Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish

This section of chapters is titled “Day Four.”

The whole group spends the night at Tío Pepe’s house. Marcus is awakened by Charlie shaking him, exclaiming that their father finally emailed. His father’s message is brief: He says he works at the Maravilla Resort and Residencies in Dorado. Marcus is surprised that his father doesn’t reference any of his previous messages, but any concerns are quickly displaced by the excitement of meeting him. The hotel is only 25 minutes from Pepe’s house, but when Sergio starts his old truck, the engine pops, and plumes of smoke pour out. Pepe doesn’t have a car, and Ermenio doesn’t drive; they are stuck. Marcus cannot believe his bad luck. Just as they are about to give up, Charlie blurts out, “Let’s take a little bus!” (198). Maria points out that buses don’t run that far out, but Charlie persists, remembering the “little” ones from the guidebooks he studied. Maria suddenly understands that Charlie is referring to the “pisa y corre,” small buses that are like shared taxis. They walk to the plaza to get a pisa y corre bus, and Marcus takes pictures on the way. In the market square, Maria tells her father that she plans to return to Puerto Rico after finishing her agricultural engineering degree in Montana, making Sergio tear up with emotion.