House Arrest

James gives Timothy a milkshake. Mrs. Bainbridge expresses disappointment with him for punching a wall, but Timothy recognizes that she feels compassion for him. He is not allowed anywhere near Mary. He spends time at José’s house, where the chaos makes Timothy feel calm. José and his father continue to work on the car.

Mary calls in sick on a day when Annie is working. Timothy spends the day with Levi alone, and Levi signs “music” for the first time (145). Timothy puts on music and dances around the room with the baby. A woman from Child Protective Services (CPS), Carla Ramirez, visits the house just as Levi has a choking attack. She attempts to question Timothy but is distracted by Levi’s alarms. Annie arrives home to find Ms. Ramirez there.

At his next visit with Mrs. Bainbridge, Timothy accuses her of calling CPS. He yells and throws one of her plants against the wall. Annie rushes into the room, and Mrs. Bainbridge informs her and Timothy that she was not the one who called CPS. Annie leaves, and Mrs. Bainbridge and Timothy stare at each other. He uses her breathing and counting techniques, and she offers him the use of her computer. He apologizes to Mrs. Bainbridge and composes another email to Dr. Sawyer. Timothy worries that Dr. Sawyer will think his family is too crazy to help. He knows they will need money for the doctor and considers the Carnival of Giving again.

He finds his father’s flip-flops beside his bed and throws them in the trash. He prefers to wear “too-small shoes and too-hot socks” than to wear his father’s cast-offs (153).

Timothy writes an apology letter to Mrs. Bainbridge for smashing her plant and promises to do better. Timothy cannot believe his mother would send Levi—“the real heart of the family”—away (155). Timothy will not believe that his mother could do what his father did and “leave the heart of the family behind” (155).

Timothy overhears Mary saying to Levi, “Don’t be naughty, you little brat” (155). He tells his mother that Mary is mean to Levi, and she tells him not to exaggerate. Timothy wants her to pay closer attention. His mother promises to fire Mary if she catches her being mean to Levi.

James takes Timothy to buy a replacement plant for Mrs. Bainbridge. It has purple flowers because Timothy surmises, “[b]ased on her clothes/and her smell,” that she likes purple (158). Mrs. Bainbridge loves the plant and praises James. Timothy admits to catching himself thinking about “how many wallets/this or that equals” (160).

Carla Ramirez closes the investigation, concluding that “there is no medical neglect” (161). However, she stipulates that Levi cannot be left with Timothy unsupervised and Timothy cannot be with just Levi and Mary. When his mother is not home, Timothy goes to José’s house. Watching José work on the car with his father, Timothy wonders “what Mary and Levi are doing” (162).

James takes Timothy to the batting cages. Mrs. Bainbridge asks Timothy what he needs, and he replies, to have “a time machine” so he can never ask for more nursing hours, to bring back Marisol, and to talk to his father on the rainy night he disappeared (164). Timothy writes another email to Dr. Sawyer. He cannot stop thinking about Carla Ramirez’s suggestion that Levi go into a facility “until you get back on your feet” (165).

Amid the chaos at José’s house, Timothy worries about Levi being home alone with Mary and not being able to hear what she is saying to him. He sneaks out to the garage, “the only quiet place” where his “mind can hear itself” (167). Isa is curled up in the car reading a book. Timothy slides into the driver’s seat and rests his head against the steering wheel. Isa puts her hand on the back of his neck, and they sit quietly together.

James wants Timothy to find out if Mrs. Bainbridge is married. When Timothy wears his jeans in the summer heat, Mrs. Bainbridge makes him change out of them, then cuts off the legs to make shorts. Timothy tells her they were José’s jeans. At first, she stops smiling, but when Timothy smiles, the two of them laugh together. Timothy writes another email to Dr. Sawyer.

He finds his mother hunched over a table strewn with papers, a calculator, Carla Ramirez’s card, and the facility’s brochure. She cannot look at Timothy or Levi in his arms. She shouts, “DON’T,” then runs crying from the room (172). Levi repeatedly signs, “Mama sad” until Timothy covers his hands and agrees (173). Timothy again thinks about speaking with the Carnival of Giving people.

Timothy tells James that Mrs. Bainbridge does not wear any rings on her wedding finger but points out that Annie wears two rings on hers. Mrs. Bainbridge tells Timothy that we don’t always know why people “do the things they do,” but we continue to love them even when we’re angry at them (174). She gives him a “frown-smile” that makes Timothy want “to just cry my eyes out” (175). Timothy hears his mother on the phone saying “Can’t/Don’t/Stop/No/NO” and is too afraid to ask who she is speaking to (177).

