Tumble

A few weeks pass, and Addie still hasn’t heard back from Manny. Her online research reveals that none of the Bravos wrestle anymore; Francisco is too old, Mateo retired, Speedy died many years ago, and Manny disappeared after losing a wrestling match.

Marlene notices that Addie is still in a bad mood and determines she is sulking about her father. When Addie reveals she knows who he is, Marlene is surprised and encourages her to talk to Lourdes. This only frustrates Addie further, and when Gus comes into the diner, she confronts him about his unfriendliness. Gus claims that he doesn’t want friends and calls Addie nosy, but the wrestling paraphernalia in the diner intrigues him. Addie explains that Alex is the fan, and Gus reveals that he is one, too.

After Gus leaves, Lourdes asks Addie to join her on a walk, and then she asks her how she found out about Manny. She gets upset when she discovers that Addie snooped about and found the photograph, but Addie asserts that she got tired of waiting for Lourdes to tell her the truth. Addie is furious when she learns that Manny knows about the adoption, and that he and Lourdes have been in touch; she is further irritated when Lourdes claims the situation is too complicated to explain.

Addie demands to meet Manny. She knows the Bravos live in Esperanza, and she asks Lourdes why she ever left. Even though the word esperanza means hope, Lourdes reflects on how the town always felt hopeless to her: “It felt like there was no place for [her] to go if [she] stayed there” (96-97). Lourdes suggests that it might not be the best idea for Addie to meet Manny, but Addie is adamant and asserts that she will not decide about the adoption until she meets her biological father.

Over the next few days, Lourdes makes some calls. Addie eventually learns that Manny has invited her to Esperanza on Saturday; she will also be meeting her grandparents. However, on Saturday morning, Manny is late to pick her up. Addie tries calling him, and when he doesn’t pick up, she calls Alex instead. Alex wants to take Addie home, but Addie convinces him to drop her off at the Bravos’ house. After a tense phone call with Lourdes, Alex drives Addie there. Addie knows Lourdes is angry, and Alex explains that Lourdes just doesn’t want Addie getting hurt or disappointed. Addie thinks the worst-case scenario is things just going back to the way they were before, but Alex says, “Once you know something, you can’t unknow it” (104).

Alex and Addie arrive at the Bravos’ house in Esperanza, and Alex makes Addie wait in the car while he goes up to the house. A woman with a dog answers the doorbell. After a brief conversation with Alex, she comes up to the truck with him. Alex introduces the woman as Rosie, Addie’s abuela, or grandmother.

Rosie introduces the dog as Hijo to Addie; Hijo’s father was named El Santo, after a famous luchador. Rosie pulls Addie into a hug and apologizes for the confusion with the schedule; Manny thought he was picking her up for dinner. To Addie’s disappointment, he is not home yet.

Two girls a little older than Addie burst into the room, and she realizes they are identical twins. They have on matching satin wrestling outfits and shiny makeup, and Rosie introduces them as Eva and Maggie, Addie’s cousins.

All of them head into the kitchen, where Francisco “Pancho” is standing at the sink with the water running. Rosie introduces Addie to Pancho, but he seems confused, wondering in surprise that Manny has a daughter. As Rosie takes Pancho away, the twins explain that he is unwell; he gets headaches and forgets things often.

Rosie returns, and the twins beg her to make waffles for lunch. As they eat, Addie learns that the girls live with their mother but visit on weekends. Rosie realizes that she doesn’t know what Addie knows about them, and Eva promises to draw Addie a family tree. Rosie instructs the girls to also take Addie around once they are done.

The twins tell Addie to meet them in the “squared circle,” and Rosie explains that it is the wrestling ring in the backyard. She asks Addie to tell Pancho his lunch is ready on her way out, and Addie delivers the message, though Pancho is still confused about her identity.

Addie is amazed to see a full-size wrestling ring in the backyard. There is also a pick-up truck full of tumbleweeds parked next to a barn. She climbs up onto it to join the twins, asking them about the tumbleweeds; they reveal that Rosie uses them to make statues, including the tumbleweed snowman Addie’s family takes a picture in front of every Christmas.

