Something Like Home

Laura thinks about how birds don’t recognize their family members after a year has passed and how this relates to her situation. Her aunt, Titi Silvia, is a stranger to her.

Silvia is a beautiful doctor. She studies Laura’s appearance, such as her wrinkled clothes, with disapproval. While Laura enters the home’s office, Titi Silvia and Janet talk outside.

Silvia’s apartment is well-kept with fine art; she’s wealthy. Silvia turned her office into Laura’s room by adding an inflatable bed and a princess blanket. As an 11-year-old, Laura feels too old for these items.

Though Silvia wants to add more furniture to the room, Laura doesn’t see the point in decorating her temporary residence. She thinks Silvia is a “rich, perfect stranger” (5) who the social workers deem “safer” than her parents.

Janet leaves, and Laura plays with her Rubik’s Cube in her room. Titi Silvia barges in and speaks Spanish to her. Laura resents Silvia because she’s acting like this situation is normal. She wants to ask Silvia why she never helped her family before this foster care, but it’s too hard.

When Silvia keeps talking to her in Spanish, Laura says she doesn’t speak the language—but this is a lie.

Laura can speak Spanish, but not fluently like Silvia. Laura spoke more Spanglish (Spanish-English hybrid) with her mom, although her dad comprehended it. She understands Silvia’s conversation about her house and Laura’s new school, but she doesn’t feel any connection to her.

Laura unpacks alone. She doesn’t have many items. She wonders how you can prepare for the unexpected and fit your life into a bag. She also questions why she has to trust social services when Janet won’t trust her.

In a list format, Laura shares the questions she asked Janet. She inquired about the length of time she would spend with her aunt, when she could talk to her parents again, the definition of kinship care, and more. Laura also asked if her life changes were occurring because she called 911 and if this was all her fault.

This chapter is blank to signify that Janet never answered any of Laura’s questions.

Laura knows that some species of birds hold funerals for family members or cry at the nests of those who died. She wishes she was a bird so her life would be simpler.

Her family’s trailer (her prior home) is abandoned now. Though everyone wants her to move on, she is upset. Laura believes this was all a mistake and that her parents are getting better.

At her new, affluent school, Laura gets to stay in Ms. Holm’s classroom all day. She doesn’t have the stress of memorizing a schedule or swapping classrooms. Before she was separated from her parents, the nuances of school didn’t bother her. Now, with too much change, Laura feels grateful for the stability of her assigned seat and one classroom.

Before today, Laura interacted with the same classmates since kindergarten. Now, she’s the new girl trying to acclimate on picture day. She thinks other kids are judging her as the strange new girl who doesn’t fit in because she’s the food truck kid from the trailer park.

Laura tries not to attract attention, but Ms. Holm asks her to stand up and introduce herself. Teachers don’t realize the terror of having 25 people staring at you.

Laura considers introducing herself with specific information. She imagines sharing that she used to live in the Crenwood trailer park on the other side of town but now lives with her aunt. She could tell her classmates that her parents are in rehab. Laura believes the other kids’ lives are perfect, and they seem friendly but will likely judge her.

Laura only states her name to her classmates, giving no other personal details.

Laura eats lunch alone in the library. Her introduction didn’t earn her any new friends. She misses her old friends Remedios, Pilar, and Betsaida from home. She didn’t mean to ghost her friends. If anyone had asked Laura, she would have decided to stay with her parents.

Laura feels certain she made a mistake that led to her parents being taken away. She thinks she let her parents down, but she won’t make the wrong decision again.

If Janet believes Laura will let everything go, she is wrong. Laura has repacked her belongings because she plans to fix her situation and be reunited with Mom and Dad.

In the school library, Laura researches Harmonic Way, her parents’ rehab facility, on her laptop. She hopes her parents like rehab at Harmonic Way. As she’s about to click on more information, a boy with braids sits down and smiles at her.

The boy introduces himself as Benson, another sixth grader who is not in Laura’s class. He has a huge smile, acting so friendly that Laura decides he’s weird. She wants to make an excuse to end the conversation and is saved when the bell rings.

