The Fountains of Silence: A Novel

Sister Hortensia asks Puri to place an envelope in one of the children’s files, giving her the keys to the locked file library. Puri is excited that she “has won Sister’s trust” (172). While in the file library, Puri glances through the child’s files and finds a document listing adoption fees; the costs are exorbitant, seemingly out of character for a Catholic charity.

Rafa goes to confession, where he confesses to illegally training with the bulls, as well as to having a secret girlfriend. Once he is finished and given his penance, Rafa “feels lighter, grateful to be absolved of sin” (176).

Julia also goes to confession, and confesses to the priest that she’s been hiding truths from her loved ones so she can protect them, including secrets about the war and certain actions by those in authority. The priest tells her that despite her feeling of isolation as a child of Republicans, “alone for years, frightened and hiding, punished for something we had no role in” she is, in fact, “safe in the arms of Vallecas” (176). Julia, like Rafa, is calmed by confession, which provides her with “peace and freedom to unburden all that troubles her” (177).

Ana goes to confession. She wishes she could reveal her true feelings, but unlike her brother and sister, she does not unburden herself. She keeps her true feelings to herself.

Puri goes to confession, though at a different church than her cousins. When she tells the priest her sins, he points out that she is listing the sins of others; confession is a place to seek absolution from one’s own sins. Despite Puri’s desire to be “a good Spaniard” and her love for the Catholic church, “Puri hates confession” (179).

Daniel goes to confession before attending mass. He feels ambivalent about confession, preferring to share truths “with someone he feels close to” (179). He worries that what he is about to do will require absolution as well, and of all who enter the confessional, Daniels feels he may be the only one who truly needs to confess.

The excerpt preceding this chapter comes from a British newspaper, The Telegraph, from a 2009 article. A man from Vallecas, where Ana and her family lives, describes the impoverished conditions.

The concierge tries to discourage Daniel from going to Ana’s neighborhood, telling him “that area is not for tourists” (181), but Daniel doesn’t listen and drives there. Daniel notices the stark difference between the wealth of Madrid and the poverty here. A crowd of hungry children and a group of men armed with clubs accost Daniel when he pulls over to check his direction. The men tell him to leave, but when he claims to be visiting Ana, they tell him to leave the car and escort him to Ana.

When he gets to Ana’s home—“a squat cement shack” whose “sole window is broken” with a roof “in such collapsing decay it is nothing but a strainer for rain” (186)—he realizes he should not have come, but it is too late: Ana has seen him. Daniel immediately recognizes the “mixture of shock and shame on her face” (186).

Rafa is delighted to meet Daniel, considering it an opportunity to spread the word about his friend who will soon be a famous matador. Daniel tells them he wants to take photographs, and Rafa immediately thinks of how it might benefit Fuga.

Fuga, on the other hand, is much less happy and his “black eyes drill holes, issuing an unspoken warning” (186). Daniel offers to leave and gives them a few gifts he had brought, including cigarettes, wine, and beef jerky. Ana then introduces Daniel to her sister and Antonio; Daniel again tries to leave, giving Ana some candy. Julia insists he stay, however, and Daniel agrees to take pictures of Fuga.

Rafa tells Daniel a little about Vallecas, explaining that in Vallecas they dislike outsiders, even though the Vallecas is an enclave of outsiders and a family all its own. Rafa tells Daniel about some famous matadors, but when Daniel asks about Rafa’s parents, Rafa says only that “[w]ar is a thief” (191). Daniel realizes that he has intruded on truths he wasn’t meant to know. He realizes he must “tread carefully” as there is a “thin line between helpful and humiliating” (192).

Daniel takes more photographs, and explains that in Texas, Sunday is for visiting friends, prompting Antonio to respond that in Spain, people prefer to meet in cafés rather than at home. Despite their efforts, Daniel’s discussion with the family is very awkward. He seizes the opportunity to photograph Fuga as an “opportunity to expedite his exit” (194).

As he leaves, Antonio encourages Daniel to “explore the city center,” directing Daniel to take his “camera to the Inclusa or the hospitals in Madrid. People love photos of children but can’t afford them” (194). 

Daniel takes pictures of Fuga and Ana before he is escorted back to his car. The change in Fuga impresses Daniel: Fuga, who previously “looked like a murderer” (195) now looks “like a matador” (196), thanks to the suit of lights and some attention from Julia and Ana.

Daniel apologizes to Ana, and she thanks him for protecting Nick. She tells him that she hopes he now understands her situation, how lucky she is to have her job, and that she will not jeopardize her situation to help him, even though she wants to.