Balthazar's Marvelous Afternoon Summary

Balthazar, who is almost 30, designs and makes an extraordinary wire bird cage for troupials, the large, brightly-colored national bird of Venezuela. His partner, Ursula, with whom he has lived unwed for four years, is irritated with Balthazar for having neglected his carpenter shop for two weeks to complete the ornate birdcage. She tells him to shave and clean up and to ask at least 50 pesos for the cage. In fact, she says, he should demand 60 pesos. When he delivers the birdcage to the Jose Montiel residence, Senora Montiel exclaims about its beauty, then her husband appears and demands to know what the cage is, and Balthazar tells him it is specially made for his son, Pepe. When Pepe returns from school, his irate father asks if he ordered the cage. The boy bites his lip and refuses to answer...