Part 2, Pages 238 – 257 Summary

Isabel turns the book to her time in Caracas. The warmth of the country and the nearness to the Caribbean brought a new life to Isabel and her family. The country was enjoying the boom of oil and gas development. Compared to the cold climate and austere political regime, Isabel went through a very serious culture shock. She saw much waste and hedonistic living. Isabel recounts some of the events that occurred in the thirteen years that she lived there. Her children grew up and married and Isabel saw her marriage slowly come undone.

Life was difficult because of the need for Michael to acquire a new license to be able to practice as an engineer in Venezuela. Isabel turned to writing plays and books because she could not find a job on a magazine or at a television station. They...