Rafaela Cortez

Rafaela is originally from Culiacan, Mexico. About a decade before the beginning of the novel, she moved north to the United States. Rafaela got into the United States legally because she married a citizen. Since moving to the United States, she helped her husband start a successful janitorial business and studied at a community college. Rafaela also had a son who is two years old at the opening of the novel.

Like her husband, Bobby, Rafaela is a hard worker. Unlike Bobby, Rafaela is interested in politics, particularly in the area of employment and labor relations. She constantly argues with Bobby about the low prices that he charges for his services. She believes that the janitorial services clients do not appreciate the high quality of work they receive and thus take advantage of Bobby. These arguments lead to other disagreements, especially in relation to Bobby's habit of...