Summary

After departing the care facility, Frank recalls when he first learned that his mother may have had a secret, doomed love affair. It was when he met his uncle when he was living in New York in 1976, the winter of what should have been his freshman year. Although getting A’s, Frank was restless going to school in remote upstate New York. He visited the city over the monthlong winter break and stayed, renting a tiny bedroom from a couple and taking a job delivering flowers. Reeling from yet another breakup, Frank saw the vitality and sprawl of the city as “represent[ing] a chance for a new start” (191). His parents were confused over his decision. When, in that February, a devastating earthquake hits Guatemala, Frank cannot explain why he is so moved by the news. When his uncle, a toy manufacturer...