Chapter 37 Summary

Cuba is full of pools. The most enigmatic of all pools is Carlos' Uncle Amado's. Uncle Amado is an architect. He built an outdoor pool under his house, but he never finished the job, and the pool is just a cement hole with no tiles, no smooth surfaces, and no water.

One day, Uncle Amado invites them to swim at his house, which sits on the beach. There are beautiful fishes, anemones, and urchins in the water. It is a wonderland below. Tony decides to swim out farther and farther, until he reaches the very edge of the shallow sea floor that surrounds Cuba. He claims later that he swam past sharks and barracuda, until all he saw was a deep, unfathomable abyss.

Tony does not adjust to the life of an exile well. He continues to make rash and unwise decisions for...