What does Mrs. Sleet give to Bud in Bud, Not Buddy?
In chapter 11, Bud begins to wake up as he hears Lefty Lewis talking to a woman. He pretends to still be sleeping so that he can determine where he is and what is happening, which is his "rule 29." He slowly begins to piece together his surroundings, remembering that he's been traveling with Lefty.
With his eyes still shut, he feels a woman pulling back the blanket which has been covering him, and Bud realizes that his "knickers" (or shorts) have been removed. He's embarrassed by this situation but continues to feign sleep while he continues to evaluate his surroundings. This woman calls Lefty "Poppa," so she is Lefty's daughter.
Determined to wake up Bud, the woman promises him some breakfast, which is one thing that she provides to him. She introduces herself as Mrs. Sleet and tells him that he should go wash up while she fetches some clothes that no longer fit her son. This is the second gift that Bud receives. When he returns from the bathroom, he finds new clothes, including his first pair of "trousers," or pants. Bud has endured a life of hardship, and he greatly appreciates the thoughtfulness and generosity demonstrated through Mrs. Sleet's gift. Her concern for Bud's well-being demonstrates a compassion that Bud has rarely found in other adults.
What unique item does Mrs. Sleet give Bud in "Bud, Not Buddy"?
The answer to this question can be found about halfway through chapter 11. Lefty Lewis has taken Bud to Mrs. Sleet's house, and Bud has been sleeping hard. He does start to wake up, but he is unsure of how everything is going to go, so rule number twenty-nine tells Bud to fake being asleep.
Bud does fine with all of that until Mrs. Sleet mentions that she has breakfast cooking for Bud. Bud is excited at the possibility of an actual meal; however, Mrs. Sleet tells Bud that he has to go wash up first. While Bud is cleaning himself up, Mrs. Sleet gets him some clothes that her own son outgrew some time before. She tells Bud to put on the clothes and come down for a breakfast complete with pancakes, sausages, toast, and orange juice.
Bud finds that his clothes are gone and have been replaced with barely used clothing. The only downside is that the clothes are just slightly too big for Bud; however, he does not care one bit, because Mrs. Sleet has given him an article of clothing that he has never owned before. That article of clothing is an actual pair of full length trouser pants instead of the knickers he was wearing before. Bud has to roll the cuffs to make them fit right, but other than that, the pants fit great.
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