Tumble

On Friday, instead of dropping her off at the Bravos’ house as usual, Manny surprises Addie by taking her along to watch him wrestle. He puts on The Eagle mask as they arrive, wanting to keep the “kayfabe” going and staying in character even outside the ring.

Addie joins the audience on the arena floor as Manny heads in to get ready. There are four matches scheduled for the day. The second match is between two women wrestlers, one of whom is the current world champion. Addie knows that as a championship match, it should have been higher on the cards.

The Eagle and another enmascarado, The Scorpion, wrestle next, each trying to rip off the other’s mask. The Scorpio is a “heel,” a stereotypical villain character in the wrestling world, and not many people cheer for him. Addie finds it difficult to watch Manny get beaten up, even though she knows it is choreographed; she is delighted when he finally wins.

The last match is a championship match between Apollo, the current champion and a “babyface” (the stereotypical hero character), and Guapo García, a wrestler whose cape has been made by Mateo. Apollo and Guapo wrestle intensely, trading advantage back and forth, when The Scorpion unexpectedly joins the fray and teams up with Guapo against Apollo. When it looks like Apollo is on the brink of defeat, The Eagle enters the ring to join Apollo, to Addie’s surprise and delight.

With The Eagle’s help, Apollo manages to win the match; however, the audience gasps as The Eagle picks up The Scorpion in a move called the “Bravo Back Breaker” (242), only ever carried out by wrestlers from the Bravo family. Guapo comes up from behind and finally unmasks The Eagle, and the audience gasp and cheer as he is revealed to be Manny the Mountain. Guapo and The Scorpion retreat, as Manny and Apollo soak in the crowd’s cheers “[like] they [are] performers on a stage, taking a bow” (243), which gives Addie an idea.

After the match, Manny introduces Addie to everyone else at the arena. On the way to the Bravos’ house, they go over the details of the match, and Addie tells him about her idea for the show: a wrestling match between the Nutcracker and the Mouse King, instead of the final battle scene. Manny is thrilled and promises to teach her and her friends the moves for the show.

Addie, Cy, Brandon, and Gus meet before school on Monday morning, and Addie tells them her idea. They all agree. As Addie heads to her first class, she thinks about how it feels “like everything [is] finally falling into place” (246). Just before she goes into the classroom, however, she sees Gus sneaking out of the custodian’s closet and wonders what he is up to.

To Addie’s disappointment, it is Mateo who picks up her and her friends after school. He explains that Manny got called into work, and Addie wonders why Manny didn’t let her know himself. At the Bravos’ house, Gus and Brandon are excited to see the ring and to learn how to wrestle. Mateo explains how wrestling is both technique and art; one needs to train to avoid getting hurt and hurting someone else.

Rosie comes out of the barn, and Addie introduces her to everyone, explaining how she used to be the women’s world champion. At the children’s request, Rosie and Mateo wrestle together, impressing the group; they beg Rosie and Mateo to teach them everything they know, and Addie briefly forgets her disappointment at being stood up by Manny.

Thanksgiving usually involves a big celebration at home, but this year Addie is to spend it with the Bravos, who have their own traditions: They go to the cemetery every year to visit Speedy, who passed away in a plane crash when he was heading home for Thanksgiving. Lourdes drops Addie off at the Bravos’ house, and Rosie greets Addie. Manny is not home yet; he has been around much less, now that he is wrestling as The Mountain again. Mateo, Rosie, and the twins pitch in for the wrestling lessons in his place.

Addie heads to Mateo’s trailer, where she finds him adjusting a jacket for a wrestler she recognizes as Carter “The Crusher” Jones. Addie recognizes the jacket as meant for one of the Pounding Fathers, and Carter reveals he is joining them as their newest member, “Crispus Attacks,” named after Crispus Attucks. Carter reveals he was initially rejected when he first walked into the audition, as the Pounding Fathers claimed it wouldn’t make sense to have a Black member. However, Carter convinced them to watch him wrestle before going on to tell them about James Armistead Lafayette and Salem Poor, proving that Black Founding Fathers did, in fact, exist.

Mateo tells Carter about Addie’s new role as well, commenting on how well the group has been learning the moves. Addie expresses her frustration at Manny’s lack of involvement, and Mateo empathizes, having felt similar disappointment before. Carter suggests doing a “shoot” in the show, where something unscripted happens and Addie joins the fight. Addie declines, as Marie is simply meant to watch the action, but Mateo tells her that it is alright to change the script. He asserts that performing is in her blood; she just has to believe in herself.

Addie and the Bravos head to the cemetery to visit Speedy. After observing a minute of silence, the group begins clearing up the area around the gravesite. Eva confesses that it feels like visiting a stranger’s grave every year, which upsets Maggie, who feels differently; although Speedy died when they were three, Maggie claims to remember him. Maggie places the school wrestling team roster on the grave; she has made the team as the first female member. Addie heads over to help Manny, who explains the land is their family plot; he, too, wants to be buried there.

Manny talks about how Pancho was never around much for him, when Manny was young. He mostly watched his father on TV and didn’t differentiate between the wrestler and the father—to him, his father was gone because he was fighting bad guys, and Manny wanted to be just like him. Addie questions why Manny can’t just be himself, and Manny is surprised at the thought, asserting that Pancho being his father is enough of a reason to emulate him; Addie cannot relate to this. Manny asserts that Pancho not being around is not an excuse for Manny to do the same, and Addie tells him he can be a good father with some practice.

Addie and Manny head back to join the others, where Pancho needs reminding about who all the young girls are. He suddenly suggests that perhaps one of his granddaughters can win the championship, since all his sons seem incapable of doing so; Manny pretends not to have heard this. As the family prays together, Addie wonders what Manny would have done if she had never reached out.

As Addie is leaving school, she spots Gus sneaking into the custodian’s closet for the second time. Once everyone leaves, she confronts him, demanding to know what he is doing and whether he needs help. Gus rejects her offer and calls her nosy. After he leaves, Addie heads back inside the school to figure out what he is up to.

Lourdes chats with Addie after school. When she asks if things with the Bravos are going okay, Addie asserts that they are. She suggests that perhaps Manny has changed since Lourdes last new him. He has promised to stay, now that he is wrestling as Manny the Mountain again. Lourdes warns Addie not to get too attached, as she might get hurt; Addie retaliates that she won’t, as she has a different relationship with Manny than Lourdes. Addie likes being in Esperanza, as it has helped her discover a different side of her, which Lourdes understands.

Preparations for the production intensify. After rehearsal, Addie confronts Gus again, revealing that she knows his secret: She discovered the stolen earthworms and dissection trays in the closet. Upon Addie’s pestering, Gus confesses. He doesn’t believe anyone should be dissecting creatures that were once alive, as it is undignified. He initially refuses to tell Addie what he plans to do with them, claiming she is not his friend, which surprises her. However, she manages to unearth that he plans on dumping the worms on Brandon mid-show, using them as an illegal weapon. A horrified Addie asks him not to, as it will ruin the show, and it also doesn’t make any statement; she promises to come up with an alternate plan, but Gus threatens to follow through with his original idea if hers isn’t a better one.