Chapter 2: The Garden of Eden Summary

April 15th

Jazmin's apartment building is wedged between a laundromat and the Garden of Eden Bar & Grill on Amsterdam Avenue. The grill plays loud rhythm and blues music on the jukebox during all hours of the day and night. Lots goes on in the grill besides music—cocaine is bought and sold there, pool-sharks beat men out of a whole week's wages. Jazmin thinks about the singing and dancing going on inside the bar. With her Coke-bottle glasses and skinny legs, no one is going to be asking her to dance any time soon.

CeCe doesn't like Jazmin putting herself down, insisting that she's actually beautiful. But Jazmin doesn't buy it because CeCe probably thinks it's her job to boost her confidence. Jazmin is hoping to get contact lenses. It's the '60s and...