In Buddhism, nothing is permanent, not even the body.
The Buddha statues are vaguely feminine, because femininity is comforting, Nok says, but also because Buddha had many bodies before enlightenment. In Thailand, Claude teaches the local children to speak English through his father’s Grumwald stories, and he learns from Nok, a local, about the Buddha statues that are all over the country. Claude refuses to go to school, and when Rosie must go to Thailand to set up a new medical clinic, Claude goes with her. Poppy runs home, shaves her head bald, and reverts back to Claude. Kids stop her in the hall and make crass comments, and they humiliate her in front of everyone during class. One day, when Poppy is 10 years old, she goes to school and everybody suddenly knows that she is transgender. Poppy meets Aggie, who lives next door, and they quickly become best friends, along with Kim and Natalie.
No one knows about Claude, and she doesn’t have to pretend anymore. After Claude transitions to Poppy, Poppy and her family move to Seattle, and things are much better for her. His teacher, Miss Appleton, thinks he is “weird,” and she scolds him for bringing a purse to school and for using the wrong bathroom. At the age of five, Claude tells his family that he wants to be a “girl scientist” when he grows up and begins wearing dresses to school. Rosie and Penn’s daughter and sister to Roo, Ben, Orion, and Rigel.
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