The Lost Boy

During the next few weeks, David spends as much time as possible riding his bike outside and reveling in his newfound freedom and happiness. One day, Larry Jr. is picking on David for being a “Momma’s boy” and grabs his arm and twists it. Chris, a foster child with cerebral palsy, tells Larry to let him go. Larry Jr. calls Chris a “retard” and raises his arm to strike him. David starts to yell at Larry: “Just because you’re older and bigger…that doesn’t give you the right to treat us that way, does it? How would you like it if someone picked on you?” (116). Larry pushes David into the countertop and then storms out of the kitchen. On his way out, he yells, “Both of you, stay the hell outta my way […] [y]ou pair of freaks!” (118). David then apologizes to Chris for antagonizing Larry. Chris says that he often gets picked on for being “different” and explains that his parents abandoned him after they found out he had cerebral palsy. These days, he is often anxious because he is almost eighteen and will not be able to stay in foster care once he is a legal adult. David tries to comfort him, but Chris’s story makes him wonder what David himself will do when he turns eighteen.

A few days later, Lilian takes David to meet with a psychiatrist. David feels uncomfortable with the psychiatrist, who scolds him for asking too many questions and continually refers to him as “Daniel.” At the second session, David becomes very worked up when the psychiatrist asks him specific questions about his mother’s abusive behaviors. When the psychiatrist asks about the time when his mother burned him on the gas stove, David suddenly feels as if his arm is on fire and begins to scream. When he leaves the session, he is very upset and tells Lilian that he cannot go back to the psychiatrist. Not long after, David goes on an adventure with Big Larry, where they end up biking through David’s old neighborhood and past his old house. David persuades Big Larry to bike past his old house. As they are passing the house, David sees two of his brothers looking through a window. When they get home, Lilian yells at them and tells them David’s mother called her to “rant and rave” about how David was “terrorizing the streets” (142). Lilian explains that David is not allowed to go near his old house and that his mother has threatened to have him taken away from the Catanzes if they cannot “manage” him (143). The next day, David’s father is supposed to visit him at the Catanzes’ house, but he never shows up. When Rudy says that he doesn’t think David’s father is coming, David lashes out and hits Rudy. As he runs out of the room, he hears Rudy whisper to Lilian, “I think we have a serious problem” (149).

Around the time that he starts sixth grade, David begins to steal candy and toys from the grocery store to impress the other kids at school. One day, a boy named Johnny Jones challenges David to steal a “B-17 Flying Fortress model airplane” (155). David escapes the store with the model only to discover that Johnny has set him up and brought his father, the store’s manager, to confront David. Mr. Jones tells David that Johnny has told him about his stealing and calls his foster parents. When he gets home, Lilian and Rudy lecture David about his stealing. Even though he is grounded, he goes out on his bike that weekend while Rudy and Lilian are away. He rides past his mother’s house and spends the night in the movie theater. He spends all day in the theater and then goes to a nearby Denny’s restaurant where the manager notices him looking hungrily at the food. The manager persuades David to give him the Catanzes’ phone number, and Rudy comes to pick him up. Rudy tells him that he needs to “shape up” or he will have to go to the county juvenile hall (164). The next day, Ms. Gold comes to meet with David. She tells him that everything he is feeling is normal after what he has suffered but that he needs to improve his behavior if he wants to stay with Lilian and Rudy.

At school, David starts getting picked on for being a foster child. A classmate named John sees what is happening to David and befriends him. John tells David that he knows what it is like to be picked on because his father used to beat his mother. John introduces David to his friends and tells them that David is going to join their gang after he flattens the car tires of the teacher, Mr. Smith. When David hesitates, John says, “you wanted to be my friend and join my gang, didn’t you?” (173). David gives in and punctures one of the tires, but he gets too scared to finish the job and runs away. The next day, John and his gang taunt him and try to get him to fight. David decides to make it up to John by giving him a carton of cigarettes that he has stolen. John tells him he can be his friend again if he helps him burn down Mr. Smith’s classroom. David is terrified but agrees to be the “lookout.” A few days later, David meets John after school and discovers that John has already started the fire, which has gotten out of control. John says that they need to get out of the school, but David stays behind to put out the fire and get help. He runs away just as the fire trucks begin to arrive. The next day, David is accused of starting the fire; his burned hands are clear evidence that he was involved. The principal tells him to wait in the office until the police arrive, but he runs off to find John and beg him to confess to starting the fire. John promises to tell the principal the truth, but he ends up claiming it was all David’s idea. Rudy is furious when David returns home after staying away for two days and tells him that he will have to take him to Hillcrest, the San Mateo County Juvenile Hall.