Part 1, Chapter 12 Summary

When Mikey thinks of Lydia, he doesn't see her as his "mama" anymore. He knows that she can not offer him refuge. When he was younger, he and his mother used to sniff each other, not unlike animals do. He used to be able to sense her mood. Lydia touched him differently than Silas did and he didn't like his father's smell. Mikey thinks that when Lydia touches Silas it is as if those actions belong to the past, as if she is trying to hasten her time with him. When she touches Mikey, it is in the present, and the intimacy causes great joy and pain for them.

Mikey senses that his mother is close by. He makes Kate leave but when he thinks of her nakedness, he wants to rid his mind of the memory. He smashes Oupapa Ali's...