The following version of this short story was used to create the guide: Delgado, Yohanca. "The Little Widow from the Capital." The Best Short Stories 2022: The O. Henry Prize Winners. Vintage Anchor Publishing, 2022.

Yohanca Delgado's short story "The Little Widow from the Capital" is written from the first person plural point of view. The individuals behind this narrative voice and lens are the protagonist the little widow's neighbors. Although the short story does not entirely abide by a linear structure, the following summary does so for the sake of clarity.

When the little widow finished high school, she got married. Her new husband liked her, but was most interested in her family's wealth and status. The new couple moved from Santo Domingo to a mansion on the coast. The widow was happy for a time. However, after she miscarried, her husband raped a servant, and the servant's husband murdered her husband, the widow's circumstances changed. Her parents covered up the scandal, and immediately sent her away from the Dominican to start a new life in New York City.

Even before the little widow arrived in New York, her new neighbors had heard about her. With what little information they had about the widow, they formed elaborate stories and dramas about her life and identity. On the day of her arrival, they watched her through their windows and peepholes. They sneered at her clothing, believing she looked like a peasant. They immediately decided that they did not like her at all.

When the neighbors learned that the widow could sew, they started bringing their clothes to her for repairs and alterations. In reality, they wanted to see what the inside of her apartment looked like. Although she was skilled at her craft and had recently let their cousin Lucy move in with her, the neighbors immediately cut the widow out again when they discovered Limé dolls stitched on her walls.

The neighbors were shocked when the widow started dating a New Yorker named Andrés. They noticed how this love affair changed the widow's demeanor. When they learned that Andrés had proposed and the widow had accepted, the neighbors were thrilled. This was the first normal thing they had seen her do.

Roughly a week before the wedding, Andrés let himself into the apartment and tried to rape Lucy. The widow came to her rescue. When Andrés returned a few days later, the widow threatened to hurt him if he did not leave her alone. He started banging on her door, insisting that she could not do this to him. One neighbor watched in awe as Andrés suddenly changed from a man into a piece of fabric.

As the widow descended into despair, the neighbors started to feel guilty. They contacted their relatives to learn the truth of her story. They hoped the truth would validate their biases. When it failed to do so, they visited the widow on the day she was supposed to marry. She emerged from her room in her wedding gown. The neighbors followed her in confusion up to the roof. Although one neighbor told her not to jump, they failed to do anything to save the widow from suicide.

In the wake of the widow's death, the neighbors told and retold her story over and over again. Each time, they reinvented the truth of what happened. They wanted to believe that they had seen the widow's goodness from the start.