“As Tavo and Paloma walked away, Paloma heard her mom laugh again. It had been a while since she heard her mom laugh so much. At home, her mom threw herself into her work and rarely went out unless it was to a work event. Hearing her mom so happy made Paloma smile.”

The death of Paloma’s father, though nine years previously, continues to impact Paloma’s mother. Though Paloma was initially set against the trip to Mexico, she has a change of heart when she sees how positively the trip has impacted her mother. This is a vital part of the text’s exposition as it establishes the close relationship between the two but also potential for underlying conflict.

“‘Viva la vida?’ Paloma asked, tapping Tavo’s arm. ‘What does it mean?’

‘Long live life,’ he said. ‘This is one of Frida’s last paintings before she died.’

‘Viva la vida,’ Paloma repeated. Something about those words warmed her all over.”

As Paloma learns about Frida Kahlo and her art, she rather quickly develops an affinity for the person Frida was and what she stood for. Paloma will discover that Frida is a positive model for the kind of life she herself wishes to emulate.

“‘It’s true I am missing something…’ she said, securing a sky-blue shawl over her shoulders. ‘But you’re missing something, too, Paloma.’ Frida gazed warmly at her. ‘I hope you’ll find it in my beautiful ciudad.’”

The dream Paloma has in which Frida speaks to her of her missing peacock ring motivates Paloma to have a change of heart and decide to assist Gael in locating the item. Though it is a dream, the words that Frida speaks are telling: She recognizes that Paloma suffers greatly from the loss of her father. Cervantes uses Spanish words in the text such as “ciudad” (meaning “city”) to highlight the connection between Paloma and her heritage, as well as make it a partially educational text for readers who do not speak Spanish.