Max has known Kevin since day care days, but he is still shocked when Kevin and his mom move in next door. Max is even more shocked at how beautiful Kevin's mom is--he says she is like a movie star, even in jeans and a T-shirt. Max hears Kevin talking to her and calling her what he believes is "the fair Gwen of air." Once Max makes the friendly gesture of rescuing one of Kevin's toys from a tree, Max invites Kevin to the "down under," which is Max's basement bedroom. Max says it only takes Kevin about ten minutes to correct his misunderstanding of Kevin's mom's name:
Freak is shaking his head. I can see he's trying not to let on that he's laughing inside. "Guinevere," he finally says, catching his breath. "The Fair Guinevere, from the legend of King Arthur. You know about King Arthur, right?"
This starts a conversation that will influence many later actions in the novel. Kevin tells Max about King Arthur's knights, about their faithfulness and pledges to honor "damsels," and about their need to go on quests. Max's misunderstanding of Gwen's name opens the door for the many adventures that Freak the Mighty undertake.
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