Hope's Boy 5

Hope's mental health has deteriorated to the point where she has been institutionalized. This leaves Andy without a guardian so he is put into a facility until a foster home can be located. His days in the foster home were not easy. He realized that some wounds on the other boys could only be made by adults but he knew speaking up would result in adverse consequences. When a foster home is found, his living condition has not improved very much. The boy he is sharing a room with is very angry with his presence and Andy realizes this when , "He locked his amber eyes on me in that way that an older boy silently tells a younger one, Don't look for fairness from me"(Bridge 129). The older boy is obviously agitated by Andy's presence and he is venting his anger at Andy. He is now living in a house with strangers and sharing a room with a boy four years older than him that is not pleased with his arrival. Andy is terrified and doesn't know what to do. When the man of the house,Mr.Leonard, arrives he meets Andy and, "He would tolerate me in the house, but I should expect nothing more. I would be his wife's concern"(Bridge 130). Andy has lacked a father figure in his whole life and now that he's in a household with a father he is completely ignored. Everybody in the house either really dislikes him or is indifferent about his presence. This is obviously not good for a little boy's self-esteem. He is not accepted by anybody. Even though he has left the facility his living conditions have not really improved a great amount.
When he starts school again the lack of paperwork makes his admission very difficult. However he is able to be admitted after an argument between Mrs.Leonard and the secretary in the office. By the time Andy was admitted it was time for recess so he walked out to the playgrounfd alone and sat down. When the other children asked him questions he tells a lot of lies to avoid embarrassment and, "I denied my mother and put the Leonards in her place. I have forgotten the details of what I said, though I must have claimed the Leonards' daughter Becky and son Christopher as my siblings"(Bridge 134). He is unable to tell the truth to any of the kids, so he makes up a lot of lies to avoid being singled out. He doesn't want to be wierd or be different. He just wants to fit in with everyone else and he resorts to lies. When it was time for lunch he didn't eat at first but, "Later, I would learn to watch the lunch line dwindle before rushing to the window just before it closed,avoiding humiliation but also eating"(Bridge 135). He thought that using a ticket for a free lunch would make him stand out from the other children. That's why he would wait until everyone else went before he got his lunch. He doesn't want to be the one different kid at school but his life is different from the other children's lives and he is trying to hide it.Andy is not living in the most caring home and he has to do a lot of things to avoid people finding out about his life.