White Smoke

Erika mentions that her father, brothers, Yusef’s father, and many classmates’ relatives are in the prison, Big Ville. She also claims that Marigold is the only girl Yusef has invited inside his home, so she is the talk of the school. After school, Marigold finds every kitchen item on the counters organized by size and color, but when Sammy and Raquel get home, Sammy denies doing it. 

A woman, Cheryl, and her daughter, Lacey, ring the bell. Cheryl wants Piper to stop inviting Lacey into the abandoned houses for tea parties because the homes are dangerous and have squatters. When Raquel admonishes Piper, Piper turns the blame on Marigold and accuses her of using drugs in the abandoned house. Marigold denies it and asks which house; Piper says the one next door, but Sammy points out that the house is “locked up like a fortress” (109). That night the bad smell is back; Marigold tries to burn sage, but Piper tells her Mrs. Suga does not want her selling drugs in her house. The house across the street, 215, catches fire; Raquel and Alec run to help and call 911. Marigold sees that Piper has muddy shoes on under her pajamas.

The house across the street burns into ruins. Marigold worries that the fire investigation will extend to 219 and that authorities will find her fingerprints on her secret marijuana garden. However, the crews that come to clean up seem disinterested in the burnt property. Marigold notices they are all white.

The next night, Mr. Sterling and Irma come for a dinner party. Irma shocks them when she mentions stories that their house is haunted; she says she had a priest bless the house “as a precaution” (119). Marigold asks Mr. Sterling about the selection of their home as the first for his Grow Where You Live program. He evades the questions and focuses on the restorative efforts the foundation is making to the city of Cedarville and how the renovations will eventually bring “wholesome” families to live on Maple. Marigold digs in, wondering why he would not start with helping the people who already live there instead of buying foreclosed homes and letting them sit: “It’s almost like you want this city to look run down… on purpose” (121). Mr. Sterling avoids answering.

A man, Mr. Stampley, arrives early to demand why his gardening and yardwork tools are all piled on the family’s porch. Raquel and Alec are mystified. Alec offers to help load it into the man’s truck. The man says his axe is still missing.

Marigold and Yusef work to clear a lot for a community garden, another project of the library’s gardening club. Yusef tells Marigold that many people think The Hag, a supernatural force that paralyzes victims so she can steal and wear their skin, haunts her house. Marigold thinks she sees bedbugs on her skin; she rushes home and strips to her underwear on the porch, planning to burn the clothes. She recalls to herself how she came to fear bedbugs: Her mother and father lived in a small, cluttered house. When Chay brought bedbugs home from a business trip, they infested the home, including Marigold’s mattress; doctors and others misdiagnosed her rash-like spots on her legs until Marigold found the nests. They burned much of what they owned, but Marigold still had delusional parasitosis, believing the bugs were there when they were not. Smoking marijuana helped; then, after a track injury, she discovered that crushing and snorting crushed Percocet helped even more.

Inside she finds Piper at her desk, ruining her incense and sage. Piper says again Ms. Suga hates the smell. Marigold tells Piper off. Piper says Marigold will be sorry. At 3:19 am that night, Marigold wakes. The TV is blaring Reverend Clark’s voice. Buddy is missing. When she goes down to the kitchen, the glass is out, and the smell is back; this time the basement door is open. Marigold hears stairs creak, and a woman’s voice claims this is her house. Marigold screams and rouses the others, but by the time they get to the kitchen, the basement door is locked once again. Raquel hesitantly starts to ask if Marigold is using drugs again, but Marigold, furious, cuts her off.

The family attends a Sterling Foundation reception. Alec and Raquel remind Marigold to behave. Most attendees are white. When Mr. Sterling speaks about a new initiative, the “To the Future” Campaign, Sammy and Marigold realize his schematics of a new park, homes, and light rail will wipe out the entire Maplewood neighborhood. When the family arrives home, they see the house has been vandalized. Nothing appears to have been stolen, but some of Raquel’s, Sammy’s, and Marigold’s personal things are destroyed. Piper’s and Alec’s are fine. Alec blames the “thugs” who are their neighbors “with nothing better to do” (145). Raquel tells him he cannot understand their troubles as a white man. Marigold thinks Piper appears to think the situation is funny.