When supplies arrive at Timothy’s house, Mary sorts through them, shaking her head. Levi tries to grab some tubing, and she snatches it out of his hand. Timothy questions her, and she reminds him he is not allowed to be in the same room with her, then smiles.

Sitting in Mr. Jimenez’s car, Isa explains to Timothy the two pedals (clutch and brake). José yells at them when he catches them in the car. Timothy is concerned it is not the car that José is upset about.

Mrs. Bainbridge worries about Timothy because of his mother’s mystery phone call. He continues to fret about Mary. Timothy writes that he and Isa “can have a whole conversation” just with their eyes (205). He fears that admitting he likes Isa will make José angry.

Timothy tells James that he hates Mary for wanting to break up his family. Timothy acknowledges to Mrs. Bainbridge that “hate is a strong word,” but he is only “sort of sorry” he said it (181). He makes a list of things he dislikes: Mary, Dr. Sawyer (unless he writes back), José’s expression when Timothy smiles at Isa, “[m]essed up tracheas,” and his father (181).

Carla Ramirez stops by the house to express how pleased she is that Annie is considering the facility. Timothy feels the urge to assault Mary and Carla Ramirez but does not. He points out to Mrs. Bainbridge that he is “learning to control my outbursts” (183). Annie tells Timothy they could visit Levi any time and even stay with him. He begs his mother not to send Levi to strangers, saying it would kill “[e]verything inside” Levi (184). Annie fears she is killing Levi by keeping him home. She fears for him all the time. Her fear makes Timothy afraid.

Timothy considers telling his mother about Dr. Sawyer and the Carnival of Giving. He wonders if “it’s time for a Hail Mary pass” (185).

He suggests Mary quit if she hates dealing with Levi. She asks him why he would think that, and he says he has seen her roll her eyes, sigh, and groan when she changes Levi’s diaper. She replies that she does not know what he means, and he rolls his eyes. When Mary calls in sick, Timothy is happy to spend the day with his mother and Levi, even though they will be spending the day with doctors and therapists. The doctors’ “wait-and-see approach” frustrates Timothy (188). The doctors want to reassess Levi when he is three years old, but Timothy cannot imagine waiting that long.

Timothy discovers Annie already knows about Cincinnati, but they do not have the money to go. Annie says the Carnival of Giving is for “other people” (190). In her stack of papers, Timothy sees that she has “filled out the form for the facility” (190). Later, sitting in Mr. Jimenez’s car with José, Timothy wishes he were sitting quietly with Isa instead of listening to José tell him about the car.

Levi’s medical supplies come to the house, and Timothy begins unpacking them. Mary tells him to stop, since they will be sending the supplies back. He asks why, and she makes a “frown-smile,” telling him he knows why (192). If Levi is sent to the facility, they will not need the supplies. Timothy unpacks “every/last/box” (192).

Timothy tells his mother he will not let her send Levi away, and she grabs his arm so hard she leaves a bruise. She tells him she does not want to do it, but each day she must choose “which, of a million terrible choices,/is the least terrible” (193). She cries, and Timothy wonders if his mother is “shrinking” or he is “growing” (193).

Timothy turns 13. In the past, he thought being 13 would be “awesome,” but now it “seems stupid,” since it does not change the fact that no one listens “to anything you say” (194). James and Mrs. Bainbridge arrange a birthday party for Timothy at James’ office. He sees how James looks at Mrs. Bainbridge and tells James that she is “way out of your league” (194). Timothy is happy that Mrs. Bainbridge got to meet Levi.

At home, Timothy hears Mary calling Levi a “[b]ad boy” and runs downstairs to confront her (194, italics in original). The avocado she has been trying to feed Levi is everywhere. Levi plugs his tracheotomy hole with a “grimy, smeary, green finger” and says “MA MA MA MA MA MA” (196). Thrilled to hear Levi speaking for the first time, Timothy hugs him. Mary calls Levi “a bad, yucky, dangerous brat” (196). Just then, Timothy notices Annie standing in the doorway. She tells Mary she is fired. Later, Timothy sees the facility form torn up into little pieces in the trash.

He hears his mother on the phone saying, “He won’t talk to you” (198). The next day, he uses caller ID to phone the number back. His father answers, and Timothy drops the phone as “if it were on fire” (199).