Summary

The family prepared to leave La Amistad in “Song from the Past.” Two years later, on a trip to see Soledad Betancourt with Nana Pola, Francisco Junior sobbed inconsolably.

When the family left La Amistad, Simonopio was gone. Forced to leave him behind, Francisco Junior suppressed his sadness and was triggered by the shows he used to watch with Simonopio. Francisco Junior coped by banishing Simonopio from his past but realized that he was seared into his memory. In his old age, Francisco Junior understood Simonopio would be unhappy in Monterrey. In “A Heap of Masonry,” Francisco Junior approached his childhood home, now in ruins, acknowledging that the town had been “reinvented” with modern urbanity (439). His return was more painful than anticipated, and he realized that his memories were not tied to place...