The Smell Of Other People's Houses

Content Warning: This section discusses domestic abuse, substance use disorder, and teen pregnancy.

Alyce has spent most of her childhood fishing on her father’s boat, the “Squid.” Following her parent’s divorce, she moved to Fairbanks with her mother, who wanted to live near her sister, Abigail. Alyce’s Aunt Abigail adopted Selma.

Alyce sits on the boat, waiting for her father. Her Uncle Corky asks for her help with boat chores. Alyce recalls her friends and her mother saying goodbye at the airport. Her friends are auditioning for dance school scholarships outside Alaska during the summer, but she must help her father. Alyce is tired of fishing but hesitates to say anything because she only sees her father in summer, on the boat. She usually misses summer dance practice and feels other students with “simple parents who are married” are more skilled (45).

Alyce admits she sleeps better on the boat than anywhere, a sleep that “made [her] dreams bouncy” (47). As her father starts the engine, she recalls her childhood moments on the Squid. She knows boat practices and rules well.

As the boat floats away, Alyce’s worries about the dance audition fade.