Stef Soto, Taco Queen

On Saturday, Stef doesn’t help her dad, instead staying home and drawing a picture of Tía Perla burning. Her mom tries to explain how she fears sending Stef out into a foreign-feeling world, but Stef doesn’t care—instead, she only complains about how she feels trapped by them and Tía Perla. Stef’s mom warns Stef to respect the taco truck because they are lucky to have it. Stef can’t help thinking that “lucky” is “not the word I would use” (75).

The day of the concert, Stef is mortified when her dad parks Tía Perla outside the arena where Viviana Vega will perform. Stef tries to convince him to leave, but he refuses, worried what will happen to their income if the new regulations go into effect. A woman wearing a hood pulled over her eyes comes to the truck and asks for something that meets all Arthur’s food allergy requirements. Stef’s dad makes one of the special orders, which costs $4. The woman gives Stef $50, telling her to keep the change. Remembering her dad’s concern about money, Stef slides the $50 into Tía Perla’s cash drawer, whispering “you might as well take this, too” (80).

Closer to the concert, customers line up at Tía Perla, keeping Stef busy. Amanda and Arthur arrive to chat before the concert, and the three watch Julia get out of a stretch limo with her family. After Amanda and Arthur leave, a customer asks if they can get two tacos, fast. Sighing, Stef tells them “Two tacos, […] coming right up” (83).

The next morning, Stef sleeps late and is shocked to find her parents left her home alone to go out for breakfast. When they get home, her mom confesses she was worried, to which Stef insists everything was fine. Her mom asks for Stef’s help with ironing laundry that afternoon, and Stef thinks that if her parents will start giving her more freedom, “I’ll iron every shirt in the house, not to mention the pants. Socks and underwear, too” (87).

The Monday after the concert, Stef arrives at school to everyone wanting details about Viviana Vega. It is revealed that the hooded woman who bought an Arthur meal from Tía Perla was the singer, and someone snapped a picture of her at Tía Perla that’s the front-page story in the newspaper. All day, Stef pretends she knew it was Vivianna Vega all along and soaks up attention. Later, she thanks Arthur for making the meeting possible because “if it wasn’t for you, we might not have had anything to feed her” (92).

Instead of taking Tía Perla out that night, Stef’s dad goes to the commissary, where drivers make plans to combat the proposed regulations at the upcoming city council meeting. Stef’s dad no longer looks confident, which makes Stef worry even as she wonders “whether it would be so bad to lose Tía Perla” (98).

The art dance is approved. Stef’s teacher puts Julia in charge since it was her idea and asks for someone to co-captain. The class nominates Stef, thinking she can get Viviana Vega to attend the dance. Stef doesn’t want to work with Julia, but she realizes this is “a really great chance to be known for something besides Tía Perla” (102). The kids need to get permission slips signed for the dance. By talking about her love of art, Stef convinces her dad to sign it and then takes it back before he changes his mind.

In planning for the dance, Stef is in charge of posters while Julia does publicity, Amanda does decorations, and Arthur does music. Stef is stuck on what to draw until her teacher asks why art is important to her, which sparks an idea. After the planning session, Stef overhears Julia fuming at Maddie for suggesting Stef actually knows Viviana Vega. Stef wants to correct Maddie, but she likes that Julia is jealous and “having them say I’m friends with a pop star isn’t exactly the worst rumor in the world” (108).

The next day, kids bombard Stef with questions about Viviana Vega and the art dance. Stef shrugs most of the questions off until lunch, when Amanda and Arthur can’t believe Stef is encouraging the rumors. Stef is annoyed that they aren’t being supportive and lashes out, accusing them of being jealous. Amanda and Arthur don’t talk to Stef for the rest of the day, which “feels so much worse than driving home in Tía Perla ever did” (111).

On Saturday, Stef volunteers to help her dad so she can talk to Amanda and resolve their argument. While Stef takes orders, she watches her dad cook, noting how comfortable he is with the process and how phone calls about the new regulations interrupt that comfort. When Amanda’s soccer game is over, Stef goes to find Amanda because, “I know I can’t count on Amanda to come looking for me after what happened at lunch on Friday” (115).

Stef apologizes for how she acted on Friday, and Amanda forgives her. Stef still wants to find a way to get Viviana Vega to the dance, and though Amanda thinks Stef should just tell the truth, she agrees to help. Later, Stef’s dad asks her for help writing a speech to give at the city council meeting about the new regulations. At first, Stef refuses because she’s busy with the dance and doesn’t want to get sucked into helping Tía Perla. That weekend, though, when her dad practices his speech, Stef realizes how important this is and remembers “that sweet, strawberry-soda feeling when Tía Perla was a dream all three of us shared” (120).