Eva and Maggie are trying to brainstorm wrestling moves; together, they are the tzitzimeme, the star goddesses of Aztec mythology, which they have adopted as their wrestling alter-ego. Addie is astounded that they wrestle, and in response, Maggie pushes out a loose tooth, which Eva proudly claims she knocked out during a match. The twins begin fighting over the tooth, which Eva grabs from Maggie, and the argument descends into a full-blown wrestling brawl. Each of them in turn beg Addie for help when the other has the upper hand, until a horrified Addie finally charges Maggie to break up the fight.

The girls devolve into giggles at Addie’s concern, revealing that the entire fight was a series of choreographed wrestling moves. Neither of them were actually hurting the other; they have trained and practiced for many hours to be able to wrestle this way. Maggie believes they will go professional when they turn 18 and become famous, but Eva retorts that only Maggie will do so, causing her sister to roll her eyes. Maggie points to a silver object in the distance explaining Addie will find Mateo there, and Addie leaves to meet her uncle.

Addie arrives at the silver object, which turns out to be a trailer. Mateo comes to the door and envelops Addie in a hug, welcoming her inside. Inside the trailer are swathes of colorful fabric, a sewing machine, capes, and wigs.

Mateo reveals that he makes masks and has begun making robes and costumes. He shows Addie some masks and a jacket he is working on for one of the “Pounding Fathers”—a group of wrestlers who dress like the Founding Fathers of America, but in zombie makeup. One of Addie’s favorite matches of Manny’s is between him and John Addams, from the group.

Addie asks about Mateo’s departure from wrestling, and Mateo explains that he quit because he loved sewing more. In response to his questions, Addie tells him about herself, her life, and her mother. Mateo already knows a lot about Lourdes, which makes Addie feel resentful; she feels like she only knows a part of her mother’s history herself.

Addie asks Mateo why Lourdes doesn’t like to talk about Esperanza, and Mateo opines that Lourdes was hurt by experiences there and is possibly scared of returning. He agrees with Lourdes’s assertion that the town may have been too small for her dreams. He also encourages Addie to ask Manny, who knows the full story.

Before Addie leaves, Mateo shows her a mask she recognizes—The Eagle’s. When Addie comments on how The Eagle always loses, Mateo tells her that “in wrestling, a character’s story is never set in stone. It can always change” (138).

Manny finally arrives in the evening. Initially, he and Addie are both overwhelmed and nervous around each other. Manny apologizes for the mix-up in the morning but claims they have enough time to catch up; he is settling down in Esperanza for good because he has some work with the Cactus Wrestling League.

Addie expresses her desire to see him wrestle, and Manny agrees that he would like that. She wonders if Manny could teach her, too, and he points out that she would first need an alter-ego; he also asserts wrestling is all about “timing and trust” (146), and Addie reflects on how this also applies to her present life. As they head in for dinner, Eva and Maggie draw Addie in to dance with them, and Manny encourages her to spend time with her cousins, assuring her they will have enough time together later.

Manny drops Addie off at home, promising to meet again next weekend. In response to Alex’s inquiries, Addie tells Alex and Lourdes about her day; however, Lourdes doesn’t want to hear about the Bravos and is reluctant to approve of Addie spending the next weekend there. Addie promises she won’t tell Lourdes anything about Manny if she doesn’t want to hear it. Lourdes likes that idea, as they have been fine without Manny all this time, but Addie retaliates that she hasn’t.

Addie storms off to her room but feels terrible about snapping at her parents. In the back of her closet, along with the other Bravo paraphernalia she has been collecting, she puts up the family tree the twins drew for her at dinner. She remembers them asking her what she hopes will happen with Manny, wondering what Addie would do if she discovers she doesn’t like him. Addie has been too scared to ask herself that question, but she is intent on learning about the Bravos and filling in the missing parts of her history.