indifferently.
        “They half many, many people. Muchadumbre. And they half awarts.”
        “Warts?” Maya protested, now with full attention. “They have warts?”
        “Awarts, mija. Awarts.” Then explaining in Spanish, “Like the general who has prizes on his chest?”
        “Medals?”
        “Yes,” Simpática nodded with round eyes. “Medals. They give at the convention. You know the medals? They give down there.”
        “Okay, Mom,” Maya allowed.
        The next morning, Simpática insisted Maya drink a cup of Albin protein drink, a demand she would make every morning and evening from then on, then announced they would go out on an Albin sales run. Maya slumped in her chair. It was one thing to be a prisoner in her own home and forced to drink this protein powder, but another to go door-to-door all over town trying to convince people to buy something they didn’t want.
        “Mom, I don’t want to do that. It’s boring.”
        Simpática bristled. “Maya! You no defy your mother!”
        Maya whined. “I’m not defying you, Mom. I just don’t wanna go. You can sell without me.”
        But Simpática was filled with a burning resolve, even by her standards, and at ten a.m., they collected their samples and brochures and walked to Coronel and San Pascual Streets and climbed onto a city bus that lumbered across town to the East Side. They got off at Salinas and Carpinteria, at the base of the Santa Ynez mountains, walked to Canada Street and began their venture.
        They made their way up and down several streets, not missing a single house. As Simpática tried to coerce people to buy her product, Maya waited quietly, gazing at the lawns, the streets, and the Ss on the chimneys. Many doors would not open; others just enough for someone to say, “We’re not interested.” Sometimes Maya noticed a shade or curtain pulling back so someone could watch them. But several Spanish-speaking women did open their doors. Maya would cringe because her mother was so disorganized and had no sales pitch, saying “This powder is good! It make me and my daughter strong!” though neither Maya nor her mother appeared very strong. When asked factual questions, Simpática would go off on tangents about unrelated matters, Maya often interceding to clarify and bring the conversation back to earth. At each house, Simpática instructed Maya to leave a sales brochure including their name and phone number, even though their phone was long-since disconnected.
        As they