How we cite our quotes: (Act.Chapter.Section.Paragraph), (Act.Special Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
When [Oscar] returned to the house his sister said, Well?
[Oscar:] Well what?
[Lola:] Did you f*** her?
[Oscar:] Jesus, Lola, he said, blushing.
[Lola:] Don't lie to me.
[Oscar:] I do not move so precipitously. He paused and then sighed. In other words, I didn't even get her scarf off.
[Lola:] Sounds a little suspicious. I know you Dominican men. She held up her hands and flexed the fingers in playful menace. Son pulpos [They are octopuses]. (1.1.5.32-1.1.5.38)
Even Lola gauges the success of intimate relationships by how physically close the two people get. Oscar tries not to do this ("I do not move so precipitously"), but he also gets caught up in wanting others to view him as more of a ladies' man.
Quote #2
Oh, they got close all right, but did they ever kiss in her car? Did he ever put his hands up her skirt? [...]. Did they ever f***?
Poor Oscar. Without even realizing it he'd fallen into one of those Let's-Be-Friends Vortexes, the bane of nerdboys everywhere. These relationships were love's version of a stay in the stocks, in you go, plenty of misery guaranteed and what you got out of it besides bitterness and heartbreak nobody knows. Perhaps some knowledge of self and women. (1.1.6.2-1.1.6.3)
We're fairly certain that Oscar doesn't want to just be friends with the girl in question here. But don't forget that Yunior's doing all the talking here. And Yunior, let it be said, would certainly describe a sexless relationship as bleak. So be wary of Yunior's interpretation of events. (Don't get us wrong. Oscar wants to fall in love and have sex. But sex is much more important to Yunior than it is to Oscar.)
Quote #3
That night while we lay in Aldo's sweltering kitty-litter-infested room I told him: I want you to do it to me.
He started unbuttoning my pants. [Aldo:] Are you sure?
Definitely, I said grimly.
He had a long, thin dick that hurt like hell, but the whole time I just said, Oh yes, Aldo, yes, because that was what I imagined you were supposed to say while you were losing your "virginity" to some boy you thought you loved. (1.2.1.48-1.2.1.51)
When Oscar loses his virginity late in the novel, the circumstances aren't perfect either. But Oscar's experience is a lot more fulfilling than Lola's. Lola doesn't enjoy her first time at all. She only pretends to. Yikes.