Summary

In Chapter 2, “Rico's Pool Hall,” Manny says that his father spends a lot of time at Rico's Pool Hall. He and his friends spend their days talking about ways to make money and “escaping back to Mexico.” Manny says some of those men were born in the United States.

Manny's mother hates it when her husband goes to Rico's. She says that he is wasting money. Sometimes, she makes Manny go get his father and sometimes she goes along. One specific day, Manny, his mother, and both his sisters are in the car bringing their father home. Manny's father hates the Gracias, a family in the neighborhood. Manny's father once bought a croquet set and the Garcias ruined the set. Manny's father makes a rude comment about the Garcia boys as he passes them on the way to the his family's apartment...