Rules

Catherine describes the drive along the oceanside to the OT clinic. She likes to go with her mother when she takes David because she enjoys the trip, which she describes in loving detail. Catherine says, “At high tide, waves sparkle under the wooden bridges, and I can guess the tide before I even see the water, just by closing my eyes and breathing the air through the open car windows” (13). Catherine describes her love of drawing and the impact the art has upon her.

Once David goes with his therapist to her treatment room, Catherine asks her mother if the two of them can walk to the park, something they have not done in months. When her mother says it looks as if it will rain, Catherine asks if they can go shopping, something her mother again refuses—just in case Stephanie needs help with David.

Looking about the waiting room for something or someone to draw, Catherine focuses on Jason in his wheelchair. When he realizes Catherine is drawing his picture, he uses his word book to tell her to stop. Catherine is embarrassed when everyone looks at her and even more when Mrs. Morehouse says, “Just because he can’t talk, don’t assume he doesn't mind” (21). Catherine avoids looking at Jason afterward, instead drawing a picture of a house while he goes to his therapist’s office.

Mrs. Morehouse explains to the therapist that Jason is upset because he wanted to buy a guitar. As he is preparing to leave, Catherine takes the opportunity to tell Jason she is sorry he was not able to get the guitar because she likes music too. Once outside, Jason asks his mother to go back in and tell Catherine that he likes the picture of the house she has drawn, which she promptly tears out of her sketch book and gives him.

David is bothered by the noise of the rain on the car during their drive home. Catherine explains that sounds are amplified for David. When he sees Ryan on his bike, David calls out to him. Catherine tells David that Ryan is not his friend. Her mother corrects her, reminding Catherine that they want David to learn to interact with others. This bothers Catherine, who knows that Ryan mocks David and laughs at his expense. Catherine’s mom asks her to consider signing up for some of the youth-oriented community events the village is holding during the summer. Catherine thinks, “Why is it the minute kids have free time, parents want to fill it up” (32).

Catherine’s real interest is the arrival of Kristi, her new neighbor. Sitting on the front porch, Catherine hears her mother tell David to find Catherine. Just about the time her father is supposed to arrive from work, a minivan pulls into the driveway next door. Catherine watches as Kristi gets out and follows her mother into the house. As Catherine wrestles with whether it is too soon to go over and introduce herself, David begins to pester her, asking when their father, who is already late, will show up. Catherine worries that, if David loses his patience, he will start to scream, and Kristi will hear it. She tries to distract David by encouraging him to count the cars passing in front of their house. Just as David begins to scream, Kristi emerges from her front door. Calling across the yard, she asks Catherine—who is trying to hold David down—if she needs help. When Catherine says no, Kristi goes back into the house. Eventually Catherine calms David by reciting lines to him from his favorite book, Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel.

Catherine bakes cookies and takes them to Kristi’s house, only to find no one home. They return to the clinic for another appointment, and when Jason and his mother arrive at the clinic, he thanks Catherine for the gift of her drawing. He also asks if he can put her name in his communication book—an exchange that catches Catherine off guard. She confesses to being put off by Jason’s uncontrollable vocalizations, saying, “I know Jason can’t help it, but sometimes the sounds he makes are loud and creepy” (42).

Catherine also realizes Jason’s ability to communicate is confined to the words in his book. After illustrating the “Catherine” card in Jason’s book, Catherine takes seven blank cards from Mrs. Morehouse to create new entries for Jason’s book. Before he goes into his sign language session, Jason slyly taps a message to Catherine, establishing private communication between them for the first time.

Determining what seven new words to add to Jason’s book turns out to be a perplexing project for Catherine. Because she found the original words in his book boring, Catherine decides to spice up the book with illustrated, emotive words. The effort causes her to reflect on Jason and his desire to communicate.

As she is working on the cards, David comes into her room and quotes the rule, “No toys in the fish tank” (55). This is his way of telling her that he has just dropped a toy into the goldfish bowl, in this case one of her old Barbie dolls. As she is fishing the doll out of the tank, she sees Ryan talking to Kristi in her front yard. Ryan points out Catherine standing at the window and Kristi turns to wave. Catherine waves back, fearful of what Ryan is telling Kristi, and in the process, drops the Barbie doll back into the fishbowl. Water splashes onto David’s pants and, because he cannot stand being wet, he pulls his pants down around his ankles.

The first Saturday morning after Kristi moves next door, Catherine’s mother suggests that Catherine ask the new neighbors if they would like to come over for lunch. Catherine asks her mother if they can go to the mall for art supplies afterward since her colored pencil supply is running low. When her mother retorts that Catherine could earn the money for art supplies if she did more babysitting, Catherine forces herself not to point out that David can have whatever he wants just for the asking. She knows her mother would say, when it comes to David, “‘That’s different.’ She’s right. It is different and here’s how: Everyone expects a tiny bit from him and a huge lot from me” (61).

Catherine finds Kristi’s mother sitting in her front yard reading a book. Mrs. Peterson tells Catherine that Kristi is spending the weekend with her father. Before Catherine asks Mrs. Peterson to come to lunch, David erupts with screams, as he runs in terror from a bee. Catherine’s mom dashes out of the house to hold and comfort David, while her dad turns away. Her parents begin to argue about how to treat David as Mrs. Peterson hides behind her book and Catherine walks past her family into her house.

Back at the clinic, Catherine indicates that she wants to go on a walk to the park with her mother while David is in his session. Her mother says they will go on a walk if David does well, and Catherine knows this is a non-answer. In addition to the new words for Jason’s communication book, Catherine brings her CD player and places the headphones on Jason’s ears. She is startled by the feeling of his hair brushing against her fingers. As she inserts the cards into his communication book, she shares a running dialogue about why each word is chosen and what it means to her. Catherine is stunned a second time when Jason uses his book to tell her she is his friend, that she affirms, even though she mentally adds the disclaimer that they are merely friends at the clinic and not perpetual friends.

As their discussion continues, Catherine finds out that Jason has an older brother. Catherine tells Jason about her guinea pigs. She makes him laugh when she describes the pigs eating the cover off a library book. The speech therapist comes to take Jason back for his language session, interrupting their conversation.