The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora

After his dishwashing shift the next day, Arturo sits in the restaurant dining room, where he and Carmen have planned to meet. As he waits, he overhears conversations at several nearby tables. Everyone is talking excitedly about the prospect of Pipo Place. Their enthusiasm dismays Arturo.

Carmen arrives with Abuela, who begins circulating among the diners, greeting them her customary warmth. Carmen shows Arturo the information she’s uncovered about Wilfrido. On her phone screen is a newspaper article that connects Wilfrido with a term Arturo has never heard before: gentrification. Carmen explains that “[i]t’s when wealthy people come into a neighborhood to redevelop it to increase its value. It usually pushes out people and businesses that have been around for a long time” (97-98). According to the article, Wilfrido has built high-rises in ten other coastal communities, and they all resemble his proposal for Pipo Place in Canal Grove.

Carmen opens another page on her phone and shows Arturo a new proposal Wilfrido has submitted to the city. It’s a bid for “the purchase of the land right next to the parking lot. The land that La Cocina was on” (98). Before Arturo can recover from this shocking development, Abuela appears at his side, and he blurts out the details of Wilfrido’s scheme to her. She remains silent for several moments, then surprises Arturo by talking about when she was young and had just met Abuelo.

Abuela and Abuelo were inseparable after their first date. Although Abuela was only 20 years old, she was a much-admired cook at her family’s popular paladar, or “restaurant inside someone’s house” (101). Abuelo couldn’t cook, but he “helped the paladar by serving customers, cleaning dishes, and greeting people […]” (101). Within a year of first meeting, Abuela and Abuelo were married.

After finishing her story, Abuela says she is tired. She begins coughing while Arturo and Carmen escort her home and has trouble breathing by the time they arrive at her apartment. Arturo calls his mother, and she advises him to rub Abuela’s back. As Arturo and Carmen reach toward Abuela at the same time, she folds their hands together, and “her breathing started to steady” (103).

Arturo’s mom rushes into Abuela’s bedroom, dressed in her chef’s uniform. After giving Abuela some medicine, she leads Arturo and Carmen into the living room, where, once again, Arturo divulges everything they’ve uncovered about Wilfrido’s project. He admits he shared this information with Abuela shortly before her coughing spell.

Cari excuses Carmen so she can talk with Arturo privately. Although Arturo understands he should avoid agitating Abuela, he explains that he couldn’t remain silent any longer. He argues that they must do something to counter the growing enthusiasm for Pipo Place, and, to his surprise, Cari replies, “You’re right […]. Let’s call a family meeting” (106). Opening their family group chat on her phone, Cari calls for all available Zamoras to gather in the courtyard outside their apartments. One by one they arrive for the meeting, as do Carmen and Uncle Frank. Arturo connects through FaceTime with Vanessa.

Everyone agrees they must take action to prevent the rise of Pipo Place in Canal Grove. Fired up as usual, Aunt Tuti proclaims they “need to go to war with this overly perfumed man” (109), but Cari prefers a more measured response. The council will vote on the two competing bids in just over two weeks. In the meantime, Cari urges everyone to chip in their best effort at the restaurant, as “[b]eing extra-attentive will remind people how special our place is” (110). Arturo’s father volunteers to add a sign outside La Cocina heralding its upcoming 20th anniversary, and they decide to play music in the dining room from the days when the restaurant opened—“Benny Moré, Celia Cruz, and Tito Puente” (109).

For nearly a week, the Zamoras make every effort to impress at La Cocina. They extend the lunch menu hours, as many customers have requested, offer new specials, and deliver complementary goat cheese croquets to every table. Everything goes according to plan, until Aunt Tuti opens the newspaper on Friday and gasps. Wilfrido has placed a half-page advertisement inviting everyone to enjoy “FREE FOOD, DANCING, AND GIFTS” at a festival celebrating their community—“JUST THE FIRST OF MANY COMMUNITY EVENTS COURTESY OF PIPO PLACE” (114). Apparently, Wilfrido is waging his own campaign to woo Canal Grove residents.

Cari promptly removes her chef’s coat and tells Arturo to follow her out the door. Wilfrido is hosting a lunch for local businesses at his office. Although they didn’t receive an invitation, Cari takes Arturo to the catered affair, where they see fellow business owners happily chatting and sipping from champagne flutes.

Wilfrido greets “La Cocina’s mother and son” (116) with an exaggerated smile and invites Cari to lead the crowd in a toast. Raising a glass, Cari says, “To the businesses of this community […]. Thank you for making Canal Grove what it is” (117). Another guest chimes in with a salute “to La Cocina for being the foundation!” (117), and the rest of the room cheers. Eager to regain the spotlight, Wilfrido announces a raffle drawing for an all-expenses-paid trip for two to the Caribbean. He pulls a business card from a bowl and congratulates Chuchi Flores, who owns a boutique clothing store in town.

Having made an appearance at the luncheon, Cari decides to leave, but first asks how Wilfrido secured approval for his festival so quickly. Wilfrido explains that the city commissioner “is just the nicest man” (118) and adds that they golf together. As they walk back to La Cocina, Cari sends a text telling family members to meet at the restaurant before dinner. Her message ends with the letters ZEM, the code for Zamora Emergency Meeting.

The Zamoras convene before the restaurant opens for dinner and discuss Wilfrido’s festival, which is scheduled to take place the next day in the empty lot. Aunt Tuti despairs over the setback, but her daughter, Vanessa, proposes they stage a polite protest at the festival. At Vanessa’s suggestion, they plan to create pamphlets highlighting the drawbacks of Pipo Place and distribute them among festival-goers the following day.

After they adjourn their meeting, Arturo goes to Abuela’s apartment. She is reading José Martí’s poetry but hands the book to Arturo. Dismayed to see the verses are in Spanish, Arturo stumbles through several lines, before Abuela puts the book away. She is tired, so Arturo tucks her into bed and gently kisses her goodnight.

Back in his room, Arturo opens the next letter from Abuelo, marked “1979” and titled “EL VALOR—COURAGE.” The letter begins with a story familiar to Arturo, that of his grandparents’ escape from Cuba in 1979. They sailed to Miami in a “rickety boat with [their] small children” (130) and never saw their homeland again. Abuelo found work as a mechanic and Abuela, as a housekeeper for a family named Merritt. After Abuela had the opportunity to prepare food for one of the Merritt’s parties, word of her astonishing cooking skills spread. She and Abuelo soon opened a small luncheonette in a Cuban neighborhood. Because it served “comfort food to a whole group of people who longed for a taste of home” (128), their venture was a success. Mr. Merritt left them some money when he died, and with that, they opened La Cocina de la Isla.

Abuelo then writes that leaving Cuba was not “the most courageous” (129) thing he ever did. He reserves that distinction for the “first time I mustered the courage to tell your abuela I loved her” (130). As Abuelo shares his fear that Abuela would reject him, his words resonate with Arturo, who feels a “weird and good” (130) tingle when he thinks of Carmen. Abuelo reveals he overcame his apprehension by writing Abuela a poem, and expresses hope that Arturo, too, will one day find the courage “to do the unexpected” (131). Setting aside the letter, Arturo resolves to tell Carmen he likes her.