Summary

After Safiya’s mother returns, she is not as strict about the Rasta rules. She allows them to listen to popular music and buys her her first pair of jeans as Safiya prepares for a school trip to Havana, Cuba. Safiya is overjoyed to wear jeans and Bermuda shorts, feeling like a new world has opened for her. The other girls still tease her for wearing shorts much more modest than what their parents allow them to wear. They call her a prude and Safiya’s excitement is somewhat dimmed.

When she returns home from the trip, Safiya finds that her mother has struggled to find consistent work. She begins teaching at the school but makes a few mistakes and Safiya’s classmates mock her. Safiya’s mother tries to brush it off and continues. She buys Safiya a new pair of shoes...