Chapter 9 Las Papas (Potatoes)
Esperanza looks after Mama, but Mama is not recovering. The doctor recommends Mama go to the hospital. Mama is now depressed as well as ill. Once Mama is in the hospital, Esperanza resolves to find a job in the packing shed with Miguel’s help. While she is cutting potato eyes, Esperanza learns about repatriation. A few nights before Christmas, Isabel asks Esperanza to tell her about celebrating the Christmas season in Aguascalientes. The memories move Esperanza to tears. She marvels how Isabel could be so happy with the simplest things. When Esperanza visits Mama, she has nothing but a pretty stone to give her and the promise that she will take care of her now.
Esperanza notices the toll of cold and work on her hands. The next time Esperanza visits her mother, the doctor informs her that Mama now has pneumonia. A few days later, Miguel drives Esperanza to Mr. Yakota’s market. From Miguel, she learns about society’s prejudice against Mexicans. Impulsively, she decides to buy Mama a piñata. On the way home Miguel and Esperanza see Marta and her mother walking along the side of the road and offer them a ride. Esperanza notices how Marta and her mother hold hands and which makes her miss her own mother. At Marta’s camp, Esperanza is horrified by the living conditions she witnesses. A poor family approach the truck and ask for help. Esperanza fills their hat with beans and gives the candy-filled piñata to the children. A few nights later Miguel’s family celebrates because Miguel has finally found a job with the railroad.
Reminders for this week:
Don't forget your donation money for the Relay for Life
Halloween Festivities on the 31st!
Relay for Life Saturday November 1 at Sanchez Stadium starts at 3:00 pm
