The Feast of the Goat

A bell rings downstairs; Urania’s cousin Lucinda has arrived, in disbelief that Urania has returned. Lucindita was “the enthusiastic one, the inventive and playful one. The cousin she always liked best”; she is now “a stout matron, her face taut and smooth with no sign of a facelift, wearing a simple flowered dress. Her only adornment is a pair of long, flashing gold earrings” (145). Lucinda tells Urania how good Urania looks, saying it must be because Urania never married.

Urania explains that “the foolishness of youth” kept her away (146); she lies and says that she wanted to surprise her cousin, which is why she didn’t inform her of her visit. The family has followed her career from afar, and Urania “detects an acid note” of jealousy in her cousin’s stated happiness for Urania’s success (146). Lucinda tells Urania that she understands why she left but doesn’t understands why Urania left as though running away, a statement that Urania ignores.

Lucinda discusses the aftermath of Trujillo’s assassination. She shares the rumor that Agustín sent Urania away because he knew bad things were about to happen; Urania goes along with it. Lucinda had begged her own father to send her to the United States as well, but that fell through after the assassination—“Nobody remembered that at the end Trujillo treated [Agustín] like a dog” (149).