The Fountains of Silence: A Novel

Carlitos looks for Ana, to give her the message from Daniel. He runs into Lorenza, who snatches the note and says she’ll give it to Ana. Carlitos refuses and snatches the message back, even though Lorenza tells him they “don’t want [Ana] to get in trouble again” (116). Carlitos doesn’t know what she’s talking about, and Lorenza tells him that “Ana’s sweet smile might not be so sweet after all” (116).

Carlitos finds Ana in a boutique helping the tailor fit a dress. She explains that the dress is for the fashion gala at the American embassy, and Carlitos is relieved.

Carlitos’s reference to trouble alarms Ana, and she wonders if someone saw the note she ate earlier. She is relieved to discover the letter is only a magazine from Daniel, but she realizes she should not have been so informal with him. She tries to reassure herself that “it’s just a bit of harmless fun” but also acknowledges that the “life and liberties [she] sees at the hotel do not belong to her” (121).

Miguel helps Daniel evaluate which photos are good enough for the contest, and Miguel helps Daniel arrange his photos so that they tell a story: “Some lines create a