Before We Were Free

Suddenly it seems like all of the parents are being very cautious, especially when it comes to their young daughters. Susie and Lucinda tell her about a man named Mr. Smith, who is apparently very powerful and likes pretty young girls. When he sees one that he wants, he takes her and no one can stop him.

Susie will be 15 in two weeks. Lucinda wants to throw a big quinceañera party for her. They want to hold it in the compound, since they can’t go out. Her party is planned for February 27, which is also the Dominican Republic’s National Independence Day. For two weeks, workers prepare the grounds for the party, decorating, cleaning, and trimming the trees and bushes.

Every night, visitors come to see Tio Tony, who now openly walks the grounds and joins the family for meals. He is still jumpy, made nervous by months of hiding and being pursued by SIM. The family speak carefully, never entirely sure that their workers haven’t been infiltrated by SIM. Lorena, their maid, was recently caught cleaning desk drawers in Papi’s study, when there was obviously no need to clean them.

Anita admires Tony’s and Papi’s bravery. It makes her want to be like Joan of Arc. However, Joan of Arc heard a voice that helped her know what to do, and Anita doesn’t. She doesn’t feel brave. She is going through puberty, although she hasn’t yet gotten her period. But the changes in her body make her uneasy, although she also believes that she is now in love with Sam.

The night of the party, guests are arriving when a line of black Volkswagens enters the driveway. Mami grabs Anita and tells her to run to Tio Tony’s casita and tell Papi and anyone else who is there that Mr. Smith’s friends have come to the party. Her commanding voice reminds Anita of the voice that must have helped Joan of Arc. When she tells the men in the casita, Toni and the others run away into the darkness. Papi takes her back to the party and tells her to act as if nothing is wrong.

There is a shout for attention. The crowd goes quiet as a small man appears on the patio, wearing a uniform that is covered in medals. The crowd shouts praise at the man, and the man, Mr. Smith, waves at the crowd. He is El Jefe. 

If Anita had not warned the men at the casita, Tony and the others would have been captured by SIM. She is very proud. Papi and Mami talk about how they should proceed, then grow quiet when Lorena approaches. They know they must stay on her good side, or she may report them to SIM if she hears them talking about anything unusual. They feel that the only way to get rid of her is to have Chucha scare her. Lorena is very superstitious, and frightened of Chucha, her coffin, her omens, and her purple clothes.

The morning after Susie’s party, a black limousine arrives and delivers a bouquet of roses for Lucinda. The roses are from El Jefe. Lucinda cries, worried that he’ll take her away. They all vow to protect her. When Papi comes home and hears about the flowers, he is so upset he can’t eat. He goes to visit the Washburns to try and make a plan. When he returns, he tells them about an idea called Operation Maid.

They agree to try to send Lucinda to the United States, where she will teach Spanish to the children of American government employees who will later be stationed in Colombia. Tony does not think it will work; now that Mr. Smith wants Lucinda, he does not believe that she will be granted a visa that would allow her to leave. He says they must get rid of Mr. Smith immediately. Papi says that El Jefe can’t be allowed to live, and Anita takes this to mean that he wants to murder El Jefe. Lucinda begins packing and Anita cannot believe that she is about to lose someone else she knows to the United States. Papi tells her that some of the generals convinced Sam and Oscar to drink rum the night before, and they were very drunk. Suddenly Anita feels that all of the males in her life, except for Papi and Toni, are gross.

The night before she is scheduled to leave, Lucinda invites Anita to sleep in her room. Anita thinks about El Jefe being murdered and feels sick. Lucinda begins to cry. They comfort each other, and Lucinda tells her about different boys that she has kissed. In the morning, there is blood in the bed: Anita has gotten her period. They bundle up the sheets and try to sneak them into the wash. Anita does not want any man to know she is now a woman, upon learning of El Jefe’s desire for young girls. Chucha sees what they are doing and takes Anita with her to her room. Chucha puts the bloody sheets in Lorena’s room, believing they will scare her.

Lucinda receives her visa and will leave soon. As the chapter ends, Chucha appears triumphantly and says that Lorena is leaving the house forever.