This story is inspired by Rondi’s situation in the thirteenth chapter of Louis Sachar’s Sideways Stories from Wayside School. Before we dive into the fan‑fiction, let’s take a look at Chapter 13, “Rondi.”
CHAPTER 13. RONDI — SUMMARY
Rondi is missing her two front teeth, and suddenly everyone thinks those missing teeth are the cutest things in the world. She can’t understand why—after all, something that doesn’t exist can’t be cute or beautiful. Her classmates start teasing her by complimenting outfits she didn’t wear and laughing at jokes she never told. When she finally tries to tell a real joke, no one pays attention. At recess, she runs outside only to be stopped by Louis, who wants to see her adorable front teeth. She screams and punches him in the stomach.
“Freeman’s paying us a visit today,” her dad announced last Saturday.
“Really?” Rondi exclaimed. “That’s amazing!”
“I know,” her dad said. “Freeman never goes to anybody’s place. Everyone wants to go to his mansion, where he throws the best parties in town. And he knows all the famous people in the country.”
The news helped Rondi forget about her two front teeth. They had been wobbling for days, and one had finally dropped that morning.
“Cute!” Freeman exclaimed the moment he saw her. “I’ve always loved missing teeth.”
Rondi clamped her lips shut. “You don’t have to be nice to me,” she muttered. “I’m not a little kid anymore. And you can’t love something that doesn’t exist, can you?”
Freeman plopped onto the couch beside her. “First of all, I’m nobody’s uncle,” he laughed. “So, call me Freeman, because that’s exactly what I am: a free man. Second, less is more.”
Rondi snorted. “Less is more? That’s just a slogan, Freeman.”
“Not if you put your money where your mouth is,” he said. “Take me, for example. I sold my house and bought the best pickup truck. Now I travel all over the country in my new trailer home. More friends, more adventures, more freedom. Less is more!”
Freeman patted him on the back. “They still are,” he chuckled. “I’m inviting you all to the ultimate barbecue experience outside my trailer. Everyone who’s famous will be there tonight.”
On Monday, Rondi’s second front tooth fell out. That night, she wanted to tell her dad how her classmates had started teasing her, but he was already on a video call with Freeman.
“Where are you now?” her dad laughed. “I thought you said you live in a trailer.”
“Not anymore,” Freeman declared. “I sold my pickup truck and moved to New York City. You don’t need a vehicle around here.”
“But why?” her dad asked.
“Less is more,” Freeman replied. “I have so many friends here I don’t even have to rent a room. I stay with a new friend every two weeks. My social life is richer than ever.”
By the end of the week, Rondi had had enough of her classmates’ teasing. Her missing teeth were cute, the outfits she didn’t wear looked fabulous, and the jokes she didn’t tell were the most hilarious ever.
She even tried telling one of Freeman’s jokes, but nobody listened.
“Have you talked to Freeman lately?” she asked her dad that evening.
He shook his head. “Freeman is gone,” he sighed. “I only received an email from him saying that less is more.”
“What does that mean?”
“He no longer lives in New York,” her dad explained. “He stopped staying with friends to avoid carrying too much emotional luggage. Now he travels all over the country, sleeping on trains and buses. He’s an urban camper or something.”
“But why didn’t he call you?” Rondi asked.
Her dad shrugged. “He carries nothing,” her dad said. “He wears rented suits and owns no bags or devices. He says he’s a completely free man now.”
And that was the last time they ever heard from Uncle Freeman.
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