Upon his return to Riverside, Rigoberto reflects on everything he learned there, from academic knowledge to the fact that jeans come in different sizes, having previously just had altered clothes from Goodwill. Rigoberto describes how his lover was a magic key to “the wonders of the greater world” (196). When he gets back home, Rigoberto calls his lover and then goes over to his apartment, where they have sex.

Rigoberto and his lover continue their relationship, but his lover no longer asks him to “ghost whisper” to him, which was a sign of their intimacy. One day, Rigoberto confronts him about being late to meet him and his lover hits him in the face, knocking off his glasses. A few days later, his lover tells him that he is taking him to a party in Beverly Hills. Rigoberto gets dressed up for the party, but his lover never shows. Two days after that, his lover calls again saying that they are going on a boat trip around Catalina Island with some friends, and neither mentions that he stood Rigoberto up. On the boat trip with other older gay men and their younger lovers, Rigoberto’s lover acts coldly toward him, and Rigoberto ends up as de facto bar tender.