Summary

The narrator has trouble describing “the exact, fleeting moment of initiation” that Dengue Boy experienced (218). Although countless “coming-of-age novels have been written” on the subject, the narrator cannot find the right words to describe what happened to Dengue Boy (218). The boys’ taunting and games led him to a crucial moment in his life.

When Dengue Boy had been belittled and harassed in the past, he would despair and wish he were dead. He would tremble with embarrassment and anger. This time, however, he did not. El Dulce and the boys’ cruelty did not move him. He experienced “a very different kind of adrenaline” (218, 219).

With his “pants still down,” El Dulce continued to jeer, point, and laugh (219). Instead of seeing El Dulce as a human bully, Dengue Boy saw him as a delicious blood sausage. All he could think about was biting him and...