For reasons she only dimly understood, by the time of our narrative, Beli could no longer abide working at the bakery or being the “daughter” of one of the “most upstanding women in Baní.” She could not abide, period. Everything about her present life irked her; she wanted, with all her heart, something else. When this dissatisfaction entered her heart she could not recall, would later tell her daughter that it had been with her all her life, but who knows if this is true? What exactly it was she wanted was never clear either: her own incredible life, yes, a handsome, wealthy husband, yes,
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