Summary

Penny finds Norm's childhood home in Jersey City. She is surprised by the ugly neighborhood. On the porch, a placard reads: "Nicotine" (50). Around the corner, she sees a young attractive man. He introduces himself as Rob, and offers her a house tour. She immediately feels vulnerable and self-conscious. Rob explains that Nicotine "is one of a group of properties administered by Community Housing Action as housing for political activists" (52). All of the houses have common activism endeavors, except for Nicotine. What they have in common is smoking.

Inside, Rob introduces Penny to Sorry. Penny converses with Rob and Sorry without telling them her family owns the house. She explains her family's oddities, including her mother's Kogi heritage, and her father's Shamanistic work with cancer patients. Rob, Sorry, and Penny then talk about smoking, and how ostracized smokers are, even from other activists. Throughout...