The Lottery Rose

Georgie begins spending time with Old Eddie in the garden, helping him prune and fertilize. One day, while Mrs. Harper works with them in the garden, she compliments Georgie on his excellent work, but he ignores her. Old Eddie scolds Georgie for being rude and ungrateful to Mrs. Harper after all she’s done to help him. Feeling hurt and confused, Georgie goes to sit with the rosebush. He imagines the rosebush reprimanding him for his behavior. He calls Mrs. Harper “mean and ugly” but feels guilty for insulting Robin’s mother. This reminds him of how much he hates his mother, and he determines that all mothers are bad. He weaves a tale about Mrs. Harper being a fairy who stole Robin and cursed him, causing him to be mute and illiterate. Georgie feels as if, for the first time, his rosebush isn’t listening to him. Georgie is teaching Robin to say words and hopes he can also teach him to read. Still feeling the rosebush’s silence, Georgie sadly walks away.

Georgie tries to teach Robin to recognize his name, but Robin is wiggly and inattentive. He thinks Georgie is playing a game, crumples the paper, and yanks Georgie’s hair. Georgie is frustrated and dreams of swimming in the lake. He decides that he and Robin need a boat. Old Eddie says he isn’t angry with Georgie, and they begin working together again in the garden. Old Eddie says that Mrs. Harper deeply loved Paul and losing him and her husband caused her much grief. He hopes Georgie can understand, considering his past, and one day finds empathy and respect for her. Georgie returns to the rosebush to apologize and tells it that he hopes he can one day forgive Mrs. Harper.

A group of boys gather in Sister Mary Angela’s office to share with her what they’re learning. Timothy shares his science experiment while others share what they’ve been reading. When she asks Georgie about his reading, her request triggers painful memories of Miss Cressman’s class and his old classmates teasing him for loving flowers. Georgie knows he can safely share in this environment but struggles to find the words. Finally, he musters the courage to share about all the books he’s been reading and loving. Sister Mary Angela asks if any of the boys want to join the choir, and the next day, he and Timothy go for auditions. When Georgie sings, Sister Mary Angela proclaims he has “perfect pitch” (156). After auditions, Timothy and Georgie see Mrs. Harper, and Timothy invites her to the choir’s performance of a Bach chorale. Mrs. Harper admits she may not be ready to hear young boys sing but will consider bringing Robin. Again, Georgie feels sad that he can’t find forgiveness for her.

Georgie proudly dresses in his choir robe on the night of the performance. Mrs. Harper attends with Robin and brings flowers from her garden for the boys. Singing with the choir fills Georgie with joy, and he imagines that his rosebush is listening to the performance. Afterward, Georgie sees that Mrs. Harper is weeping. He hopes that she saw him in the choir in his distinguished robe. Later, Sister Mary Angela announces that Mrs. Harper will teach an acting class at the school so the boys can perform a play. Mr. Collier will write the play using selections from their favorite books, like Treasure Island, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and Alice in Wonderland. Having once attended a play, Georgie is desperate to be a part of the class and production, but he can’t get past his hatred for Mrs. Harper. Sister Mary Angela sees his distress, recognizing that his wheels are still stuck, reminding him, “It’s still cutting deeper and deeper and getting positively nowhere” (165). Georgie visits the rosebush to vent his frustration, vowing never to forgive Mrs. Harper or be a part of the play.

Georgie refuses to participate in drama class and the play production in any way, but he watches the practices every day and memorizes all the lines. One day, Mr. Collier overhears Georgie reciting the lines from his favorite part, the Mad Hatter’s tea party scene, in the tree house and commends him for his performance. Mr. Collier says that the tea party scene is also Mrs. Harper’s favorite because Paul once was in a production of Alice in Wonderland and played the Mad Hatter. Each time he practiced his lines, Paul found a way to include Robin in the performance. Mr. Collier is proud of his daughter for conducting the production despite how it reminds her of Paul. Georgie claims that he only memorized the lines to recite them for Robin, but inside, he feels empathy for Mrs. Harper for the first time. He begins wishing for something but can’t summon the words. Later, he dreams that he performs in the play with the rosebush, and Mrs. Harper praises his performance.

Timothy tells Georgie that Richie teased Kevin for wearing a dress to play Alice despite Mrs. Harper explaining that men played all the female parts in plays long ago. Kevin punched Richie and busted his lip, so Mrs. Harper removed him from the play. Richie doesn’t want to play Alice, so Mrs. Harper cancels the tea party scene. While watching the practices from the organ loft, Georgie confesses to Sister Mary Angela that he wishes he didn’t hate Mrs. Harper so he could be in the play. He wants to tell her in person but can’t summon the courage, so Sister Mary Angela agrees to talk to Mrs. Harper for him. The next day, Mr. Collier asks Georgie to play the part of the Mad Hatter, and he agrees wholeheartedly.

On the night of the production, Mrs. Harper surprises everyone by playing Alice’s role. As they exchange lines on stage, Georgie feels a shift in their relationship, and being on stage makes him feel like someone else entirely. After the performance, Georgie speaks to Mrs. Harper for the first time, saying he wished they could be on stage longer. Georgie rushes to see the rosebush and tells it all about the performance. Though he gushes about his success on stage, Georgie is happiest about making amends with Mrs. Harper and confesses that he wishes she was his mother. Georgie imagines the rosebush saying, “Maybe she is, Georgie” (184). From the garden, he watches Mr. Collier and Mrs. Harper return home and pledges to tell Mrs. Harper his feelings the next day.

This chapter is written from Robin’s perspective in the close third person. Robin awakens early on a Saturday, anxious to visit the lake and feed the ducks. Amanda doesn’t like getting up early and is agitated that Robin is awake and demanding her attention. Robin begs Rosita and Amanda to take him to feed the ducks, but they tell him to wait for Georgie to come. Rosita gives him bread to feed the birds in the yard and tells Amanda to keep an eye on him until Georgie arrives. Amanda falls asleep in the chair, and Robin explores on his own. He tries to feed the birds, but they are more interested in worms. Robin chases after a squirrel and is soon on the gravel path leading to the lake. He opens the gate and begins tossing the bread to the ducks; however, he can’t throw it as far as Georgie. The ducks hungrily swarm around him, startling Robin so much that he falls into the water and drowns.

Silence falls over the Harper home and the school, and the boys aren’t even allowed to play outside. People arrive from out of town to attend Robin’s funeral, and Mrs. Harper asks the boys’ choir to sing at the graveside. When the time comes, Georgie can’t sing the words as he feels his throat tightening with grief. During the service, he overhears people discussing Mrs. Harper’s sadness over losing two children and wondering if she will return to New York. He runs from the graveside, and a friend of the Harper family picks him up and takes him back to the school. Georgie decides to plant the rosebush on Robin’s grave. The rosebush has grown more robust and has deep roots, and it takes Georgie immense effort to dig it up. He sweats so much carrying it to the graveside that he removes his shirt and doesn’t worry about anyone seeing his back. Georgie works alone to dig the hole and wishes Mrs. Harper would come to him. Just then, she drives up and begs Georgie not to move his beloved rosebush, promising to buy him another. Georgie refuses, claiming that his rosebush is the only one Robin would have wanted. Through tears, she helps him dig the hole, and Georgie says he can do the rest alone. As they sit in the moonlight, Georgie tells Mrs. Harper that he often wonders if he was once her boy, and she says, “[Y]ou’re mine” (205). Mrs. Harper promises Georgie that Old Eddie will care for the rosebush in its new home. They leave together in Mrs. Harper’s car.