Rewriting a Scene from Dreaming in Cuban

Sadaf Ayaz Professor Yelizaveta Shapiro Eng 32000-02: Multi-ethnic American Literature 22 August 2017

Extra Credit Prompt #1

Rewrite a scene in a text we read from the perspective of a character whose point of view we don’t see in that scene.

Celia del Pino sits on the three front steps of her house, her heart racing. It’s been been almost two hours since Pilar left to find Ivanito and with every passing second, Celia can’t help but feel more anxious. She wipes the blood that drips from her shins, she scraped them a while back.

“Abuela!” Pilar appears, walking forward breathless. “I couldn’t find him.” She says.

She doesn’t believe her.

“Somebody told me a plane left for Lima this morning. Ivanito must have been on it.”

Celia stars at the smooth-ringed trunk of a royal palm. Despite not being able to put aside thoughts of upright men in homburg hats, of black silk umbrellas and the corrupting rains of northern latitude, Celia can’t help but ponder over why Pilar was lying to her.

She turns to her once more.

“You looked everywhere, mi hija?” Pilar nods. “Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure?” She couldn’t hide the sadness in her voice, couldn’t understand why the granddaughter who had longed to be with her was now separating her from her grandson.

“Si, Abuela,” Pilar said as she pressed her face into her grandmother’s neck.

As Celia holds Pilar and stares off into the sea, she thinks that perhaps this was all meant to be. Maybe Ivanito’s future lies off the shores of Cuba. She knew what Lourdes had done and despite not wanting to, she understood why Pilar was protecting them. 

Celia wasn’t the enemy of her family, she only wanted the best for them.

She patted the back of Pilar and could feel the her heart racing beneath her hands. She held her closer. It was hard to understand that the best for many of her kids was to be far away from the land she loved so much. 

Ivanito was the last of them, and with the sudden realization of his loss, she couldn’t help but feel the life of her leave the body. She could feel the scent of salt and the violent water of her creases leave her as did the ones she loved.

She sighed and stared back at the blue sea before her.