A House is not a Home Summary
This story is related to the author's experiences after joining a new high school. All his friends have gone to a different school and he feels very isolated between new students and teachers. She often visits teachers at her old school and they encourage her to participate in activities at her new school. They assure him that over time he will fall in love with his new school.
Shortly thereafter, on a Sunday afternoon, the writer is sitting at the dining table, doing her homework. Since it is a cold and windy day, a fire breaks out in the chimney. The author's red tabby cat is lying on top of her school papers. The reader is informed that the author rescued the cat when he was a kitten and they have been closely related ever since. Suddenly, the writer smells something strange: She looks up to the ceiling to see smoke coming out of her seam. This quickly fills the room and they rush out of the house to find that the fire has taken over the roof. While the writer rushes to the neighborhood house to call the fire department, his mother returns to the house.
The writer's mother returns with a metal box containing important documents and then goes back inside. The writer knows that she has gone to collect pictures of her father who passed away when he was young. She knows that the photos are all that her mother has left. The writer tries to run into the house after her mother, but is stopped by a fire worker - by this time, the street is filled with fire trucks. She tells him that her mother is in the house and she assures him that other firemen have gone into the house to rescue her. He wraps her in a blanket and sets her in a car.
Soon, a fireman emerges with the writer's mother. The writer is relaxed and goes to his mother and hugs her. She feels that the joy of that moment is over all the time arguing with and hating her mother.
It takes five hours to extinguish the fire and the house is almost completely destroyed. At this time, the author remembers her cat and realizes that it is nowhere to be found. She is overwhelmed by a sense of loss: from her old school, her friends, her old teachers, her home and now, her cat. Although she does not want to know what happened to her cat, the fireman declares that it is not safe to go into the house. Thus, with the clothes they wear and the blankets given by the firemen, the writer and his mother make their way to their grandparents' house to spend the night.
The next day, the writer's mother forces him to go to school. The writer does not want to leave because she is too embarrassed: she still wore the dress she wore the day before and had to borrow tennis shoes from her aunt. He has lost his books, his homework and his bag in the fire. She feels very complacent because she knows that instead of this blending, the incident will hit her throat like a sore throat. At school, she feels lost and completely out.
She goes to her old house after school and longs to see that only the pictures and documents saved by her mother survived the fire. Once again she is craving for her cat. However, there is no time for grief, as they need to find a new home and buy new clothes for school. Eventually, they rent an apartment near their old house. The author visits her old house in hopes of finding her cat. She misses her cat a lot and remembers the time they spent together.
The writer learns that everyone in his school has come to know of the fire. She feels embarrassed by the attention given to her by the people. The next day, people gather around the author and ask him to hurry up and go to gym class. She finds it strange, but upon arriving at the gym, she sees that a table has been set up with school supplies, notebooks and clothes and that it is all for her. Strangers introduce themselves to him and also invite him to their homes. This heartfelt gesture touches his heart and he finally hopes for her situation. Finally, she makes new friends.
A month later, the author is on the site of his old house with his two new friends, seeing his house being rebuilt. She realizes that due to the fire incident, she was able to break through her insecurities and embrace the amazing things and people around her. He realizes that just like the house, his life is also being rebuilt.
At that moment, a woman approaches the writer, holding her lost cat. The writer leaps with joy and takes the cat in his arms. She learns that her cat was so scared by the fire that he ran a mile away. Although the owner's phone number was on the cat's collar, the phone was destroyed in the fire. Such a woman took the cat inside and also attempted to locate its original owners.
When the writer sits with her friends and reflects on everything that has happened, she realizes that the feelings of loss and tragedy that she was struggling are beginning to subside. Instead, she feels a sense of gratitude for all the blessings she has received: her life, her new friends, the kindness of a stranger and the anguish of her cat. She feels that like her cat, she too has found her way.
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