The Red Umbrella

Lucia meets Ivette at the dance. They spot Manuel, who immediately asks Lucia to dance. After dancing, they get drinks and discuss the revolution. Manuel sounds “like all the other brigadistas” to Lucia, and she starts to lose attraction for him until he whispers in her ear, “you’ve just got to say what they want to hear” (106). Lucia wonders if he is pretending, just like her own family. Then, Lucia learns that Ivette is also joining the brigadistas and that she is leaving in just a few days, along with Manuel. Furious that her friend kept this information from her, Lucia storms outside with Manuel, who kisses her. Manuel takes the kissing too far and does not stop when Lucia asks him to. She scrambles away from him, and he yells at her, saying, “you stupid gusana. You’re a worm, just like your father” (109). Lucia runs away and tells her uncle she wants to leave, but he is speaking with a soldier and is not ready to go. He tells her to go back inside, where she rushes to the bathroom and makes amends with Ivette. Ivette supports Lucia and tells her mother, who is chaperoning, that they are ready to leave the dance.

On the drive home from the dance, Lucia replays the awful events of the night. They pull up to her house and see several police cars. Lucia rushes inside to find her father in handcuffs and her mother and brother on the couch. Several soldiers have searched the house, tearing up the floorboards where the valuables were hidden. Lucia realizes Ivette must have betrayed her, as no one else knew about the valuables in the floor. Ivette’s mother tells Ivette, “You see. This is what I’ve been telling you. You can’t trust people like this” (114). The gulf between the two friends widens. Papa is taken by the soldiers, and Lucia and Ivette argue in the driveway. Lucia says she never wants to see Ivette again.

Mama calls Antonio, who has friends on the police force, and learns that Papa has not been officially charged with anything, and that he may come home soon. The previous evening, soldiers took Mama’s wedding band. Thankfully, Mama still has her diamond earrings because Lucia was wearing them. Frankie retrieves the mail and tells Lucia there is a letter from Ivette. The letter explains that Ivette is sorry about what has happened to her family, and that she is not responsible for the soldiers finding out about the valuables in the floor. Lucia does not believe her and decides not to make up with Ivette before Ivette leaves with the brigadistas. Lucia crumples up the letter, deciding to throw away her friendship.