Reaching Out

Frank finally gets to meet Robert E. Easton, the man whose office he has cleaned for many years while working for the Santa Maria Window Cleaners. To Frank, the office had a fascinating, old-fashioned air, and after cleaning it he would often stay there to do his homework. Easton, a kindly 87-year-old man, tells Frank about his life experiences running various electric and gas companies. When he notices that Frank has inflamed gums, he pays for Frank to go to the dentist. “Instinctively, I covered my mouth with the palm of my hand. ‘I’ve never been to a dentist.’ I was embarrassed” (76). 

As Frank returns to college after the summer, both he and his family are facing financial hardships. “They were still struggling to make ends meet even though I had given them my summer earnings” (78). To ease the situation, Frank gets a series of part-time jobs. He functions as an assistant for Latin American Literature professor Dr. Martha Hardman de Bautista, works in the language lab, and offers Spanish tutoring to students at a college prep school in San Jose. He also types his classmates’ papers in exchange for clothes and money. In these ways, Frank is able to pay for his expenses and send some money home to his family. 

A few days before going home for Thanksgiving, Frank and the campus community are shocked by the news of President Kennedy’s assassination. Classes are canceled and students and faculty gather at the Mission Church to pray. “We prayed and grieved together like a family in crisis, comforting each other” (85).

Before returning home for the holiday, Frank has a peaceful stay with the family of a college friend in San Luis Obispo, then goes to visit his brother Roberto at his home. There, a distraught Mrs. Jiménez bursts in and announces that Frank’s father has crashed his car while drunk. The family rushes to Bonetti Ranch, where they find the father sprawled out on the ground, drunk. The police take Frank’s father into custody for the night. The next day, Thanksgiving, the family picks up Mr. Jiménez, who is dirty and disheveled, at the police station. Frank’s mother is angry with her husband. 

Back at college, Frank feels upset and distracted in class: “I needed to talk to someone on campus who would listen and help me sort out my feelings” (93). He talks to Father Bartholomew O’Neill, who encourages him to join a campus Christian organization called Sodality. Frank discusses the group with its chairman, philosophy professor Father John Shanks. Shanks explains the spiritual mission of Sodality and the leadership qualities it fosters. Frank decides to apply to join.

Frank returns home for Christmas break to discover that his father has had a nervous breakdown and returned to Mexico to stay with his sister. The family tries to maintain their hope and faith amid this saddening news. 

Frank is happy to have two jobs during the Christmas break: working for the Santa Maria Window Cleaners and as an assistant for Mrs. Marian Hancock, a well-to-do lady who is a friend of Father O’Neill. Frank receives instructions for the job from Margie Williams, Mrs. Hancock’s secretary, at her home. Frank is to purchase and deliver Christmas gifts to a variety of Mrs. Hancock’s friends. The neighborhoods where Frank delivers the gifts—including a country club and a military base—are intriguing and different from his own background and experience. In exchange for a job well done, Mrs. Hancock gifts Frank with a fine reversible jacket.

That afternoon, Frank has the opportunity to meet Mrs. Hancock at her home. They have a pleasant chat centering on Mrs. Hancock’s husband, known as The Captain for his love of sailing. Mrs. Hancock gives Frank her husband’s suit to wear—"It would make us happy to have you wear it” (113)—but it proves to be too big for him. 

Struggling with the conflict between his college studies and his responsibility toward his family since his father left, Frank decides to withdraw from college. When Frank tells Father O’Neill about his decision, the priest advises him to think about it some more. After a Sodality meeting, Father Shanks likewise tells Frank he should think about his own future and the long-term consequences of his choice, saying, “Don’t you think that finishing college is also your responsibility?” (116). He explains that by studying in college to become a teacher, Frank will be in a better position to help his family. Frank goes to the Mission Church and prays for guidance, then returns to his room and reflects on the time his brother Torito almost died from an illness. After writing a philosophy paper, Frank realizes that staying in college will enable him to better his family’s condition.