreciation of Cara. It is not a magical solution, as this money allows her to get by, but doesn't fix all of her financial problems. Instead, what she manages to do is skirt disaster and continue searching for a better solution. However, as the ending suggests, she is happy and feels up to the challenge, as she has already overcome a great deal. Here, the book affirms the idea that Cara finally gets repaid for her selflessness, as her kind treatment of others comes back to help her.
Reconciliation is another important aspect of the book's conclusion. Cara patches things up with Ángela and manages to apologize for her treatment of Julio. She says she will try to do better in the future and attempt to be markedly different from their mother. Likewise, she seeks out Alexis and, after talking with him, learns that Fernando has stopped by her apartment, leaving food and a kind note for her. In both cases, Cara has adopted La Vieja Caridad's outlook and tried to love both Angela and Fernando for who they are, not who she would prefer them to be. She has become less inflexible and tried to be more kind and open. She is able to reconcile with them by letting go of the past. In this way, Cruz shows how Cara has developed over the course of the sessions. Her going over the past has shed new light on her beliefs about parenting and sexuality, giving her room to reassess what is most important to her.
At the end of the book, Cara tells Lissette to write down that she is still here, whole. What she means by this is that she has endured so much and has not lost herself in misery or suffering. While her trials may not be over, she remains confident that she can weather future storms. This is reflective of her self-confidence but also of the fact that she has so much love in her life, from her friendship with Lulu, to her sisterly bond with Ángela, and finally her motherly love for Fernando. In the end, Cruz emphasizes the importance of these relationships as the essence of what allows Cara to endure and live with joy.
