“On one side of the glass doors are the long lines of people with their photos and papers that prove that they belong here in America, that they are allowed to taste a bit of this free air.” 

Fabiola has just been separated from her mother, who is being detained by immigration authorities. Because Fabiola is a US citizen, she can pass through to the “right” side of the glass and experience the freedom of America. But others, like Fabiola’s mother, are stuck on the other side of the glass, since they don’t have the right papers or status. 

“We leave the airport. It feels like I’m leaving part of me behind—a leg, an arm. My whole heart.” 

Fabiola is close to her mother. Leaving her mother behind and departing from the airport hurts Fabiola, because this is the first time that mother and daughter have ever been separated for an extended period. It is the painful beginning of Fabiola’s journey to independence.

“As I follow her, I stuff the slice of cheese into my mouth, and I can’t believe this is the very first thing I eat in America. It tastes like a mix of glue, chalk and salt.” 

Fabiola’s cousins and aunt have prepared no welcome meal for her, so she eats the first thing she can find: a slice of American cheese. The terrible taste of the cheese represents the bitter aftertaste of leaving her mother behind and the rude welcome that Fabiola has received since coming to America.