The Distance Between Us: Book Two: Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis

In September of 1985, Reyna and her siblings have been in the United States for three months. Reyna is about to start the fifth grade, while Carlos will be in seventh and Mago will be in eighth. They do not speak a word of English, and are worried about how they will navigate school, but Papi is less concerned about the language barrier than he is about the children disclosing that they are in the U.S. illegally. He urges them not to tell anyone—friend, student, or teacher—about their status. He also warns them that if they don’t all do well in school, he will send them back to Mexico himself and force them to live with Abuela Evila again. They each promise to do well.

At bedtime, Mago, Reyna, and Carlos pull out the sofa bed in the living room where they have been sleeping (as Papi and Mila’s apartment has only one bedroom) and they huddle together, listening to the sounds of sirens, helicopters, and cars out on the street. Reyna, nervous about starting school the next day, reflects on the long summer she and her siblings spent staying home all day every day at Papi’s apartment, watching TV, and slowly adjusting to life in America. Her favorite memory of the last few months is visiting the ocean for the first time. Though she was reluctant to swim, Papi assured her he’d help her and wouldn’t let go. Sure enough, Papi helped her into the water, and didn’t let go of her once as she played in the waves.

In the morning, Reyna begs her siblings to walk her to her elementary school four blocks away, but they are afraid to miss their bus. They point her in the right direction and then head off without her, leaving Reyna to enter the enormous, intimidating building alone. Reyna has no idea where to go or what to do, and as the halls empty, she stands alone crying. A woman approaches her and asks her, in Spanish, if she’s lost, then helps her to the office, where an assistant leads her to her classroom.

Once in class, Reyna introduces herself to her teacher Mrs. Anderson, but then realizes that she’ll be learning from the teacher’s assistant, a man named Mr. López, along with a small group of other Spanish-language students. Reyna sets to work learning the English alphabet, but is nervous at the end of the day when she has not memorized it to perfection. She doesn’t want to disappoint Papi—she feels a desperate desire to please him, and to prove to him that he was right in bringing her to El Otro Lado.

After school, Reyna goes to a neighbor’s house. The kindly Mrs. Giuliano makes Reyna some soup, and though they speak two different languages—Italian and Spanish—they have a nice afternoon together. As Reyna helps Mrs. Giuliano clean out her backyard chicken coop, she is reminded of Mexico, and briefly grows homesick. She feels torn, and unsure of where it is she truly belongs.