Character Analysis
Mom Botts is a little powerhouse.
Seriously, Leigh tells us that she's "so little compared to most moms, and she works so hard" (30.4). She puts in long hours at her catering job and she's taking college classes to become a nurse, all so she can provide for herself and her son. Leigh tells us she's a great cook; he just wishes she was home more to cook for him.
Just Mom
Bonnie is more or less a single mom since her divorce from Leigh's dad. He's not in the picture much, and Mom realizes it's her job to help Leigh deal with all the changes in his life. Even though the divorce has left her struggling financially, she never badmouths Leigh's dad; she knows that won't help anything.
Whatever his mom's feelings are—and we're sure she has a ton of hard feelings about his dad—she doesn't burden Leigh with them. She knows that, in spite of the disappointments, Leigh loves his dad, and she's not going to ruin that for him. She even defends Dad at times, telling Leigh how being a trucker can be a very hard life, and sometimes he just forgets to call.
It probably hurts Mom a lot to see him get so sad waiting for the phone calls that never come and watch him worry about whether Dad will remember to get him a Christmas present. But rather than pile it on Dad, she tries to reassure Leigh that it has nothing to do with him; it's just the way his dad is. We'd guess she also feels a little guilty about leaving Leigh home alone so much, and she tries hard to really listen to him when he's hurting.
Being a single parent is just plain hard.
Responsible Mom
Bonnie believes in working hard and keeping your promises, and she's raising Leigh to be the same. We'd say she's succeeded—he's a great kid.
Mom loves stability. She goes to work and school every day even though she gets really tired. She got tired of living in a mobile home, and she's happy about their new house in Pacific Grove even though it's tiny:
Mom says at least it keeps the rain off, and it can't be hauled away on a flatbed truck. (13.2)
That line refers to the lifestyle with Dad that his mom couldn't handle. As we'll talk about in "Bill Botts (Dad)," Dad was a ramblin' guy. He loved moving from place to place, and even after Leigh came along, he wasn't at home much. Mom got tired of life on the road and partying at truck stops. She changed, but his dad didn't. She's glad to have a regular, non-movable house, no matter how small.
Bonnie isn't a super-strict mom, but she has the same responsible expectations of Leigh that she has for herself. That's why when she sees the 10 questions that Mr. Henshaw asked Leigh to answer, she refuses to fix the TV unless Leigh writes back to Mr. H. with the answers:
Mom found your letter and your list of questions which I was dumb enough to leave lying around. We had a big argument. She says I have to answer your questions because authors are working people like anyone else, and if you took time to answer my questions, I should answer yours. She says I can't go through life expecting everyone to do everything for me. She used to say the same thing to Dad when he left his socks on the floor. (9.1)
Leigh complains like crazy at the time, but making him answer those questions turns out to be the best thing that's happened to him in a long time. Mom knows Leigh wants to be a writer, and she's not going to let this awesome opportunity slip away. While Leigh just sees it as a ton of work, his mom sees the long-term benefit. We're really glad she does; otherwise, no book.
Big Love
For all his complaining about her, Leigh knows his mom is there for him when he needs her most. She's sacrificed a lot to make life a little easier for Leigh after the move:
I have a room of my own, but Mom sleeps on a couch in the living room. She fixed the place up real nice with things from the thrift shop down the street. (13.2)
Do you know how to spell "sleeping on the couch so your son can have the bedroom"? L-O-V-E.
Mom is the constant in Leigh's life. She's always there for Leigh when he wants to talk, like when he asks, "How come you don't get married again" (28.4)? Some moms might want to avoid that question, but not Leigh's mom.
She explains how it's hard to find someone and says, "I guess I'm really afraid I might find another man who's in love with a truck" (28.11). She's very matter of fact when she talks to her son. She doesn't lie to him, talk down to him, get embarrassed, or put him off. She trusts and respects Leigh enough to leave him home by himself when she's at work or school. That's why she gives him the bedroom:
Barry saw the sign on my door that said KEEP OUT MOM THAT MEANS YOU. He asked if my Mom really stays out of my room. I said, "Sure, if I keep my things picked up." Mom is not a snoop. (55.5)
Mom knows how important trust will be if they're going to build a life together without Dad around.
Lean on Me
For a small woman, Mom's got big shoulders for Leigh to cry on. Leigh knows that things aren't easy for her, like when he wonders if she's sad and lonely on Christmas or worries about her working too hard. But when things get just too awful, his mom seems to know just what to do. Remember that terrible phone call, when Leigh found out that his dad lost Bandit and then he heard another boy's voice talking to Dad?
She came to the door of my room and said, "Hi, Leigh." I tried to look away, but she came closer in the dim light and said, "What's the matter, Leigh?"
"Nothing," I said, but she knew better. She sat down and put her arm around me.
I tried hard not to cry, but I couldn't help it. "Dad lost Bandit," I finally managed to say.
"Oh, Leigh," she said, and I blubbered out the whole story, pizza and all.
We just sat there awhile, and then I said, "Why did you have to go and marry him?" (39.5-8)
Mom then gives Leigh a long, serious, and loving answer. She loved his dad; that's why she married him. They traveled everywhere and had lots of fun. Eventually, she got tired of that life, but his dad didn't really want to settle down, even after Leigh was born:
"I didn't think playing pinball machines in a tavern on Saturday night was fun anymore. Maybe I grew up and your father didn't. […] Your Dad has many good qualities. We just married too young, and he loves the excitement of life on the road, and I don't." (39.13, 14)
Leigh understands. He feels better.
Mom, being the cool person she is, probably understood that Leigh felt a little responsible for his family's problems. After this talk, he knows that it wasn't his fault. Plus, his mom takes him to the ocean to watch the waves and eat fried chicken and mashed potatoes with gravy. That can solve just about any problem, in our book.
What Does Mom Want?
We're pretty sure we know what Mom wants for Leigh. She wants him to make friends, to fulfill his dream of being a writer, to have a relationship with his dad, and to be happy. Mom's dreams for herself aren't all that different. She invites some other moms over to the house (while Leigh is stuck in his room with their babies) to make some new friends; she goes back to school so she can have a better life as a nurse. She works to have some kind of communication with Leigh's dad. (Do you really think it was Dad who picked out that perfect Christmas jacket in just the right size?)
One thing Mom doesn't want? To get back together with Dad. When Dad comes over to the house at the end of the story, he test drives the idea of getting back together. Leigh is in the room with them, listening to the discussion. Mom knows Leigh wants nothing more than to have his dad back home. And she still cares very much for Dad. Maybe she even still loves him—she won't answer Leigh when he asks her about it. But here's how it goes down:
"Bonnie, is there any chance—" Dad began.
"No," said Mom in a sad, soft voice.
"Why not?" asked Dad.
"Too many days and nights not knowing where you were, too much waiting for you to call because you were whooping it up at some truck stop," said Mom. "Too many boring Saturday nights in some noisy tavern. Too many broken promises. Things like that." (60.34-37)
Mom knows that having such an unreliable husband isn't good for her or for Leigh. She hasn't seen any real change in him since the divorce, so she figures he hasn't learned any lessons about responsibility. She stands her ground.
Mom is a rock for Leigh during his difficult sixth-grade year. We can all use a powerhouse like her in our corner.