Bat and the Waiting Game

The narrative moves forward to the following Monday. At school, Bat and Israel research skunks’ diet. Israel is surprised that the animals eat a mixture of vegetables, protein, grains, and fruit, and Bat explains that skunks, like humans, are omnivores. They’re unable to find a list of skunks’ preferred vegetables, so Israel suggests that they survey their classmates about their favorites. Bat enjoys this scientific approach, and the boys prepare a survey that lists 10 vegetables, omitting lesser-known ones like yarrow and sloke.

Bat and Israel go to the office to make copies of their survey, and Principal Martinez offers to help them. Israel tells his friend that he should have thanked her, but Bat is absorbed in preparing the surveys. When the boys return to class, Mr. Grayson invites them to address their classmates. Having everyone’s attention on him makes Bat nervous and silent, as if “he had forgotten how to speak” (94). Israel explains their research project and asks each of his classmates to indicate their three favorite vegetables. Bat passes out the surveys, and he feels better when he thinks about the garden that they’ll make for Thor.

The class selects carrots, corn, and kale as their favorite vegetables, and Bat excitedly reports the survey results to his mother, sister, and Thor. Dr. Tam observes that the kit is old enough to begin eating solid food, and she soaks small pieces of toast in formula. Bat feels a mixture of pride and sadness as he watches the skunk eat because he knows this means the animal is “one step closer to being able to return to the wild—one step closer to not needing Bat anymore” (102). Dr. Tam says that babies have to grow up and strokes her son’s hair while he pets Thor.

The narrative moves ahead to Thursday. That afternoon, Tom drives Bat and Israel to a nursery so they can purchase seeds and fertilizer. They bring the supplies to Bat’s house, and the boy finds himself missing his sister because this is the first time he’s been home without her. The boys plant the seeds in a garden bed while Tom makes a sign that reads ‘Thor’s Garden.’ As they all admire their work, Bat looks forward to seeing the plants grow.

Three of Janie’s friends and fellow cast members in the school play come to the Tams for a sleepover. One of the guests asks if Bat has autism and mentions that she has a cousin who has autism. The girls’ happiness makes Bat feel downcast, although he’s unsure “what name to give the emotion he was feeling” (108). He goes to his room and looks into Thor’s enclosure, which contains a cat carrier that acts as the skunk’s sleeping place and dishes for food and water, which Bat carefully fills multiple times a day. However, Thor is currently napping, leaving Bat alone with his thoughts.

Dr. Tam checks on her son and asks him if he’s lonely when he suddenly tears up. She strokes his hair soothingly and suggests that he invite Israel over for a sleepover. Although Bat thinks that life often involves “lots of waiting and not knowing” (111), he is pleasantly surprised when Israel immediately agrees to come over.

Janie opens Bat’s door without knocking, which goes against the siblings’ rules. She invites her brother and Israel to play a game with her and her friends, and Israel readily agrees. Bat checks on the sleeping Thor before following them into the living room. He notices how the girls have moved the furniture around and made a mess. Janie introduces her friends Corinna, Maggie, and Frida. Israel says hello and elbows Bat to remind him to greet the girls.

Janie and her friends explain the rules of two truths and a lie, which neither of the boys has played before. When it’s Maggie’s turn, she says that she has 13 pets as one of her three statements, and Bat is thrilled to learn that she actually has 14—five chickens, two dogs, and seven fish. Even though lying makes Bat feel “uncomfortable and sort of itchy” (116), he agrees to play the game. Janie’s friends are amazed to learn that he really has a pet skunk, so he lets them pet Thor while he holds the kit. Afterwards, he lets Israel carry Thor back to his pen because it’s “what a good friend would do” (119).

After the girls and boys finish playing two truths and a lie, Janie wants Israel and Bat to leave. She insists that the boys won’t like the movie she picked out, even though she won’t tell them its title, which confuses Bat. Dr. Tam invites the boys to watch a movie in her room, but Bat wants to talk to Maggie about her pets. Israel suggests they go back to Bat’s room, and he reluctantly agrees. Once they’re alone, Israel explains that Janie was “ready to have her friends back to herself” (122). Bat asks why she didn’t just tell them to leave. Israel laughs, says that would have been rude, and does an impersonation of Janie bluntly dismissing them.

Filled with a sudden warm feeling, Bat tells Israel that he’s his best friend. This surprises the boy, who didn’t think Bat “liked [him] that much” because he seems more interested in talking with Cora and Tom on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons (125). Bat is shocked that Israel didn’t know how he felt about him and explains that he simply finds his parents interesting. His friend replies that he would find Bat interesting even if he didn’t have a pet skunk. The boys decide to try to teach Thor tricks.