Call Me Maria

In a short reflection about what she learned from catechism, María describes the “trade-off: pay now, fly later” (62). María relates this lesson to her work to learn English while living in New York. As the unsent letter concludes, María also states that she doesn’t think that Mami will ever move to New York, and this makes María feel sad. She decides that instead of mailing the letter to Mami, she will save it and “make a poem from it someday” (62).

At the drugstore, María is accused of shoplifting despite the fact that she paid for all of her items. The manager picks through her bag with a pen, moving slowly and with disdain for María and her things. When he finishes, María interprets his smile to the other customers as a connection between him and them: “We know she’s guilty, right, friends?” (64). María takes her time rearranging her items and leaves a poetic message on the counter. The message consists of her ticket stub for the film American Beauty and some strands of hair that she has arranged into a question mark.