Summary

Chapter 1, “The Photograph.” In first-person, present-tense narration, Chula describes a photograph she has of Petrona, a young woman who had worked for her family before they emigrated from Colombia to America. In the photograph, Chula says, Petrona is holding a baby, with the man she (Chula) believes was the father of that baby behind her with his hand on her shoulder. She also notes his hair, which she says in in an Afro style. As narration shifts to past tense, Chula calculates that the baby was conceived at roughly the time she and her mother (Mama) left Colombia, and describes the long journey, longer wait, and challenging circumstances that she and Mama had to go through to become American citizens. She describes how she had calculated a way to write and send a letter to Petrona, and how the response came back...