Kantika

Rebecca marries Mishon “Luis” Baruch “because he asks her to” (93). He is one of only a few Jewish bachelors in Barcelona. At the time, she is 23, and he is 29. Rebecca befriends Luis’s sister, Palomba, who married the owner of an auto repair business. The quiet and polite Luis woos Rebecca in style despite his limited means. Rebecca’s private tailoring business is doing well, but she has no dowry. Alberto’s mood is a little brighter now, and he plants some vegetables in the fall. He spends the equivalent of the family’s monthly budget on lilies, roses, and wine for the wedding. When Rebecca offers to contribute, he says, “This is my small gift to you […] God willing, Rebecca, you will only marry once” (98). Rebecca sews her wedding dress as well as the dress she wears for the civil ceremony and the wedding photograph. She dislikes how the photograph turns out because she’s staring into the distance while Luis’s gaze on her seems vacant.

After the wedding, Rebecca learns that Luis is ill from exposure to mustard gas in the Great War, has digestive problems, and struggles with reading and writing.