The Red Umbrella

Lucia lies awake in her top bunk in the dormitory. She is drained of emotion, and she hears several girls crying in the night. Finally, she falls asleep. In the morning she is awoken by the sound of a bell. Lucia’s bunkmate Angela tells her to hurry up so they can get hot showers before breakfast, but it is too late. They chat as they get dressed, and Angela explains that the boys are only brought over from their separate facility to visit for a short time each day, which makes Lucia worry about Frankie. In the line to get breakfast, all the girls speak Spanish, which is comforting, but “no matter how much [Lucia] wished everything was okay. It wasn’t” (168).

Angela explains that the facility is a temporary shelter for kids, who are sent to foster homes if no family or friends come for them. Lucia wonders if parents ever come for their kids, and Angela says, “Sure. I heard that happened a couple months ago to someone” (168). Angela will be leaving soon to move in with a foster family in Oregon.

The girls attend English class before heading outside to the central yard, where Frankie and Lucia are reunited.