Missing Giver Chapter 38 and 39

Chapter Thirty-Eight

• Max's parents are gazing out at the garden through the living room window, and the garden is well-kept.
• Max confirms the note was about Ahmed helping with the garden.
• Max mentions that the note also served to let Inspector Fontaine know that Max had given Ahmed a key.
• Claire stares at Max intently, attempting to figure out the scheme.
• Max tells his parents Ahmed was looking for some work.
• Max's father questions "Ahmed?", and his mother inquires how Ahmed got into the garden.
• Max replies that he gave Ahmed a key.
• His mother is shocked that he would give a stranger a key to the house.
• Max explains Ahmed is in his class.
• Max imagines telling his mother that Ahmed lives in their basement.
• Max realizes is no way he could ever tell his mother this, and he turns to his dad, hoping for a better reaction.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

• Every morning Ahmed left for school early to avoid Inspector Fontaine.
• Even after Max's family returned from vacation, Ahmed was still changing his route.
• In the early hours of the morning, Ahmed investigated other routes, and found LeClerq's yard was the quickest and safest.
• Ahmed worries Inspector Fontaine wont believe that he is a gardener in the early morning.
• Ahmed believes the police officer haunts his dreams.
• Three months into school, Ahmed is with the other boys kicking the football match at recess.
• At night, he always checks his homework and talks about his day with Max.

Chapter Forty

• Max contemplated a plan.
• He tried to figure out the plan at Scoots.
• He also thought about it in bed, waiting until it was late enough to visit Ahmed in the wine cellar.
• Max helped Oscar and other boys lift Ahmed triumphantly onto their shoulders after a goal.
• The following Friday after school, Max watched an old soccer game on one of the Belgian sports channels.
• Max then sees a blurry image of police officers with helmets and assault rifles dragging a man in a white hoodie down the street.
• Madame Pauline states that the police caught Abdeslam, the Paris terrorist they have been looking for, in Molenbeek.
• The fugitive terrorist had been caught, which had been the reason for the lockdown and the police raids.

Ahmed's Dilemma and Max's Deception

• The last of the Paris terrorists are in custody, and Max is hopeful that Ahmed's story could end differently.
• Max asks Ahmed if he has any ideas.
• Max gives Ahmed the tote bag, a customary greeting since Madame Legrand brought up the parent-teacher conference.
• Max brought hummus, olives, bread, and chocolate cake for dessert.
• Ahmed says he also has some good news.
• Max grabs his arm, he mentions that everyone will be less worried and scared as the terrorist has been caught.
• Max states that everyone at school likes Ahmed, and they can choose who to tell about Ahmed.
• Max worries he pushed Ahmed too far, Ahmed says he is moving back to Washington at the end of the school year.

Ralph's Story and Max's Realization

• Madame Pauline tells Max that the Nazis searched the house and found an empty bed on the top floor that was still warm.
• Ralph fled to Jacques Breuer, who hid him in the basement of the Cinquantenaire Museum until the German occupation ended.
• Jonnart and the Breuers were true heroes for helping Ralph.
• Max felt a funny grin because people like Ahmed deserved help.
• Max later goes to his bedroom and steps onto the roof, he could see how the roofs of the town houses connected and imagined Ralph scrambling across them.

Capturing the Terrorist and Historical Parallels

• The police apprehended a pizza delivery woman and the customer she was delivering to when they realized someone else was staying there they raided the apartment.
• Madame Pauline gave Max a hard look and states that the man was staying with the woman the whole time, hiding out for four months.
• Madame Pauline hopes that woman and all the rest that helped him will be sent to prison.
• Madame Pauline compares Jonnart, who helped Ralph escape.
• Max betrays to neighbor who is then arrested by the Gestapo.
• The Gestapo arrested Jonnart and Ralph's parents the same night.

The Parent-Teacher Conference and Ahmed's Worries

• Oscar translated for Farah, who replied in French too fast for Ahmed.
• Farah advises Ahmed to say she has a sickness and can cancel the meeting.
• Ahmed worries Madame Legrand will try to reschedule and go to his mother.
• Ahmed is weeding the garden, he felt good to rip the weeds out of the earth, to make room for the pale green stalks.
• Farah asks Ahmed in slow, simple French, if there is an adult he can trust to stay with his family in Molenbeek.
• Oscar joke/asks in English if he can play uncle and come to school in place of Ahmed's mother.
• Max asks if Oscar can get him a fake ID.
• Ahmed cannot ask people to risk everything by lying.
• New threats seem to be emerging faster than the weeds.
• Ahmed has no interest in running off by himself to Calais.

Discoveries and Confidences

• Ahmed's room is messy, with piles of paper and comics scattered around.
• Max states Ahmed's room is a mess, whereas he was neat before.
• Ahmed says it is hard for him to believe that he is not perfect.
• Madame Legrand wants to talk to Ahmed.
• A couple of weeks into March, Madame Legrand waves Ahmed up to her desk to correct a mistake on his French homework or slip him an extra worksheet or book.
• Ahmed understood her French, because his long hours of study were starting to pay off
• Madame Legrand hands Ahmed back the sign-up form for parent-teacher conferences.
• His "mother" signed the form saying she couldn't come and requests someone to come to her for it if necessary.
• Ahmed said it was too hard for her.

Max's Parents' Concerns and Betrayal

• For once, Max thought bitterly, his parents agree on something.
• Max's Father claims they were gone for an entire week, and gave this a boy the run of their house.
• Max insists Ahmed is his friend who was just fixing up the garden.
• His mother begins to stalk around, checking to see that everything was still in its place.
• Max's Father states he believes Ahmed just wants their stuff because he is a refugee.
• Max's Father believes that he cannot just let someone they've never met into their home, that it is a Betrayal of their Trust.
• Claire warns her Husband to calm down, but leaves Max to face his parents alone.
• Max apologizes, his voice breaks and his eyes filled with tears, as if he really believed the lie.
• Max felt that he was making himself cry over his betrayal and he would continue to lie through his teeth.
• Max's parents reassures that they know he meant well and that Ahmed is nice.
• Max's parents want to meet Ahmed and want him to have Max get the key back, and never give someone access to the house.
• Max could just pretend that he lost the key and make another copy and tell his parents that he is the one that gave the key to him.

Madame Legrand's Concerns and the Emergency Meeting

• Ahmed considers whether Jasmine or Nouri are sick.
• Ahmed glances around just in time to see Max look back down again as Madame Legrand tells Max to focus.
• Madame Legrand requests Ahmed to tell his mother that she is available to come if it were necessary.
• Max holds an emergency meeting after school in the garden.
• Followed Max, Oscar, and Farah through the front door, into the house.
• The gang eats kiwi slices and meringue cookies around the dining room table.
• The nanny watched them grim and colorless, staring at him and Farah apologetically.
• Teddy was far more welcoming, rubbing against his shins and jumping up into his lap.
• Ahmed worried the cat's familiarity might give him away, but it only seemed to amuse Madame Pauline.
• After the snack, they went out to the garden to kick around Max's football.
• Madame Pauline watched for a bit through the picture window.
• Max trapped the ball the way Ahmed had taught him, and asks what the plan is.

Max explains to his parents that Ahmed is helping in the garden and that he gave him a key to the garden. Ahmed leaves for school early to avoid Inspector Fontaine.