Summary

In October in Manila, the Filipino people are celebrating a feast dedicated to the Virgin Mary known as Guardia de Honor. Natalia Godoy, now 18, will be marching in the procession for the first time. She has to choose between two suitors, Mario and Esteban, who are both "anxious for the pleasure of conveying her to the procession" (113). Natalia confides in her father that she will chose Mario, whom she loves. Natalia's father hears the words as a "door girls slam in their fathers' faces" (113), as it means that she is now an adult, but ultimately gives her his blessing. However, before she leaves she decides she will be riding with Esteban as a consolation to her father.

As Natalia gets ready, she realizes it is raining. Then, she hears two voices, "unfamiliar, unrecognizable" (115), apparently belonging to a mother and daughter who are...