Sophi Caco lives with her aunt in a small village called Croix-des-Rosets in Haiti.

She
lives in a small two-room house and sleeps with her Aunt Atie. Sophis mother lives
in New York City. Sophi does not remember her mother much, she left when she was
a small child.
One day Sophi came home from school and Atie was waiting on the steps of their
house with a sad expression on her face. Atie told Sophi that her mother has sent
for her. She will be leaving for the Americas in two days. Sophi at only nine years of
age did not understand. The next morning Atie took Sophi to say goodbye to her
Grandma Ife.
When they arrive Atie decides she will stay with Grandma Ife while Sophi is in the
Americas. The next morning Atie takes Sophi to the airport where a brown skin
woman with black hair and pretty eyes greets her. She tells Sophi that she will take
her to her mother.
When Sophi arrives in the Americas a pale, skinny, women with short black hair
approaches her. The women picked her up and flung her into the air while
smothering her in kisses. Sophi was surprised but not scared, because she
recognized her from an old picture that Atie had by her bed. Sophis mother
grabbed her bags and headed toward the exit. They stopped at an old yellow car
that had smoke coming out of the back. When she got in the seat scratched her
small thighs.
They arrived at an old trashy building with people sleeping on the benches in front.
Sophis mother led her up the stairs into an apartment. The apartment had two
bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a den. Sophis mother showed her to her
room. It was painted light blue with a bed in one corner and a dresser in the other.
On the bed was a doll in a white dress with black shoes.