Estela coped by telling herself a story about America that was not true, either. She liked to tell herself that this country was better and more peaceful than being in Cuba because that simplified version of the story soothed her. It eased heartache. It made it easier to leave her hurting family and country behind. But the people who knew her saw the moments when her story would crack, and Estela would become irritable and lash out. She was lonely. I learned so much about storytelling from my grandmother—about how people engage in mythmaking to survive.
