Chapter 18 Summary

One year after Charlo's death, Paula has fallen back into the ordinary patterns of everyday life. She still cleans houses and offices, and she enjoys the camaraderie she feels with the other cleaning women on the way to work. Other than her sisters, these women are the closest thing Paula has to real friends, and she wishes that she had a chance to get closer to them. Instead, their conversations always skim the surface, and Paula has no chance to confess the pain and alcoholism that make up her life. Paula enjoys cleaning the houses, and hardly ever feels jealous of the wealthy people with such fancy, luxurious houses. The only family Paula ever envies is a family with lots of spoiled children, who seem to avoid taking care of their house in any way, so that Paula can do everything. These people...