Stories of Lotería

RRRRIIIINNNNGGGG The first school bell sliced through the chatter and thrill of the small yard on Amalia Street. Twenty pairs of black and white leather oxfords scurried past the sun-scarred swings and canopied lunch tables. "Line up now. Everybody line up," a friendly-faced woman with blonde hair called out to the group. Tiny bodies topped with French braids, pony tails, crew cuts, and parts perfectly combed by Mama for the first day of first grade in 1985. In the classroom we sat at our own desk in alphabetical order of our last names - Andrade, Delgado, Del Hoyo, Diaz..... There were no desks back in kindergarten. Us kids sat on the carpeted floor most of the time. Here, I felt like a grown-up professional. I couldn't wait to get my hands on some paper and start writing something. The walls were covered with bright posters, charts, letters and numbers. In the front left corner of the room, facing us as we worked at our miniature desks, was a statue of the Vir