Dreaming in Cuban

(1980)

Celia gathers Felicia’s belongings for her funeral. Felicia had requested to be buried in the white clothes of a santera, and Celia had agreed. After sorting through her daughter’s clothing and miscellaneous belongings, Celia puts on Felicia’s swimsuit and marches into the sea.

Pilar

Pilar and Lourdes arrive in Cuba. Pilar is struck by the proliferation of billboards advertising the revolution “as if it were a new brand of cigarette” (215). Lourdes is struck by the poverty and crumbling buildings. As they make their way to the house on Las Palmas Street, they listen to a news story about a group of Cubans storming the Peruvian embassy, hoping to be able to leave the country. After looking at the shuttered family home, they enlist a taxi to take them to Santa Teresa del Mar. As they proceed along the coastal highway, Pilar looks out at the ocean. She remembers that she once planned to cross it from Key West in a fisherman’s boat and thinks about the many people who have attempted the treacherous crossing in the opposite direction, hoping to reach Miami safely and begin new lives.