Greg is sitting on the lounge and Oma comes over and starts talking to him. She asks why he always wears black. He said he didn't. They then talk about growing up and how things change from when you are little to a teenager. " 'Why do you wear black all the time?' 'I don't wear black all the time,' I said. I looked down. I had on my black ACDC tee shirt, my black cords and my black joggers. 'It just seems a bit - somber,' she said. I shrugged my shoulders again. 'I remember when you were a kid,' Oma said. 'You were like Mimi.' I wondered if Oma was deliberately trying to insult me. 'You were a terrible show pony. Funny how we change as we grow up.' I didn't see where she was going with this. 'I was never like Mimi,' I said. 'I suppose we all change. Can't be helped. Sometimes it's just a natural part of growing up. Or sometimes things happen to make us change.' " Page 39. Oma is talking to Greg about life and about Greg's dad. Oma mentions Greg's dads real name and it makes Greg think about all the names that his dad has been called and how the change in relationship with Greg's mother has affected those names. " It's hard having parents, isn't it?' Oma said. 'They behave like children sometimes.' I wasn't sure if she was joking. 'I remember your father used to say to me : children need to be seen not heard. But that's not right, is it, Gugs? Children have to be listened to. Espescially when your nearly adults, like you are.' 'You should tell that to dad.' ' He is not a good listener is he, our Malcolm?' Malcolm. I'd never heard him called that before. Mister Jones, by the teachers, and by the man who comes to mow the lawn. But Malcolm! Not even my mum calls him that. She calls him daddy or sweetness. Well she did up until the divorce. Then she called him a lot of stuff I'm not allowed to repeat." Page 41. The phone rings. It is Greg's mother. She is talking to Oma who was murmuring into the phone. She tells Greg that she wants to speak to him because his father has moved out and has fully separated from Greg's mother. The change is Greg's parents having a healthy relationship to a separation. " ' You want to talk to Mimi?' I said down the phone. 'In a minute. There's some thing I need to talk to you about.' Here it comes. 'Yeah?' 'Your Dads moved out.' 'When?' 'This morning.' I just stood there. Three China ducks were taking flight up the wall. They looked like they were flying away from something. I wish I could. " Page 46. Greg goes outside to get some fresh air before dinner and sees Pauline out there. He goes and sits with her. Change is identified when she tells him that Oma told her about his family troubles and his friend who passed away. She asks about it and he considers putting on his headphones and Walkman but he changes his mind because he thinks it would be quite rude. " 'Oma told me you were having a hard time lately.' 'Yeah. What did she tell you?' ' Not much. Just that Uncle Mal and Aunty Ann were going to split up and you were pretty sad about it. She also said something had happened to one of your mates.' I didn't know what to say. Almost out of habit I felt in my pocket for my Walkman. I didnt want to put the headphones on right then but I patted my pocket and it was reassuring to know they were there, if I needed them. " Page 58.
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