Chapter 4 Summary

Emilia lives in an apartment with her parents. Her mother, Lilita, is a maid. Lilita wants Emila to grow up to marry a proper man, a man with money. To insure Emilia's future, Lilita uses her extra money from cleaning houses to pay for lessons for Emilia; piano lessons, dance lessons, exercise classes, and English lessons. Emilia would rather spend the money on a dog.

In 1959, the girls turn twelve. Cora, the girl in the neighborhood who Magda and Emilia want to befriend, also turns twelve.Magda learns of this when flowers are mistakenly delivered to her house instead of to Cora's. Although Magdalena's mother had specifically asked Josefa, the maid, to take the flowers to Cora's house, Madgalena bribes Josefa to let her do it. Magda asks her friend Emilia to go with her to deliver the flowers.

As the girls approach...