Maria Teresa

On page 30, Maria Teresa begins her own story in 1945. She just had her First Communion and Minerva gave her a diary. She was very excited that everyone, except Papa, came to see her and that she got to new shoes with heels, which made her feel very grownup. Maria Teresa is very active in the church and often ruminates on god and the meaning of a soul. She comes home from school for the holidays but before she goes back, she celebrates Benefactor’s Day and is just as thrilled to attend a party with Trujillo as she was at her past religious ceremonies.

Shortly after returning to school, Maria becomes aware of Minerva’s involvement in supporting the regime uprising. She had always thought El Jefe was a glorious leader but she is terrified when Minerva and her atheist friend Hilda open her eyes not just by their theories or Hilda’s pamphlets but also the fact that Hilda disappeared and when guards come to the convent looking for her. At the end of the chapter, Hilda is caught by the guards and Minerva forces Maria to bury her diary in fear that the guards would find it.

Later, Papa is dead and Minerva buys her a new diary to relieve stress and get things off her chest. Maria has a reoccurring dream about her father and a wedding dress, which makes her very uneasy for the next few years. She then writes a letter to Trujillo with her mother to inform him of her father’s death. Also, after some altercations between Minerva and Trujillo, Maria wrote a speech for her in order for Trujillo to allow her into the University. She then graduates and attends the University with Minerva. Soon Maria doubts her desire to become a lawyer but Minerva pushes her to keep going even though later, Minerva graduates with a law degree but cannot get the license to practice. Instead, Minerva marries a man she met at school and has a baby.

One night, while Maria is staying with Minerva and her husband, she finds out that they are active members of a national underground and instantly knows she wants to join. She is now Mariposa #2, fighting for the rebellion. At the same time, she meets Leandro, who is also part of the rebellion, and they get married.