Becoming Naomi Leon

With Baby Beluga attached to Bernardo’s truck, the family makes their way from San Diego, California to Oaxaca, Mexico. As they get closer to their destination, Owen becomes antsy. Naomi entertains him by asking him to add to her list of things that they’ve seen in Mexico over the past few days. When they arrive in Oaxaca, Naomi catalogs the sights and sounds she has never seen before. From the way the city looks sitting atop a plateau snuggled beneath the mountains to the cobblestones that pave the streets, Naomi takes in the new setting and surroundings in awe. When they arrive at Fabiola’s sister’s house, everyone welcomes the Outlaws like family. Fabiola’s sister Flora, lives with her husband Pedro, their adult daughter Graciela, and Graciela’s seven-year-old son, Rubén.

Naomi notices the modest home’s placement behind walls, nestled among trees, making use of outdoor living space, and it reminds her of her home in Lemon Tree. As they settle in, Naomi and Bernardo sit outside to create art. Bernardo carves and paints on wood, and Naomi carves her soaps. Bernardo shares that he will team up with his cousin Beni and his brother-in-law Pedro, to enter La Noche de los Rábanos carving competition. Naomi breathes a sigh of relief and laughs at her own delight as she carves in peace.

Naomi goes to the market with Fabiola, Flora, and Gram. She expects a grocery store like the ones she’s used to in the United States. Instead, they visit a bustling open-air market. The women visit the cheese lady who Flora hopes might be related to someone who knows Naomi and Owen’s father. The woman shares that she’s married to a León and will ask about Santiago when she gets home.

At the market, Naomi starts two new lists. One list records the things that she knows about her father, because she hopes to learn more about him at the market. That night, Bernardo’s cousin Beni comes over. The men argue passionately about what should carve for La Noche de los Rábanos because they only have a week until carving starts. After dinner, the cheese lady calls to say that she doesn’t know anyone who knows Santiago León. When Naomi suggests they start calling people in the phone book, Gram becomes agitated. She tells Naomi that calling from the phone book is the last resort; saying “there are four pages of Leóns and no Santiagos” (160).

Because of Gram’s disposition, Naomi and the children wait until the adults are busy to call every León in the phone book. They develop a system where Naomi dials the phone numbers that Owen reads out of the phone book, and Rubén talks to anyone who will listen to their story. Naomi worries about Rubén giving his phone number to strangers, but the children are desperate and hopeful.

When seven-year-old Rubén gets a phone call, the adults find out about the secret phone calls. Although they get chastised for making expensive phone calls without the adults’ permission, the children’s sneaky behavior pays off. The caller shares a phone number and address for Santiago’s aunt Teresa. Graciela calls to arrange a visit.

Before they go visit Teresa, Naomi admires herself in the mirror. She wears typical Mexican clothing: an embroidered “blouse with puffed sleeves” (169) and “a pair of slide-in sandals called huaraches” (170). At Teresa’s, the family learns that carving is a deeply ingrained family tradition. Aunt Teresa shows them a room filled with carvings that Santiago makes out of wood and sends to Teresa to paint, which is also a tradition. Santiago’s carvings are all animalitos, or little groups of animals, just like Naomi’s carvings. León family participation in La Noche de los Rábanos goes back 100 years, so Teresa expects Santiago to show up for the festival even though she hasn’t heard from him in a few days.

Teresa gives Naomi and Owen a picture of their father. He stands beside their grandfather and some carvings that they created together. In the picture, Santiago is the same age as Naomi. Everyone marvels at how much Naomi and her father look alike. Santiago has two more days to register for the radish night, and his favorite holiday, Las Posadas, begins that very evening, so they hope that he will arrive in Oaxaca City soon. On the way home, Naomi adds two more things to her list of things that she knows about her father: 1) that “he loves Las Posadas,” and “2) that [she] look[s] just like him” (177).

Three days later, Santiago León still has not arrived in Oaxaca City. Bernardo goes to the town hall to see if he has registered to carve in the contest because the deadline has passed. When they return, Naomi learns that they did not find his name on the registry. That night, the entire family goes out to celebrate Las Posadas. In the Las Posadas celebration, each neighborhood has a ritual where the people walk from house to house the same way that the Holy Mother and Joseph walked from inn to inn seeking shelter. The ritual overwhelms Naomi with what Graciela calls “a joy and a sadness in the heart at the same time” (184).

After the festivities, the family walks home together happily. Gram, Flora, and Fabiola walk up front, forming what Naomi calls, “three links in a chain” (186). The children and Graciela walk in the middle. The men walk behind them, completing a protective bubble around the children. Later that night, Naomi can’t sleep. She sneaks to get the last bit of hot chocolate from the stove. While she drinks Naomi plays around with a tree branch and her carvings. Outside, the men argue about their scene for the carving competition. Beni takes a break, finds Naomi in the kitchen, and sees her carvings around the branch.

At breakfast the next day, the men wait for everyone to gather before announcing that Naomi gave them the idea to recreate a tree full of animals for the carving contest this year. The radishes arrive later that day. Beni unloads a truck filled with radishes in all different shapes and sizes.

Naomi spends the next three days with the men, carving animalitos out of radishes. The men reserve the final piece for Naomi. To thank her for the idea, the men ask Naomi to carve the lion that will sit at the top of the tree.

The next evening, at La Noche de los Rábanos, the Outlaws walk from booth to booth, admiring the intricate and detailed carvings on display. At each booth, they ask about Santiago León. Many of the people know him, but they have not seen him this year. As they get closer to their booth, Gram begins to give up hope, and Naomi knows they are running out of time.