Summary

The story "Someone Else Besides You" is narrated by Thomas in the first-person, past tense. The story is set in Los Angeles, most likely in the 1990s, but before the advent of caller ID. The story begins with Thomas driving his father to the apartment of the father's girlfriend, Mimi. Mimi lived in an upscale apartment complex, a far cry from the rental houses Thomas himself grew up in. The narrative continues on, revealing backstory about the father and the narrator little by little, so that the reader must piece together information. Thomas's name, for example, is not even revealed until more than halfway through the story.

When they arrived at Mimi's apartment, Thomas asked to use the bathroom when he dropped his father off, just so he could see how his father's girlfriend lived. He compared her home and Mimi...