90 Miles to Havana

Now that his brothers are gone, Julian sleeps in a regular bunk in the dormitory. That night, he is awake, drawing and thinking about how to handle his fear of Caballo. He sees a snake outside the window screen. Suddenly, Angelita appears behind Julian, unable to sleep. They go outside to talk. Angelita confesses that she tries not to think about her life back home because it makes her sad. Julian tells her how he worries about Alquilino and Gordo being sent away and begs to go to the director about Caballo. She says he will not listen and shows Julian the fake letter they mailed to the director, which he already received. The fake address has been crossed out.

Angelita shares that Caballo had convinced the director to postpone sending the boys away, but when he received the fake letter, he got angry and pushed the move through quickly. She says it was almost as if Caballo were apologizing and explaining that he tried. When Angelita starts to feel sorry for him, Julian reminds her that, even though Caballo likes her, he is mean, and his actions mean more than his intentions. Julian wants to find a way to fight him, but Angelita wants to outsmart him. She compares Caballo to the snake on the window because they are both “big and scary-looking, but if you know how to handle him, he’s harmless” (135).

As they head back to bed, Julian secretly finally lets himself cry.

The next morning, Julian heads to the kitchen where Dolores serves him a plate of buttered grits. She sees that Julian is carrying around the handkerchief with the broken plate pieces and gets some glue and tools for him to fix it. She tells him about her own son who was also an artist like Julian but who now lives with his father up north. She gives Julian his old box of colors.

Dolores also explains that Caballo is like a dictator because no one voted him in democratically. From the kitchen, they can see a child giving up his dessert to Caballo. She insists that Julian has to “teach him a lesson, put him in his place” in a democratic way (139). Julian thinks this way sounds more difficult. He comes up with a plan to face Caballo, and he takes Dolores’s screwdriver.

The next morning, after everyone has left for breakfast, Julian takes the screwdriver and loosens the metal hoops holding the top bunk above Caballo’s bottom bunk. He plans to loosen a few hoops a day until the bunk falls on him. Angelita comes in looking for Julian and reveals that Pepe has been sent to a nearby foster home. Julian lets her in on the plan, and she decides to help.

Later, they meet in secret again and plan more pranks for Caballo. Marta walks by, and they share their ideas with her. She supports them and promises not to tell anyone, but soon she brings her friend Ramon, who later brings Jose and Gustavo. They stop inviting new people and start planning things every morning after breakfast. Julian likes how they plan pranks democratically: “There is no boss or dictator in our group. That means that we listen to everybody’s ideas and then vote on the ones we like” (145). They even write a constitution.

The more pranks they play, the more kids gather to see Caballo humiliated. Their fear of him starts to subside, and they grow happier. However, Caballo also starts getting meaner, so the group decides to play one last prank before handling the problem differently. Marta plans to do something with Caballo’s laundry.

At dinnertime, everything is in place for the prank. As Caballo gets dinner, Gustavo drops a ten-dollar bill in front of him. When Caballo bends over to get it, his pants tear. Then Ramon, who they call “La Balla” because he is quick like a bullet, comes by and swipes Caballo’s dessert. When Caballo moves to grab him, the rest of his pants tear. Gustavo turns on the fan, so his pants fabric is moving. All the kids stand up and start singing the Cuban national anthem and throwing food at Caballo:

Every bit of fear, anger, and sadness we’ve been carrying around, the frustration that drove us around the baseball field, the uncertainty we wove into an endless variety of hats, has been cut loose with only one purpose: to turn this cafeteria into a slippery zoo (148-49).

Julian finally understands the rioting on New Year’s Day back in Cuba.

Caballo comes back with the director. Marta tells him that if he does nothing about Caballo, this will happen again. He responds by cancelling the English lessons, trips to Miami, and feeding times until the kitchen is cleaned. After they clean, the kids are sent away with sandwiches, while Caballo and his friends eat better food in the dining hall.

Caballo is now extra watchful of the camp kids. Angelita and Marta want to be more civilized about dealing with Caballo, but Jose and Gustavo plan another prank. On the first Sunday of the month, Caballo likes to dunk new camp members into the pool as an initiation. Before he does this time, Gustavo and Jose put red dye that they have made into Caballo’s pockets. When he dives into the pool and comes back up, his whole body is dyed red. Caballo is furious, and the next day, still red, he announces that the pool will be closed until someone confesses.

After pool privileges are taken away, Dolores talks to Angelita and Julian. She says they should not “fight fire with fire; you fight fire with water” (155). She convinces them to stop playing pranks and to form a democratic plan that includes petitions, calls to congressmen, and getting everybody to vote Caballo out. Dolores only gives them advice, as helping them directly could have her lose her job.

Angelita and Julian go to Marta, who agrees with Dolores. Together, they make a list of jobs and assign them to members of their group. Angelita and Marta collect signatures and phone numbers, Ramon and Jose collect money to use the pay phone, and Julian draws pictures to trade for donations.

One day, as Julian is drawing the pictures outside, Caballo angrily approaches him. Julian quickly hides the pictures, but Caballo confronts him with the petition Julian and the others have been working on. Caballo claims he has spies and knows what they are doing. Julian notes that Caballo seems paranoid and jumpy.

Caballo tells Julian that he will be sent away the next day and crushes his box of pastel colors. Julian does nothing and is ashamed for being scared. When Caballo leaves, Julian starts planning how to avoid being sent away. He plans to be on the trip to Miami on Saturday morning and run away to Tomas’s boat. He tries to convince Angelita to go with him.

The next morning, Julian takes action. Angelita has hidden a bag under his bed that contains chains, padlocks, and the screwdriver. He throws his suitcase out the window to Angelita and loosens more of the hoops above Caballo’s bunk. As Julian hides under the bed, the top bunk comes crashing down on top of Caballo. Julian quickly takes each chain and padlock and secures the top bed frame to Caballo’s on both ends, trapping him inside. Children gather to laugh at the scene, and Julian tells Caballo that they are now even.

Outside, the driver is waiting to take the kids on the list to Miami. Julian quickly adds his and Angelita’s names to it and rushes the car out before Caballo can get free and stop them.