I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter: Chapter 19 Summary & Analysis

After a bumpy flight to Mexico, Julia lands to find that water has leaked in her carry-on bag, soaking all of her belongings—and ruining the piece of paper with Olga’s login information written on it.

Julia’s Tío Chucho picks her up from the airport in his rusty and battered pickup truck. Tío has long been Julia’s favorite uncle, and as they settle in for the four-hour drive to Los Ojos, they catch up on one another’s lives. It becomes clear to Julia that Tío Chucho believes she’s been sent to Mexico because she’s been getting poor grades—he knows nothing about her depression or her suicide attempt. He encourages her to do well in school so that she can go to college and not have to work “like a donkey” like the rest of her family. Chucho laments the loss of Olga, calling her “la inocente”—the innocent. Julia winces as she remembers that no one in her family ever knew the real Olga. Not wanting to talk about Olga, Julia pretends to fall asleep against the window.

Hours later, Julia—who has fallen asleep for real—wakes up just as Chucho’s car pulls up to Mamá Jacinta’s house. Mamá Jacinta runs to the car with tears in her eyes and embraces Julia, who starts crying too. At the door to the house is a crowd of people—Julia’s relatives and extended family who have come to greet her. Among them are her mother’s sisters, Fermina and Estela, who wrap her in hugs and call her sweet nicknames. Julia is overwhelmed slightly by the attention, but not in a bad way like she is back at home.

Julia’s relatives rush her to the kitchen and feed her a lavish dinner of beans, rice, and beef tostadas. Mamá Jacinta tells Julia that she’s too skinny, and hopes she fattens up a little before it’s time for her to go back to the States. Julia wolfs her food and asks for seconds, which she eats as her many relatives pepper her with questions about her life in America. She feels like a celebrity—at home she’s the black sheep, but here, she’s beloved. She laughs as she realizes that perhaps Amá was right after all—perhaps a trip to Mexico is just what she needed all along. 

The next day, Mamá Jacinta teaches Julia how to cook menudo, a rich dish made from tripe. Though Julia hates Amá’s cooking lessons at home, she finds herself enjoying the work of cleaning and preparing the meat and cooking the delicious food. As the women wait for the dish to simmer, Mamá Jacinta asks Julia about what’s going on at home. Julia is reluctant to answer, but Mamá Jacinta assures her that whatever she says will stay between them—and won’t make its way to Amá. Mamá Jacinta tells Julia that Amá was always the rebellious daughter, and tells Julia she shouldn’t be so hard on her—she’s been through a lot.

Julia asks Mamá Jacinta what she means, and Mamá Jacinta tells Julia about how Amá and Apá were robbed when they crossed the border. Julia says she already knows the story—she’s heard it several times over the years, and while it’s sad, she doesn’t see why it's such a huge deal. Mamá Jacinta laments the bad luck her daughter has had in life, and Julia quietly sips a cup of tea.