It’s several years later, after you and your family left Richmond and moved north to Chicago.
You live in a small, dark apartment, where you and your sister work from before dawn to after dusk sewing buttons onto shirts. One of your brothers works on the railways, replacing old iron ties with new ties made of steel. You haven’t heard from your oldest brother in a long time, but you think he’s out West, herding cattle.
You talk with your sister about your dreams as you work. You want to save enough money to start a restaurant with your family. A lot of people from the South live near you, and you know they’d like your mom’s cooking.
