The book opens with Jamal Hicks having a conversation with his little sister, Sassy. They wonder how and when their mother will come home (as it turns out, from a visiting their older brother Randy in prison) and banter about food and television. Jamal is concerned about his mother. He wonders if she brought an umbrella to protect herself from the rain and spends hours looking out the window for her while his sister watches TV. Jamal spots someone using drugs leaning precariously on a light pole on the street corner and knows that he will fall asleep eventually.

It quickly becomes apparent that 12-year-old Jamal often serves as the caretaker for his eight-year-old sister, and sometimes his mother too. He has made dinner for Sassy and knows that he should be telling her to do her homework and go to bed. The details in the scene also establish that the Hicks are not economically well-off. Sassy notes that their mother cannot afford a taxi, both kids are hungry after their dinner of leftovers, and Jamal dreams of earning enough money to surprise his mother with a VCR so that they can watch movies together.

Mama gets home at midnight and isn’t surprised to find Jamal up waiting on her.