A Brief Word From Ken Dietz (Vera's Dad)
- Vera's dad, Ken, gives us some background on his life and why he's so hard on Vera about being productive while she's young.
- He says that his mother did the best she could with him, but it didn't stop him from becoming an alcoholic, or from dropping out of school and knocking up Vera's mom in high school.
- He never knew his dad, and he felt that it robbed him of his self-esteem. He doesn't want that to happen to Vera.
- Two months before Sindy (Vera's mom) found out she was pregnant, they went up to the pagoda and threw paper airplanes together, feeling young and in love. Hmm, this sounds familiar… Isn't that what Vera and Charlie do?
- Ken asked Sindy if she wanted to hear the story of the pagoda, and she said no.
- It was hard at first, but they started to get things back on track. Ken got a job at an accounting firm and quit drinking, and they bought the house on Overlook Road—the same one that he and Vera live in now.
- Then when Vera was twelve, Sindy left. Needless to say, she's not going to win any "Mother of the Year" awards.
- Later on, when Vera was sixteen, Ken took her up to the pagoda and asked her if she wanted to hear its story. Unlike her mother, Vera said yes and Ken felt like everything was better again. They also threw paper airplanes.
- Ken says that he has spent over $2,300 on self-help books, and that he wants to tell Vera everything about his past and her mother's now, so that she can evade her destiny. He doesn't want her to mess up or be an alcoholic like him.
- The end of the chapter shows a flowchart from Ken about how to evade your destiny.