How Tía Lola Learned to Teach by Julia Álvarez

Declaration of Independence. That should charm the socks off an immigration judge!
    “Hey, Tía Lola, why don’t you just quote your wise sayings to the judge?” Miguel says, half in jest. “That’ll show him why we can’t let you go.”
    Mami drops down on the bench in the mudroom. It’s as if she has just had a suspicion confirmed. “Now I know it’s a fact: I have a genius son! That is a brilliant idea!”
    Miguel loves a compliment as much as the next person, but Mami can go overboard. And when you get praised too much, it’s like you’re an animal paralyzed by headlights on the road: there’s no wiggle room to makea mistake or even improve at something you’re already good at.
    “Tía Lola, we’ll prove to the judge that you’re our town oracle!” Mami claps her hands.
    “What’s that?” Juanita asks. She wonders if an oracle is anything like a barnacle, a word she learned just last week in school when they were studying beach flora and fauna. But Tía Lola doesn’t remind Juanita in the least of those little shellfish that attach themselves to cliffs and the sides of ships.
    “An oracle is a person or place or even a book full of wise knowledge.” Mami launches into an explanation about the Delphic Oracle in Greece; how in olden times in China, people consulted this oracular book called the I Ching .…
    Miguel is half listening, half daydreaming. After so many ho-hum weeks, it’s going to be an exciting day! Papi couldn’t miss any more work, but Carmen is actually flying up with an immigration lawyer from her firm who has agreed to represent Tía Lola. They will all meet up at the immigration office.
    At first, Mami hesitated when Carmen made her offer. “I don’t know that we can afford that, Carmen. That last lawyer wiped us out.”
    “Oh, don’t worry about it. There’s no charge,” Carmen had assured her.
    But after hanging up, Mami was thoughtful. “I have a feeling that maybe Carmen is paying for this herself.”
    “She is a true friend,” Tía Lola acknowledged, a hand on her heart. “Amiga en la adversidad es amiga de verdad.” A friend in adversity is a true friend.
    If Tía Lola can keep saying her sayings, surely she will get that special visa. Miguel doesn’t feel like he is cheating his country in any way. Tía Lola does have so many extraordinary abilities. Look at all she has done for their little town. Free Spanish lessons, good food, and that special magic of hers that brings everyone together. Plus her sayings are wise. Miguel suddenly feels hopeful. It can’t be every day that the Department of Immigration gets an application for a special visa from an oracle—with a genius for a nephew, at that!

    By the time Miguel, Juanita, Tía Lola, and Mami arrive, a crowd has gathered in front of the no-nonsense, boxlike brick building. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY , a large sign announces. Several police cars are parked directly in front of the building, and the pathway to the door is blocked by sawhorse barricades. The officers look baffled as to why such a multitude has descended on their sleepy little town on a sunny April morning.
    The minute Tía Lola appears, the crowd cheers. The three policemen are suddenly at attention, ready to protect the building against any attack. But coming toward them is a nice-looking young woman in an elegant blackpantsuit, accompanied by a boy and a girl dressed up real nice as well. Behind them—must be the grandmother—is a perky, older lady with a jaunty purple flower in her hair and a bright yellow scarf draped over her coat. Only thing a little different about the family is their brown skin and their super-courteous manners. They stop to explain who they are, apologizing for any disturbance. So this is the family everyone has been expecting.
    “Your lawyers just went in,” one of the officers explains. “They’re waiting for you inside.”
    “Thank you, sir,” Mami says, eyeing Miguel and Juanita, who chime in, “Thank