The Distance Between Us: Book One: Chapter 6 Summary & Analysis

Soon, it is Reyna’s first day of first grade. She is excited to finally be in school with her older siblings, and happy to have a special uniform and shiny new shoes to wear. On her first morning of school, she gathers with Mago and Carlos in the courtyard to salute the flag and watch the color guard perform a march. Mago stares longingly at the team, dreaming of the day when she will get to join the color guard, too. As Reyna watches the march, she feels full of hometown pride and excitement for her future.

In class, Reyna learns to write her name. When she uses her left hand to write, though, she is beaten by her teacher. Abuela Evila, too, has beaten her for using her left hand to do tasks around the house, calling it “the side of evil” and warning her that if she continues using it, it will shrivel up and die. Reyna looks at the letters of her name and begins to hate it.

At lunchtime, Reyna meets up with Mago and Carlos. They watch as their classmates buy food from women selling enchiladas and taquitos at the school entrance, but they don’t have enough money to buy food themselves. Mago, Carlos, and Reyna see one of their classmates drop his mango on the ground. Mago urges Carlos to go over and pick it up so that they can share it. When he refuses, she asks Reyna to do it, but Reyna, too, refuses. After the bell rings, and everyone goes back to their classrooms, Reyna lingers in the courtyard. Once it’s empty, she goes over and picks up the mango, brushes the dirt off of it, and bites into it.