Chapter 5 Summary

Carmen's mother says that life is too short not to do some things you want badly. Carmen's response to herself reflects her own maturing process. She thinks that her mother's statement is the excuse everyone uses for things they do and can think of no other excuse for. Her mother apologizes for not telling Carmen sooner that she is pregnant, and she explains that she and David (her new husband) want to wait until the child is born to find out if it is a boy or girl. Carmen thinks that it has to be a girl. It turns out the baby is due in late September, very near Carmen's birthday. She feels uneasy about the situation.

Carmen gets a note from Tibby with a box of Oreo cookies with extra stuffing. The note says that Tibby knows what she is going through...