Auggie & Me

It’s years later, and Christopher hasn’t lived near Auggie for over three years. Christopher wakes up and finds himself thinking of Auggie. His mother struggles to wake him. As Christopher begrudgingly gets up, he asks what happened the night before. His mother tells him that Daisy, the Pullman’s dog, passed away.

Christopher reflects on the day when the Pullmans first got Daisy. On a normal day at the Pullman household, Mr. Pullman, Nate, arrives with a yellow dog. Lourdes, Christopher’s nanny, is hesitant to let him touch the dog, saying that the dog lived on the street. Nate insists that the dog is healthy. He tells Isabel that “she was destined for us” (107). Via and Auggie convince their mother to let them keep the dog. Christopher suggests they name the dog “Darth Maul” (109). When Via wants to name the dog Daisy, they compromise and name her Darth Daisy.

Christopher’s mother explains that Daisy had to be put to sleep. As Christopher lays in bed, one of the glow-in-the-dark stars on his ceiling falls on him. He reminds his mother that she never fixed them, calling her “Lisa,” which she doesn’t like. He sarcastically thanks her for waking him up with sad news. She says that she wasn’t going to tell him until the afternoon since he would be upset. Christopher bristles, insisting, “I’m not going to start crying” (112). When his mother asks him if he will call Auggie, Christopher brushes it off and asks her to close the door behind her, annoyed as another star falls on his face. The stars remind him of when they first moved into their house. Christopher’s parents promised that they would get a dog, but they only got a hamster. As Christopher thinks of what he needs to do that day, he decides not to call Auggie.

Christopher again reflects on growing up with Auggie. When they were young, they spent all their time with Zack and Alex. This stops around the time they are in kindergarten. Zack and Alex go to a different kindergarten and their new friends don’t like Auggie. Zack and Alex tell Christopher that they friends are “scared” (115). Christopher cannot understand why this would make Zack and Alex spend less time with Auggie, since they personally weren’t afraid of Auggie. He realizes that it is hard to mix friend groups. Christopher hangs out with Auggie and his friend Hudson, who also has craniofacial differences. When people see Auggie and then Hudson with facial differences, Christopher feels like they are looking to see what is “wrong” with him too. He asks to have a playdate with Zack and Alex the next day, feeling relieved when “No one stared at us” (116). Christopher realizes that being friends with Auggie isn’t always easy.

Back in the present, Christopher is getting ready for school. He is forgetful and regularly struggles while preparing for the day. When he and his mother arrive at school, he realizes that he has forgotten his science paper, gym shorts, and trombone. His mother says it’s too late, so she will need to go home to retrieve them. Christopher anxiously reminds his mother to hurry since his science teacher will deduct points if his paper is late. After bickering a bit, his mother drops him off. When she says, “Love you!” he replies, “Bye, Lisa” (119).

It’s time for science class and Christopher’s mom still hasn’t returned with his things. Christopher’s science teacher says that this is the fourth time in the semester that Christopher has forgotten an assignment and she will have to deduct part of the grade.

Christopher’s music teacher, Mrs. Wren, is annoyed with him for forgetting his trombone, which he was supposed to lend to another student, Katy McAnn. As a penalty, Christopher must sit and watch the rest of the orchestra practice. Wondering where his mother could be, Christopher realizes that she must be with the Pullmans, since Daisy just died. After practice, Katy McAnn is upset that she cannot practice on Christopher’s trombone and calls him a “moron.”

Christopher remembers Auggie’s fifth birthday, when someone gave him an astronaut helmet. Auggie wears it every day. This begins Auggie and Christopher’s “space phase,” when the two of them become obsessed with anything to do with space. For Christopher’s sixth birthday, he plans a birthday party at the planetarium. At the last minute, Auggie is rushed to the hospital. Christopher’s mother agrees to take Via to her party on that same day, reassuring Christopher that she won’t be late. She says it’s the right thing to do, since “good friendships are worth the extra effort” (126). She ends up being so late that she misses the space show and Christopher is furious.

Christopher’s narrative returns to the present, where his mother still has not arrived at school. When gym comes around, Christopher still doesn’t have his shorts. He watches as everyone else participates. He hasn’t studied for math, even though he has a test the next day. While Christopher should stay to ask his teacher for help, he rushes to band practice. Christopher plays electric guitar in the after-school band. Christopher and the other fourth grader, John, are not welcomed by the band’s older members, especially when their adviser, Mr. Bowls, tries to make them included. One of the older students, Elijah, wants them to play “Seven Nation Army” for the spring concert. John admits he hasn’t heard the song, which makes Christopher feel embarrassed. John is upset when the older boys want to change songs, since everyone has been practicing “The Final Countdown.” When Christopher’s mother still hasn’t called or texted him, he decides to call her and see where she is.

Christopher’s dad arrives, explaining that Lisa was in a small car accident while she was driving that morning. He assures Christopher that she is fine, but that she broke her leg and is in the hospital. Christopher asks if the person who called his father knew that his parents were getting a divorce. They drive to pick up his mom from the hospital, which upsets Christopher, who hates hospitals.

Christopher remembers the only other time that he went to the hospital, when he was about six years old. Auggie had surgery to remove his trach tube so that he could breathe on his own. Christopher is excited to visit Auggie. He buys a Star Wars Lego set for Auggie and an Ewok plushie for himself. At the hospital, Christopher’s mother warns him that there will be other children with facial surgeries and tells him not to stare. Christopher sees another child who has a red hole underneath his nose. Via explains that the other boy traveled from Bangladesh for a cleft lip and palate surgery. When Christopher looks over at the boy’s face, he vomits on the floor. Christopher cries, trying to explain that he isn’t upset by Auggie. As Christopher and his mother walk outside, he pauses and asks his mother to bring the Ewok plushie back to the little boy. When she returns, she says “you made his day” (142).

Christopher and his father arrive at the hospital as his mother is discharged. When Christopher tells her that his band is learning “Seven Nation Army,” she says that she remembers them playing the song at a pub when she and Christopher’s dad were in college. When she asks if Christopher ended up calling Auggie, he groans. Christopher asks his mom if she got in the accident on her way home or back to school. His Dad cuts Christopher off, saying that “today could have been so much worse” (147). Christopher shivers up his spine when he realizes what this means.