Summary

In "Alligator Mississippiensis—American Alligator," Jessa remembers when she, Brynn, and Milo went down to the lake to bait alligators. One night, Brynn urged Jessa to talk to a man who was eyeing her. Jessa is disinterested but goes anyway, leaving Brynn and Milo alone. She and the man, Thomas, sat and drank, Thomas pointing to a dead alligator. When Thomas touched her, Jessa thought of Brynn. Eventually Jessa stopped him and returned to Brynn and Milo.

In Section 6, Lucinda begins spending every night at Jessa's. She probes Jessa about her past. Every morning, Lucinda makes breakfast, wears Jessa's clothes. Though Jessa likes her company, she feels they have no chance at a real relationship. She assumes the woman who visits Lucinda at the gallery must be her partner.

Every morning after she leaves, Jessa picks Bastien up for work. She has grown...