In the opening chapters of the novel, Ana Rosa describes simple activities and family relationships. “Wash Day” describes Ana Rosa and Mami doing the laundry at the river. This is a special time for Ana Rosa where she can be open with her mother about her poetry writing. After a tense moment where Mami slaps Ana Rosa for criticizing her father, Ana Rosa tells Mami that she wants to be a writer. Mami cautions Ana Rosa to be more patient, suggesting that she “flow softly around the rocks” (7) until she is older. Even though Ana Rosa knows that she should be patient, she thinks to herself, “there always has to be a first person to do something” (9).

Ana Rosa reflects on her growing relationship with words, as she dreams of “a notepad of [her] very own” (11). Since she doesn’t yet have something to write in, she steals paper from wherever she can. Her older brother, Guario, has a tempting notebook that is special for his job as a waiter. One night, when Guario is out dancing, Ana Rosa writes on every page in the notebook.