Answer: The author explains that, even after Trujillo was killed, her parents continued to fear the dictatorship.
The author tells us of the assassination of Trujillo on May 30, 1961. She also tells us that this happened nine months after they had left the Dominican Republic. However, she also states that her family had spent years learning to fear the dictatorship and to follow its laws. And that those habits were not easy to forget. Therefore, she implies that even though the dictator was dead, her parents still felt fear towards the dictatorship.