Summary

In “None of That,” the narrator and her mother get lost while out driving. Their car gets stuck in the mud, because the roads “are unpaved” and sloppy from last night’s rain (3). The narrator demands to know what her mother is doing. She says they are “looking at houses” (4). The narrator is familiar with this routine, but feels frustrated. For years, they have wasted time looking “at other people’s houses” (4).

The mother keeps trying to release the car from the mud, without success. She tells herself there is “no way out” (5). Then the narrator notices a little boy watching them. He “runs into the house” and his mother appears shortly thereafter (7). She is furious they have gotten stuck in her front yard, insisting they will pay for the damage.

The mother’s demeanor shifts. She tells everyone she needs an...