I also knew that I wanted my auntie's love and suspected even then the impossibility of that desire.
-- Daisy Hernández (A Word She Whispers)

Importance: Throughout the opening chapter of the text, Hernández depicts vivid scenes from her childhood visits to the hospital to see Tía Dora. These visits were not defined by fear, in that Hernández knew nothing about the kissing bug disease from which her aunt suffered. Instead, Hernández explains, these visits were characterized by her longing for her aunt's love, affection, and approval. By placing this line at the end of "A Word She Whispers," arguably the text's introductory section, the author indicates the ways in which her desire for closeness with Tía Dora defined their relationship and thus will define her investigative work and writing throughout the entirety of The Kissing Bug. The moment thus introduces notions regarding story, family, and grief at the forefront of the text...