The short story Bien Pretty displays how a man can let his passion hurt a woman. The element their mad love affair lacked was communication. One day Flavio blindsided Lupe with the bomb saying “”I must go. To Mexico”… “My mother wrote me. I have compromises to attend to.” There was a long pause… “My mother writes that my sons-“” It was at this point that Lupe finally found out about Flavios mystery life. This devastated Lupe to the length of their love affair. The brevity of passion that Flavio felt for her was what held him from telling the truth sooner. This relationship was beautiful the passion they held for each other initially
Flavio understood that the moment she knew of his responsibilities, the love they shared would become tainted. His love penetrated so deep that he could not imagine ending the relationship they had. So Flavio waited until he could not wait any longer until he absolutely had to backtrack to his responsibilities as a father
It was Flavio’s mother who pressured him into the decision which seems ironic Scenarios like this in Latino literature illustrate the point of influence that elders have within families and the community. Someone with a more Eurocentric world view may have aligned their values differently. The reason that Flavio cited his mother could also be trying to skirt blame from Lupe. Flavio understood the importance of family in Lupe’s life. By using her mother’s request as reason for returning home it conveyed the importance of his departure. He was not welcoming an argument over whether or not he should leave. He was kindly stating his obligations in a way that would hopefully extract the least pain and anguish from Lupe’s side. Flavio knew that using family as pathos would be the least harmful way to break the news.
