Chapter 6: Session Six – Summary and Analysis
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Cara opens Session Six by relaying a letter from Alicia the Psychic, who warns that Mercury is in retrograde—a bad time to start anything new. Despite this, Cara’s friend Ángela has already put a deposit on a house in Long Island. Cara then recalls her long-running secret affair with José, the owner of the neighborhood Everything Store. José would visit her apartment to escape his controlling wife, and Cara indulged him with whiskey, music, and physical intimacy. She describes their encounters as “satin”—a needed distraction from her grief over Fernando.
Cara also reveals an awkward incident with her brother Hernán: while babysitting for Ángela, she spilled milk on her shirt and went to Hernán’s closet to borrow clothes. Her towel dropped, and she saw Hernán’s arousal reflected in a mirror. She insists no one, especially Lulú, can know about these secrets.
The narrative shifts to a trip to the Statue of Liberty organized by La Escuelita, Cara’s literacy program. Against Lulú’s protests, Cara insisted on climbing the 162 steps to the crown, and the two supported each other on the ascent. At the top, they marveled at the city.
Finally, Cara describes her job interview with a woman seeking a live-in caregiver for her children, Spanish only. Cara is reluctant to sleep in the woman’s house because she must care for her elderly mother, La Vieja Caridad, and Ángela’s children, and because Lulú needs her. Lulú’s son Adonis lost his job a year ago and hid it from everyone. Lulú arrived at Cara’s apartment in despair, threw her faja out the window, and drank wine. Their shared dream of retiring to Florida now seems impossible. The chapter ends with an overdue rent invoice, a dental bill, and a job listing for a security guard at a charter school.
Key Events
- Cara shares Alicia the Psychic’s warning about Mercury retrograde; Ángela buys a house in Shirley, Long Island.
- Cara recounts her years-long affair with José, describing how she made her apartment a place of escape for both of them.
- Cara accidentally exposes herself to Hernán and witnesses his physical response; she feels shame but also a sense of power.
- Cara insists on climbing to the crown of the Statue of Liberty with Lulú; they complete the 162 steps together.
- Lulú reveals that her son Adonis lost his job a year ago and pretended to go to work for months.
- Lulú throws her faja out the window in despair; Cara retrieves it but it is gone.
- Cara reveals her job interview for a live-in childcare position; she is reluctant to accept.
- The chapter concludes with three documents: a rent bill, a dental bill, and a school security guard job description.
Character Development
Cara Romero grows more vulnerable in this session. She admits to needing distraction from Fernando’s memory, leading her into an affair with José. Her willingness to break her own rule about men complaining about their wives shows her capacity for both compassion and self-deception. The Hernán incident reveals her awareness of her own body and its effect on others, yet she also feels exposed and asks for secrecy. Her insistence on climbing the Statue of Liberty demonstrates determination and a desire to see beyond her immediate world. Throughout, she balances her own needs with caretaking for Lulú, La Vieja Caridad, and Ángela’s children.
Lulú is shown as deeply fragile. Her son’s hidden job loss shatters her composure, leading to dramatic gestures and a loss of dignity. Her abandonment of the faja symbolizes a letting go of control. Cara’s observation of her gray roots and aged appearance underscores the toll of worry. Lulú’s desperation for a job near home reflects her fear of losing their shared dream of coastal retirement.
José is depicted as both a source of pleasure and a man fleeing his own marriage. Cara gets “only the sweet” from him, but his stroke and physical decline mirror the decay of the neighborhood.
Hernán remains an enigmatic figure—gentle and attractive, but also a source of tension. The mirrored gaze suggests mutual awareness and unresolved desire, though Cara asserts they are family.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs Evidenced
Secrecy and Confession: Cara repeatedly asks the counselor not to tell anyone, especially Lulú. She treats her secrets like prayer—private and sacred. The session itself is a space of confession, but one she wants contained.
Economics of Aging: The documents at the chapter’s end—the rent bill, the dental debt, the job description—ground Cara’s personal stories in material reality. She and Lulú face financial precarity at a stage when their bodies are aging. The dream of Florida houses contrasts sharply with the immediate threat of eviction.
Friendship and Codependence: Cara and Lulú’s relationship is both supportive and stifling. Lulú tries to control Cara at the Statue of Liberty, but Cara resists. Later, Cara feels responsible for Lulú’s emotional state, even as her own needs are secondary.
Mercury Retrograde as Metaphor: Alicia’s astrological warning frames the chapter. Communication is flawed: Ángela buys a house without listening, Lulú hides her son’s troubles, and Cara withholds her history. The retrograde suggests a time when action is futile, yet everyone acts anyway.
The Body and Aging: Cara is acutely aware of her aging skin, her legs, her “business down there.” The faja, the wine, the inability to cry—all point to bodies that are failing or being denied.
Escape and Return: José’s visits, the trip to the Statue of Liberty, and the planned move to Florida all represent attempts to escape daily constraints. Yet each escape is temporary, and Cara always returns to her rent-stabilized apartment and her responsibilities.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter deepens the reader’s understanding of Cara’s inner life and the external pressures she faces. By sharing her affair and her near-miss with Hernán, she reveals a woman hungry for connection and pleasure, not just a caregiver. The Statue of Liberty scene echoes the immigrant narrative of arrival and aspiration, but also the exhaustion of the journey—162 steps that mirror the climb of her life. Lulú’s crisis brings the plot’s economic stakes into sharp focus: the threat of losing not just apartments but shared dreams. The inclusion of the job description for a security guard subtly suggests a possible future for Cara, while also showing the limited options available. Mercury retrograde, real or not, gives the chapter a sense of cosmic impatience—things are stalled, communication is broken, and yet Cara keeps moving forward.
Study Questions and Answers
1. How does the motif of secrecy function in this chapter, and what does it reveal about Cara’s character?
Secrecy allows Cara to maintain control over her narrative. She hides her affair with José from Lulú because she suspects Lulú would judge her or demand a more conventional outcome. The Hernán incident is another secret she guards. These secrets reveal her need for privacy and her fear of being shamed. They also show that she compartmentalizes her life: one version for Lulú, another for the counselor, and a private self that belongs only to her.
2. Why does Cara insist on climbing to the crown of the Statue of Liberty despite Lulú’s objections?
Cara sees the climb as an achievement, a way to prove her physical capability and her right to a tourist’s perspective on New York. For an immigrant woman who has spent decades in the city, reaching the crown is a reclaiming of the iconic symbol of welcome. It also allows her to take a leadership role, reversing the usual dynamic with Lulú. The support she offers Lulú on the stairs mirrors their friendship – she pushes but also sustains.
3. What do the bills and job description at the end of the chapter contribute to the chapter’s meaning?
These documents ground Cara’s personal anecdotes in harsh economic reality. The overdue rent and dental debt show her financial vulnerability, while the security guard job description offers one possible path forward – a full-time, evening position that requires certification but offers stability. Together, they emphasize the gap between Cara’s dreams and her actual circumstances. They also remind the reader that her session is happening within a bureaucratic framework (the job program) that demands tangible outcomes.