Laura’s dad would say she’s rude, but she can’t imagine connecting with the rich kids at her school or explaining her living situation. Since her circumstances are “temporary,” instead of “forever,” she doesn’t think connecting with Benson would be worthwhile.

Every day, Laura comes home and messages Titi Silvia about her safe arrival off the bus. Laura is annoyed because Silvia can see she is safe using her doorbell camera. The camera makes Laura feel like she’s in prison.

Silvia is extremely organized. She has schedules for eating, cleaning, washing her hair, and more. Laura thinks her organization is excessive. Titi Silvia works long hours at the hospital, so Laura often spends time alone. She could have stayed home, fending for herself like she did when her parents were unresponsive after a drug overdose.

Given Silvia’s house rules, resistance to hugging, and awkward conversations, Laura doesn’t think she will ever love her aunt.

Laura writes her first letter to her parents. She asked Silvia and Janet, who confirmed she could contact Mom and Dad via letters. Since she struggles with literacy, Laura dictates the words on her school laptop—despite Silvia wanting her to type.

In the letter, she explains her new school, her laptop with dictation, and making many new friends. Laura lies about her life being wonderful, though she’s miserable. She encourages her parents to focus on getting better so they can be reunited. Laura also writes that she is “really, really sorry” (30). She signs the letter with love.

Whenever Silvia works later, Laura heats prepared meals. When she’s finished eating, she feels empty.

Laura walks around Titi Silvia’s neighborhood. Janet and Silvia may think her old life had “less,” but it felt like “more” to her.

In a list format, Laura shares all of Silvia’s rules she breaks—including not rinsing off her dishes before putting them in the dishwasher and not using coasters for drinks. Laura is also in trouble for not asking for permission before she goes for walks. Silvia doesn’t approve of these actions, but Laura doesn’t know her rules. For instance, Laura has never used a dishwasher before or done recycling, so she’s clueless.

In comparison, Laura lists the ways Silvia bothers her. Silvia insists on speaking Spanish instead of English, asks Laura daily about school, offers to blow dry her hair, and invites her to run errands. Laura is especially annoyed that Silvia pretends their living situation isn’t ending soon.

Silvia’s Spanish speech bothers Laura. Though Silvia encourages her to honor their Puerto Rican heritage, Laura isn’t interested. Her parents didn’t think teaching her fluent Spanish was important. Laura doesn’t care about her aunt’s perspective, only her parents’ and her own perspectives.

Still, Laura is tolerant of Silvia because Janet warned her that if she doesn’t behave, she will be placed back in foster care.

Laura could attend her old school wearing pajamas, but the kids at her new school wear nice clothes. She wears the modern clothes Silvia bought her, but she feels like a fraud. Laura pretends to blend in so the other kids don’t discover the truth of her traumatic life.

When Laura continues to eat lunch in the library, the librarian, Mrs. Elsa, talks to her about reading. Laura loved telling verbal stories with her parents at bedtime, rather than reading. Laura tells Mrs. Elsa that books are hard, but Mrs. Elsa supports her. She suggests graphic novels, which Laura dismisses as “baby books” that are too easy, but she follows Mrs. Elsa to the shelves.

To Laura’s surprise, Mrs. Elsa shows her graphic novels for middle schoolers, such as Guts and The Okay Witch. The characters are around her age (sixth grade) and seem interesting. Laura hopes she can enjoy the books and learn to read and tell stories better; these skills may make her parents proud.

Benson continues to reach out to Laura. She avoids Benson because she doesn’t believe she can get close to anyone right now with her “mixed up” life (41). Maybe refusing to give Benson a chance is wrong, but Laura can’t handle friendship yet.

Laura loves birds and often thinks about them. She wishes she could be a flamingo, a species of bird that makes lifelong friends. If Laura was a flamingo, she wouldn’t have to start over with anyone, keep secrets, or explain herself. She decides she’d be a bad flamingo though because she never told her friends Remedios, Betsaida, and Pilar about her parents’ substance abuse disorder.