90 Miles to Havana

The next morning, Julian finds both Tomas and Angelita gone. They have left a note: Angelita went back to the camp, and Tomas went to fix the Toma-Tron. He leaves Julian instructions to help his friend Armando who works at a hotel in the city.

When Julian arrives at the hotel, the hotel workers try to get him to leave because of how he is dressed. Eventually, Julian finds Armando on the beach; Armando is in charge of putting umbrellas up for the hotel guests. He uses notes and a dictionary to study English, and he has Julian help him with an umbrella. Later, Julian recognizes Armando’s voice from a radio show his mother used to listen to in Cuba. Armando says he is working on his English to become successful again. He tells Julian to come back at the end of the day to help him take down umbrellas.

Julian wanders the beach and notices it is quieter than the beaches in Cuba. He helps some American kids build their sandcastle, but their mom pulls them away and scolds them for playing with Julian. Then, Julian sees a young woman with palm fronds for weaving hats like they do at the camp. Her name is Lucia, and she now lives at a foster home, where she claims they are not nice to her and only foster her for the money. She sells hats and draws on the sidewalk to make money from tourists. She also tells Julian to watch out for a cop named Ramirez who likes to catch runaway kids. Julian likes talking to her because she reminds him of home, even if she is annoyed by him.

Later, after Julian takes down the umbrellas, Armando gives him money to give to Tomas “for freedom” (198). Armando sends a message that Tomas should be ready by the 12th of next month, and Julian wonders what Tomas is planning.

In the morning, Julian helps Tomas by painting and adding the wooden planks to his boat. Julian paints an eye on the boat because he read about the custom that said an “eye could see things that people couldn’t” (201). Later, they catch shrimp for dinner and sell some to fishermen as well.

Tomas continues to cross out days on the calendar, marking when the tide will be big enough to carry the boat out into the water. Julian deduces that Tomas intends to sail to Cuba to pick up his parents. Tomas reluctantly shares his plan with Julian: he will rescue his parents and 12 others who have no other way to escape from Cuba. Julian offers Tomas all the money he has to also rescue his parents, but Tomas warns him it will be dangerous.

Tomas plans to sail to Havana and sneak out among the other fishing boats. He agrees to get Julian’s parents, too. As Julian listens to his careful instructions involving passwords and secrecy, Julian begins to wonder if he can do it and if he is doing this for the right reasons.

The next day, Julian helps Tomas attach a new compass to his boat. Then, Tomas sends Julian to gather oranges to make Tomas-ade and use the money to fund the rescue mission. He draws Julian a map to the oranges. The map leads Julian to a traffic onramp where two orange trucks roll by, honk, and purposely spill some of their oranges onto the road where Julian collects them. Later, Julian goes to help Armando with the umbrellas again.

Julian sneaks into the hotel phone booth to call home and tell his parents the plan. He is nervous because he knows the Cuban government is spying on the phone lines. When he calls, the mean little woman from the beginning of the novel answers. In the background, Julian hears construction noises; she is digging up their home, looking for hidden money. Julian lies and tells her there is money under the sink in exchange for information about his parents. She rudely tells Julian that his parents have left, calls them “worms,” and claims she does not know where they are.

Refusing to give up, Julian turns to his notebook full of contact names and numbers for family friends he will try later. He heads home to help Tomas make the Tomas-ade but does not tell Tomas that he was unable to reach his parents.

Tomas wakes Julian from a dream about his family. Julian says he tries not to think about them during the day, but when he is asleep, he cannot help it. After breakfast, Tomas constructs a small portable selling table for Julian to sell Tomas-ade in the city. As Julian heads to the bus stop, he sees a car with two black-suited men, one of whom he assumes is Ramirez, the cop Lucia told him about. When they get too close, Julian hides in the grass.

When all is clear, he rides the bus to a street where he sells the drink from the sidewalk. At first, he only gets money from a tourist who calls him “poor thing” (218). Julian is offended, but later, he starts to sell drinks to nearby construction workers. He quickly sells out and goes inside a store to cool off when he sees a box of chalks for sale. He decides to buy them and draw near the beach like Lucia to make more money.

He draws a horse, and when he is collecting his money, Ramirez suddenly approaches him and asks his name. Julian gives him a false name and claims he lives at the foster home with Lucia. Ramirez promises to check the information with the foster home and leaves.

Julian kicks himself for getting caught and vows to be more vigilant. He then tries calling his father’s office number from a pay phone, but the man who answers knows nothing.

When Julian gets back to the boat, Dog is helping Tomas with the engine. Julian notes the when Dog smiles, he looks like a wolf. Tomas is counting on Dog to supply him with parts for the boat to prepare for the trip. However, Julian has a bad feeling about Dog when Dog starts admiring Tomas’s prized compass. When Tomas is out of earshot, Julian questions Dog, and he gets defensive about Julian “sticking [his] nose where it don’t belong” (224). After Dog leaves, Julian tells Tomas to be careful about trusting Dog, and Tomas gets angry.

Tomas and Julian spend the rest of the night working on the engine. The next day, after several tries, the engine starts up roughly for a short time, and Tomas assures Julian that it will be ready soon.

Julian soon convinces the hotel manager to let him draw outside the hotel on the path to the beach to make money, but the manager demands half of his earnings. With this money, Julian calls Bebo’s mother’s home. Bebo answers and tells him that his parents are living in San Miguel. He leaves a coded message with Bebo for him to get to his parents so that they will know about the rescue mission.

Julian heads back to Armando’s tent and hears Tomas yelling because Armando does not have the money he promised to Tomas to help with the trip; he spent it on English lessons. Julian intervenes before Tomas gets angrier and offers Tomas all the money he has made, but Tomas says he needs much more.