Chapter 9

Antonio has another dream of his brothers. In this dream, his brothers take him to Rosie's house, which is the town's brothel. They try to get him to enter. "No! I shouted in my dream, I cannot enter, I cannot think those thoughts. I am to be a priest." His brothers Eugene and Leon go into the brothel, though Antonio begs them not to. Antonio then begs his brother Andrew to stay with him. Andrew laughs and says, "I will make a deal with you my little brother, I will wait and not enter until you lose your innocence." Tony wonders where his innocence that he must never lose is and in answer Ultima points to Las Pasturas.

When Antonio awakens from this dream, he hears his brothers arguing with his parents. Eugene and Leon are going to leave Guadalupe and find jobs elsewhere. They tell their parents that they are now grown and must led their own lives.

Andrew stays in Guadalupe and works at the local grocery store. He explains to Antonio that he has his own dreams and cannot live his life for his parents. This makes Antonio think of his own situation. He wants to be a good son and follow his parents' wishes but which one? His mother wants him to be a priest while his father wants him to travel with him to the vineyards of California. He obviously cannot do both so he is torn between them. He thinks, "Oh, it was hard to grow up. I hoped that in a few years the taking of the first holy communion would bring me understanding."

On the last day of school, Antonio is proud that he has learned to read and write, he has learned the secret of the magic of letters. Since he is older than the other children in the first grade he is promoted to the third grade so that he will be with children his own age the following year.

Instead of going straight home after school, on that last day of first grade, he went fishing with his friend Samuel. "Samuel was only in the third grade, but he always seemed wise and old when he talked, kind of like my grandfather." There, on the banks of the river, as the two boys fished, Samuel told Antonio the legend of the golden carp.

The Story of the Golden Carp (as told to Antonio by Samuel)
Once there were the people who were sent to this valley by their gods. The land was fertile and the animals abundant. The gods gave all this to the people with only one condition: they were not to eat the carp of the river. The people obeyed and lived prosperous lives until there was a forty year drought. To survive the people caught and ate the carp. Their gods were angry, so, in punishment, the people were transformed into carp to live their lives in the river. One god wanted to stay with the people and care for them. He asked the other gods to transform him into a carp as well. "But because he was a god they made him very big and colored him the color of gold. And they made him the lord of all the waters of the valley."

Since Antonio looks up to Samuel he cannot disbelieve this story though it makes Antonio question his own Catholic faith.

When Antonio finally goes home, his mother is angry with him for coming home late. Her anger disappears when she learns that Antonio was promoted two grades in school. True to her faith, she has the family pray in thanks to the Virgin of Guadalupe. "My father arrived home late from work and was hungry. We were still praying and supper was late. He was angry."