They went to Managua where mom recuperated. The song "Loca" (crazy woman) was then popular. She often said "I was the loca for allowing myself to be placed in the weird situation of giving birth in the jungles". The U.S. Marines hired dad to repair weapons. This earned him enough to take the family to the port of Corinto where he opened the American Bar. When enough was saved to purchase passage on the steamship bound for El Salvador, they left Nicaragua and began their trek back to the States. Just like in the steamship that had taken mom to San Francisco in earlier years, this one too had a piano. She spent most of her time playing "Loca" and "La Golondrina". She recalled that her mother had played the latter on that initial voyage.