How we cite our quotes: ("Abbreviated chapter name," page)
Quote #1
"He used to write her letters every day, when he still had the strength, long letters in old-fashioned script with flourishes and curlicues...They were romantic letters, too...He called Abuela Celia his 'dove in the desert.'" ("Going South," 33)
Pilar is charmed by her grandfather's late-in-life attempts at romantic contact with her grandmother—as any teenage grandchild would be. She does not yet understand the origin and nature of her grandparents' relationship. In this way, her view of their union is as unrealistic as her dreams of Cuba.
Quote #2
"Gustavo returned to Celia's counter again and again. He brought her butterfly jasmine, the symbol of patriotism and purity, and told her that Cuba, too, would one day be free of blood-suckers. Gustavo sang to her beauty mark, the lunar by her mouth. He bought her drop pearl earrings." ("Palmas Street," 36)
We'd fall pretty hard for this kind of courtship, too. It also explains Celia's fervor for the Revolution.
Quote #3
"It surprised me how my heart jumped when I heard he'd been hurt...I discovered I loved him at that moment. Not a passion like ours, Gustavo, but love just the same. I think he understands this and is at peace." ("Letters: 1935-1940," 54)
Celia comes to the realization that her indifference to Jorge has been transformed to a steady love. At another point, she understands that her passion for Gustavo would likely have cooled over the years—so that makes her men about even, right?