Who is Ernie from Caramelo, or, Puro Cuento: A Novel and what is their importance?

Ernie was Celaya's first real boyfriend. He is completely silly, dorky, and ridiculous. He is not handsome at all, but Celaya finds him endearing. He is sensitive and is often ridiculed by Celaya's brothers, though he is so oblivious he doesn't care. Celaya feels the need to protect him. She devises a plan to marry him by running away to Mexico, but he bails at the last minute. He says that Celaya is not good enough to be his mother's daughter-in-law and leaves her in Mexico. A few months later he gets a good Catholic girl pregnant and is forced to marry her.