Mami starts working at a local record shop. Oftentimes, Abuelita Chinta has Carlos walk her home because she gets off late. One night, neither Carlos nor Mami come back. Finally, Mami returns alone. Mago and Reyna rush out in search of Carlos, who looks upset and demands to be alone when they find him.

The next day, the girls confront Carlos about why he’s upset. Finally he admits that when he went to meet Mami, he caught her getting out of a cab with a man and kissing him for a long time. That night, Mago confronts Mami. Mami confesses she has a new boyfriend named Francisco, with whom she’s moving to Acapulco. Chinta tries to discourage her, but Mami insists she’s leaving the children and going. When the children return from school the next day, Mami is gone.

Mago takes care of Reyna, Carlos, and Betty after Mami leaves. The children get closer to Betty, too, realizing that she’s “just as easy to abandon” (83) as they are. Meanwhile, Chinta struggles to provide for them, as she’s old and doesn’t make much money as a healer. Mago gets a job selling quesadillas at the train station after school to help with expenses.