Driving
- Auggie falls asleep on the drive home from his friend's house.
- He has to sleep with his head on a towel because he drools when he sleeps; when he awakes, he can hear his parents softly discussing him again.
- Mom's position is that they can't keep protecting him, but Dad's is that sending him to middle school is like "sending a lamb to slaughter" (1.Driving.4).
- Auggie wants to know what's up with that expression, but no one tells him.
- He starts to cry at the thought of everyone staring at him.
- His parents want him to meet the principal.
- Apparently they've already met the principal, showed him family photos, toured the school, and had Auggie tested for admission—all without his knowledge.
- Auggie cries foul, and his parents admit they probably should have been more, uh, transparent about the process. Oops.
- But they very sincerely tell him how much they love him, want to protect him, and do what is best for him. They discuss all the reasons why Auggie should go to school (fractions and stuff), why he should go to this particular school (it's close by), and why he should start this year: lots of kids will also be new, he'll make lots of friends, and learn lots of stuff.
- When Auggie hears that the principal's name is Mr. Tushman, he and his dad crack up about it.
- They crack up even more when Auggie's dad tells him about Roberta "Bobbie" Butt, a professor he had in college. Auggie's dad is really funny.
- By the time Via wakes up, Auggie has come around to the idea of going to school.