In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Álvarez Read Free Book Online Page A

She is not coming back until after the Virgencita’s feast day on the 21st as her whole family is making the pilgrimage to Higüey.
    We are having Rest & Silence before lights-out. We must keep quiet and not visit with each other, but think only of our immortal souls.
    I am so tired of mine.
     
    Monday February 18
    Dear Little Book,
    This morning without warning, I was summoned to the principal’s office, and my heart dropped when I saw Minerva there, too. At first, I thought someone had died in our family until I noticed Minerva eyeballing me as if to say, watch what you say, girl.
    Sor Asunción comes right out and says your older sister has been caught sneaking out of school. Then, before I can even put that in my head, she asks me if our Tio Mon, who lives in La Vega, is ill, yes or no. I take one look at Minerva’s sick-looking face and I nod yes, our Tío Mon is ill, and then I invent with sarampión, last I heard.
    Minerva’s face recovers. She flashes our principal an I-told-you-so look.
    I guess I even improved upon her lie. Now Minerva could explain her sneaking out. Sarampi ó n’s so contagious, the sisters would’ve never let her visit if she’d asked.
     
    Thursday, February 21
    Dear Little Book,
    I’ve been worrying about Minerva sneaking out and lying about Tío Mon. Today, after our courtyard rosary, I cornered her behind the statue of the Merciful Mother. What is going on? I asked, but she tried to brush me off with a joke, “Now, little sister, you don’t want us to talk behind the Virgin’s back, do you?”
    I said yes, yes I do. So Minerva said I was too young to be told some things. That made me angry. I told her that if I was going to commit a Mortal sin, as lying to a religious can’t be Venial, the least Minerva could do was tell me what I was risking my immortal soul for.
    She seemed pretty impressed with my arguing back at her like that. She’s always telling me to stand up for myself, but I guess she didn’t figure I’d stand up to her.
    She promised to tell me later when we can have a more private conversation.
     
    Sunday, February 24
    Little Book,
    The whole school went to the Little Park of the Dead today. Minerva and I had a chance to talk and she told me everything. Now I am worried to death again. I swear my older sister will be the death of me!
    It turns out she and Elsa and Lourdes and Sinita have been going to some secret meetings over at Don Horacio’s house! Don Horacio is Elsa’s grandfather who is in trouble with the police because he won’t do things he’s supposed to, like hang a picture of our president in his house. Minerva says the police don’t kill him because he is so old, he will soon die on his own without any bother to them.
    I asked Minerva why she was doing such a dangerous thing. And then, she said the strangest thing. She wanted me to grow up in a free country.
    “And it isn’t that already?” I asked. My chest was getting all tight. I felt one of my asthma attacks coming on.
    Minerva didn’t answer me. I supposed she could see that I was already upset enough. She took both my hands in hers as if we were getting ready to jump together into a deep spot in the lagoon of Ojo de Agua. “Breathe slowly and deeply,” she intoned, “slowly and deeply.”
    I pictured myself on a hot day falling, slowly and deeply, into those cold layers of water. I held on tight to my sister’s hands, no longer afraid of anything but that she might let go.
     
    Monday, February 25
    Dearest Little Book,
    It is so strange now I know something I’m not supposed to know. Everything looks just a little different.
    I see a guardia, and I think, who have you killed. I hear a police siren, and I think who is going to be killed. See what I mean?
    I see the picture of our president with eyes that follow me around the room, and I am thinking he is trying to catch me doing something wrong. Before, I always thought our president was like God, watching over everything I did.
    I