Death Forgiven
- Shmoopsters, we'd like you to meet Francisco's pal El Perico. He's yellow, red, and green, and he's covered in feathers (don't judge). Oh, and he's also a bit of a squawker.
- Yes, he's a parrot.
- A family friend smuggled the little guy into California, and now he's living with Francisco and his fam while they're picking grapes. (They've moved from cotton to grapes between the last chapter and this one.)
- So everyone in the family loves El Perico like nobody's business, but the parrot has his own favorite friend: a cat named Catarina that lives nearby. Sure, it sounds a little dangerous for a bird to have a cat as his best bud, but our feathery friend looks forward to seeing his gal pal every time her owners visit.
- One time, when Catarina's owners visit Francisco's family without their furry pet, El Perico gets angry—we're talking squawking up a storm kind of angry—and this makes Papá raging mad.
- Things go from bad to worse when Papá starts waving around a broom, only to hit the parrot to the ground. Uh oh… The poor guy doesn't survive the fall, and the whole family is super down about it.
- The next day Francisco and his bros bury their favorite pet. Francisco visits the grave every day, but before you know it he and his family are moving back to Corcoran for more cotton-picking. Bummer.