Joe couldn’t stop the way Simon behaved. He couldn’t mend Evelyn’s heart. He couldn’t tell his other two children that everything would be fine, but there was one thing Joe could do. He could talk. He was a man of few words, but everyone that knew him thought him a decent man, and because of that he always got their full attention. People listened to him. Joe told Evelyn he would meet with the headmaster and see if they would reconsider taking Simon back.
Evelyn didn’t know what Joe had said to the school, but whatever it was, it was enough for them to take him back on a managed-plan basis. They had agreed that Simon could go to school three days a week, and on the other days, Tuesdays and Thursdays, he was to be schooled at home to the best of Evelyn’s ability. This benefitted everyone c
