The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora

Seeking a distraction from his worries about La Cocina, Arturo opens the cigar box Abuela gave him. Among the contents is an envelope printed with a string of capitalized Spanish words, underneath which the English translation reads, “FOR ARTURO ZAMORA, MY BELOVED GRANDSON. READ THIS FIRST” (86). The letter inside is from Abuelo, handwritten in Spanish, but with an English translation. Because Arturo speaks English much better than Spanish, he reads the letter in his grandfather’s translation.

Abuelo assembled the box before he died, when Arturo was age four, because he wanted Arturo to discover for himself who his grandfather was. As Abuelo explains, “this box contains every detail of my journey—every challenge, failure, triumph, and success” (88). He directs Arturo to read the letters chronologically, as they are dated, beginning with one marked, “LOVE AND FAITH.”

Following Abuelo’s wishes, Arturo opens the letter and reads about the poet José Martí, his great accomplishments, and his understanding of love. Abuelo writes that, in Martí’s estimation, “[l]ove is two spirits meeting, […] holding each other, helping raise each other from the earth. […] Love is not a tempestuous sea; it is a calm river. It is not a bonfire but a quiet ember” (89).