Dominicana

Three days after she tries to leave Juan, Ana continues to ignore him. Juan seems quieter, perhaps understanding he went too far. She wants to wait as long as possible before telling Juan about the baby. Juan mentions the growing turmoil in Santo Domingo and worries that he hasn’t yet secured the land lease with Ana’s father. A woman, Marisela, will stop by later to drop off money she owes to Juan in exchange for her wedding ring, which Juan has kept as collateral. Ana watches him walk the street from her window and notices how he keeps his head down around the police.

Ana finds a letter from Juan to Caridad. In the letter, Juan confesses his love for Caridad and his inability to leave his wife, who has no one in America but him.

Marisela arrives, a beautiful and glamorous-looking woman. She’s a housecleaner for wealthy gringa women, and her imitations of the gringas makes Ana laugh. Marisela gives Ana a bottle of nail polish and the $25 owed to Juan.

Ana fantasizes about making friends with Marisela. She wonders about Caridad and regrets not running off with Gabriel before it was too late. She calls herself “Ana X, the holder of secrets” (145).

Ana discovers signs that Juan has restarted his affair with Caridad, and notices his secret phone calls with her.

Marisela visits Ana again, and Ana tells her about the pregnancy. They dance to music on the radio and Marisela tells Ana about her plans for a beauty salon where all the women can work together.

Juan comes back home angry. He sees that Ana is still feeding the pigeons, and his anger causes Ana to huddle by the television, protecting her stomach like the protestors on television. Juan is startled by her reaction.

Juan brings Ana to El Basement, where Gino and Giselle sell name-brand clothing. Ana is allowed only one dress, but in front of Gino and Giselle she grows bold, knowing that Juan won’t hit her in front of other people. She demands a dress and a coat.

Ana mixes pigeon meat in Juan’s food to try to give him food poisoning. He notices her growing body and makes an appointment for her at the doctor.

Ana is surprised the doctor is a woman. The doctor conducts a check up and says everything is good. Then she brings in another woman, a nurse who speaks Spanish. The nurse asks Ana about her home life and gives her pamphlets on centers for abused women. Ana assures them everything is good at home, worried that they’ll take the baby away from her. The nurse gives her vitamins and iron.

Marisela drops by with dolls for Ana to sew for a wedding. Juan calls to let her know he’ll be home for lunch. The phone rings but no one speaks when Ana answers; Ana suspects it is Caridad is who calling for Juan. Ana reasons that Juan and Caridad must be fighting about Ana’s pregnancy. Ana finishes the dolls and when Marisela picks them up and pays her, Marisela tells her she’s a generous person. Ana, unaccustomed to words of kindness, embraces Marisela, grateful to finally have a friend.

A letter from Mamá paints a bleak picture of Santo Domingo, where guns are being passed around and everyone is on edge. Now that Ana is pregnant, Mamá writes that it is Juan’s responsibility to bring over the rest of Ana’s family.

The Ruiz brothers and their wives gather in Tarrytown. César travels with them, and Ana wonders where he stays when he’s not with them. Ana meets Yrene, Juan’s brother Hector’s wife. Yrene is Puerto Rican but was born and raised in America; she and Hector speak fluent English, and they live in a house instead of a cramped city apartment. Ana plays with Hector’s dog, who scares Juan. They all toast to the health and intelligence of Ana’s unborn baby.

Marisela comes over, upset. Her husband has returned from the D.R. and suspects that she’s cheating on him because she isn’t wearing her wedding ring. Marisela begs for the ring back and promises Ana she will continue making her payments to Juan. Ana is not supposed to go through Juan’s things or return this ring, but she does so anyway.

Juan finds the brochures on domestic abuse the hospital gave to Ana. He pins her down and tells her not to tell anyone about their business, or else the government will take the baby away and send them back to the Dominican Republic.

On the day Ana expects another visit from Marisela with her newly arrived sister, she makes a generous lunch. When Marisela doesn’t show up, Ana uses her own money as Marisela’s payment so Juan will not suspect anything. Ana doesn’t want Juan to see how much food she’s made, so she brings a plate to a kind neighbor, Rose.

When Marisela doesn’t show the next week either, Ana takes money from Juan’s secret stash to pretend it’s from Marisela. Ana feels foolish for trusting Marisela and fears that Juan will kill her if he finds out. Juan is distracted by the current events in the Dominican Republic, however, where the U.S. military has recently invaded. His plans for owning land and restaurants have been destroyed. Ana goes to the church in their neighborhood in hopes of finding Marisela. Juan lets her go alone, and on the way, Ana runs into Rose, who helps her find a seat. When Ana doesn’t see Marisela at the service, she worries that something bad has happened to her.

On April 24, 1965, José Francisco Peña Gómez, a Black Dominican, takes control of the D.R. against the government the Americans set up. The Ruiz brothers analyze the situation as best as they can, wondering if the instability will lead to better profits for their land, or if their holdings in the D.R. will disappear forever.

Juan tells Ana that once he is off the flight waitlist, he will leave her and go back to Santo Domingo for a few weeks to make sure his properties are doing okay. Ana hides her joy and fantasizes about going to the movies with César.

Juan shows Ana how to lock the doors and windows. Ana pretends she’ll miss him. Juan and Hector leave for the airport.