Madeline, the narrator, considers herself the sensible one in her family. Her older sister Lucy often gets into trouble, like getting her bike chain jammed, which Madeline resolves with a simple solution. Despite their age difference, Madeline often feels more responsible than Lucy. Their parents are divorced, and they live with their father and stepmother, Tito. Madeline is close to her father but has a strained relationship with her mother and Lucy. She takes up various jobs to support herself and her family as her father is in a coma. Eventually, she meets Abraham, her neighbor with a troubled family background, and they start dating secretly. Despite initial reservations and family drama, Madeline marries Abraham, who turns out to be the son of a wealthy prince. They support Lucy in opening a salon, and Madeline continues her education while starting a family. The story ends with the birth of Madeline's daughter Hope and her father waking up from his coma.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The narrator, Madeline, has a sister named Lucy who is 10 years older than her.
2. Their parents got divorced when Madeline was five years old.
3. Their father remarried a woman named Tito (also referred to as "Tomato Ball" by Lucy).
4. Madeline's mother did not remarry and is not very involved in her life.
5. Madeline's father was in a coma for several years.
6. Madeline had a job as an assistant to a seamstress named Blind Toe.
7. She met a boy named Abraham and started dating him in secret.
8. Abraham has a brother named Adam who has a rare disorder.
9. Madeline and Abraham got married, despite Lucy's disapproval.
10. Abraham's family is very wealthy, and his father is a billionaire prince.
11. Madeline started college and studied physics, just like her father.
12. She got pregnant in her second year of college but continued her education after giving birth.
13. Her daughter's name is Hope.
14. Madeline's father woke up from his coma on the same day that Hope was born.