The First Job Summary

Esperanza is thrilled to get her first job, as she is desperate for money so that she can continue to go to private Catholic school. Her parents tell her that if she goes to public school, she will turn out bad. Her Aunt Lala works at Peter Pan Photo Finishers on North Broadway and informs her that if she goes in with a job application saying that she is one year older than she actually is, she can get a job. Sure enough, Esperanza begins working the day she applies, matching negatives with photos and placing them in envelopes. At lunchtime, she eats standing up in the washroom stalls, as she is afraid to eat with the adults in the lunchroom. When she is nearing the end of the day, she hides in the coatroom for her break, where...