The Distance Between Us: Book Two: Chapter 23 Summary & Analysis

A year and a half later, Mila finally decides to leave Papi. Reyna is surprised. Even more shocking is the fact that Mila withdraws a large sum of money from their savings account and files a restraining order against him. Carlos begs Reyna to return home and help Papi, but Reyna refuses. A few days later, Carlos calls again to tell Reyna that Papi has attempted suicide—Carlos walked into the apartment to find Papi holding a gun, and saw a bullet hole in the wall just above Papi’s head. Papi insisted he had simply been cleaning the gun when it went off, but Carlos knows better. He begs Reyna to move back in and keep an eye on Papi—neither Carlos nor Mago, who are busy with their own children, can do it.

Out of obligation, Reyna returns home to her father’s side. She has graduated from PCC and, in the fall, will be heading off to study at UC Santa Cruz. She wants to be able to go up north with a free conscience and decides that spending the summer taking care of Papi will allow her to have a fresh start in the fall. When Reyna arrives at the apartment for the first time in months, she finds Papi sitting alone and seemingly disoriented at the kitchen table. She nervously suggests they go out to dinner, and to her surprise, Papi agrees—he even lets her drive there, giving her advice and guidance along the way.

As Reyna passes the summer with Papi, she finds he has changed. She often brings her newest boyfriend Edwin over to help cook dinner and watch television with Papi. Surprisingly, Papi likes Edwin, and often the two stay up talking long after Reyna has gone to bed. Slowly, Mago begins reconciling with Papi as well, and even Betty starts coming over to the apartment again. Reyna and her siblings notice that Papi talks about Mila all the time, and though they urge him to forget about her, Papi remains fixated on their relationship.

Papi attends a court hearing to resolve his legal troubles with Mila. When an argument erupts between Mila, Mago, and Carlos, Mila calls the children “leeches” and says they’d still be “wetbacks” if it weren’t for her. Reyna feels torn—she knows she owes Mila a lot, but can’t explain to her how she and her siblings, despite it all, love their father more than anything.

As the weeks go by, Reyna is surprised by the continuing changes in Papi. He never criticizes or yells at Reyna, and he no longer hits her. He actually seems to like having her around, and they spend time together going to parks and restaurants. Papi is, for the first time ever, interested in Reyna’s accomplishments, and she tells him proudly about the many scholarships she has won to attend UC Santa Cruz. She speaks loftily of the beautiful campus and the rigorous curriculum there, confiding all her dreams for her education and her future in Papi at last.

One night, however, while eating dinner, Papi announces that he has been talking with Mila, and the two of them are going to hold off on the divorce. Mila is coming back home—but there is a condition to her return. She doesn’t want Reyna, Mago, or Carlos around. Reyna is sickened to learn that her father has agreed to this condition, and gravely disappointed when he will not look at her or speak to her further. Reyna goes to her room and packs her bags.

Reyna stays at Diana’s house for the last few days before her trip up to UC Santa Cruz. Carlos and Mago are furious, and proclaim that they will never speak to their father again. Reyna is mostly just depressed—once again, she and her siblings are orphans. She wonders what happened to her “real parents”—perhaps, she thinks, they were “caught between two worlds” when they first crossed the border. Reyna wonders if they will ever find their way back to her.