Summary

In Chapter 10, the family hosts Hoyt, one of the father's colleagues. Hoyt is their first ever visitor in Gavin’s memory. He calls their father “Suey,” and is very friendly with the family (99). Natty takes a liking to him. He and his father speak about work – something about a well, and a child, and a specific type of pump.

As the father and Hoyt go outside to talk about a fence, the children begin baking cookies for Hoyt. Pei-Pei bickers with her mother about the type of sugar they bought. When the mother looks at the time, she runs to the phone to call her parents, but she missed them. She says she will have to try and call back the following month. After she hangs up, Pei-Pei realizes that the books the children had put in the oven while cleaning for Hoyt’s...