In this first section, though narrated by the main character Sophie Caco, the main focus is her mother that lives in New York. Sophie's mother left her with her aunt for a while as she was going to a place that was new to her and promised that once she was ready, she would call Sophie to come live with her. Sophie does not even remember who her mother is and loves her aunt Atie as her mother now.
Atie however loves her sister (Sophie's mother) very much and respects her wishes even though she may doubt them. She wants Sophie to stay with her but instead convinces her to leave and makes her promise not to fight with her mother and to always appreciate the hard work she has done to make a better life for Sophie.
In Haiti, where Sophie and aunt Atie live, there is an albino lottery agent named Chabin. For the past 20 years Atie has been playing the same number and has never won anything. However when word comes from Sophie's mother that she wants Sophie to come to New York, Atie gives Chabin the number 31 which is the age of Sophie's mother in her remembrance. With that number, for the first time ever, Atie has won money and Chabin makes an effort to make Atie realize that this is a sign that Sophie leaving to live with her mother is in fact what is best for her, as Atie had begun to have doubts.
This is a link about people like Chabin who are albino. Without Chabin having been there to convince Atie that the winnings were a sign, there would be no story as Sophie would have just stayed in Haiti with her aunt.
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Albino+people
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