The One-In-A-Million Boy

Ona is both nervous and excited about the trip. She wonders whether her son is even alive and is apprehensive about meeting him again, but she also looks forward to the excursion because traveling reminds her of her first great journey from Lithuania to the United States. She recalls how her mother pretended she was sick in order to cross the border and leave Lithuania, and she remembers that her father had to hide in the luggage. For today, Ona has her hair done and puts on perfume.

When Ona finds out that Belle is coming as well, she is disappointed at first because she fears that Quinn will show more interest in Belle than in her. However, Ona and Belle bond during the drive to Vermont, discussing everything from their parents to their sons, as well as many more trivial matters. Over lunch, Ona offers to pay and starts to feel like she is a new person, as though her life is only just beginning.

The novel reveals more of the boy’s interviews Ona. In this part, she describes the day she first reunited with her son Laurentas, whom she had when she was 14.