Gracie had been ignoring him at school. Every time he tried to catch up with her to apologize, she would slip away. Every time he tried to sneak her a note, she would trash it, unread. He had so many things to tell her. How big the pumpkin had gotten, how he’d moved in with Grandad, and how he was really, really, really sorry. It was no use though. It was like she was always disappearing into thin air.

Grandad turned. “Ready, then?”

Marty had never actually had anyone he could take to parents’ evening. Now, being able to skip parents’ evening because nobody was interested might sound terrific, but to Marty, being able to take Grandad made him feel a little bit taller.

Miss James was sitting, her legs slanted to the side like a stiff-looking duchess, when they went into her office. The corridors were all buzzing with parents and kids, some of the parents dragging their kids along in annoyance, having just found out that their pride and joy was useless at math, and others were being led by bookish, ponytailed girls wanting their mummies and daddies to hear about how splendid they were. It was quiet in here. This was obviously where the “problem cases” came.

“How lovely you look this evening!” Grandad said with a wink, and Marty would not have believed it had he not seen it with his own eyes, but he was totally and absolutely sure that he saw Miss James blush a little. Marty watched, spellbound, as Grandad went to work.

“Before we begin, I would just like to thank you for heading up such a wonderful educational establishment. It is of the highest caliber, and my grandson here speaks so highly of you and all the staff.”

Miss James couldn’t take her eyes off Grandad; Marty could even see her head swell a little.

“I mean, we are so lucky to have such a school so expertly run in our community.”

Miss James looked like someone who had crawled on her hands and knees in the desert of the unacknowledged for a thousand years before finally seeing an oasis of appreciation.

“Well, er, thank you—” but before she could continue, Grandad interrupted again.

“I want to talk to you about Marty here, if you don’t mind…”

“Well, yes, of course, that’s what I was wanting to see you about…,” she said, on the defensive again.

“As you know, he’s very imaginative—”

“Well, yes…” She blushed slightly because she really didn’t know Marty very well at all.

“And you know that he works hard…”

“Well, I was wanting to ask about his homework…”

“Homework!” Grandad laughed. “Now, now. I know you must be familiar with a certain Albert Einstein…”

“Well, yes, but…”

“Totally failed his exams … hopeless. Couldn’t do tests at all…”

“Really?”