Once Upon A Time, Section 2, pp. 53-65 Summary and Analysis

After Bermuda, Freddy's family moves in with his other grandparents, Naya and Grandpa Kuhn, in North Carolina. Freddie loves Naya, who seeks out the eccentric in those around her and loves to share her hilarious observations with him. Naya fills Freddy with stories of family and friends, but they are always anecdotes showing the surface of things, rather than the depths. Frederick notes that he and Naya both have a tendency to focus on the exciting surface because the depths are too scary, and he wonders if this is why it takes him thirty years to begin truly grieving over his father's death.

Having taken steps toward adulthood, Freddy's idea of reality changes, and he starts to see that there is pain in everyone's lives. Although he is able...