ot like I'm hitting you, my son"Simons moves, and Joe looks down to see what he's saying.It feels like it is, says Simon wrily.He closes his hands over the child's small hands."Thank you for not holding grudges," his voice lower still, huskyand shaking a little. "God knows I deserve your hate but youdon't hate," he says wonderingly, "you don't hate." (pg:171)Then after he hits him, he feels sorry for himself and apologizes to Simon about it. He does it no matter what type of state his in, whether it's sober, or drunk. But then there's the good side of Joe, the side that cares about his son. He's talking to Kerewin about his son trying to get over the mother's death in school, and the teacher's want to put him into special schools and classes:"They recommend an institution of some kind or the other. For handicapped kids, you know the kind."He leans over and ruffles the boys hair."And they'll put you in that kind of place over my dead body," he says grimly."Look," he says, after a minute, "he's bright. He can understand anything you put into him, Kerewin. He doesn't need specialcare and attention. He just needs people to accept him. (pg: 50)He sticks up for him, and provides Simon with the father figure that he needs. People think that he's dumb just because he can't talk and express himself very well.Kerewin is more of a friend than a mother figure to Simon through out the novel. She does talk to Simon about family and her feelings, and what she's like. Just about the only time through the novel where she shows her feelings to someone:But she leans against the bunk post, and lets the guitarRest bellydown on her knees."You know what, my friend Gillayley? A family can bethe bane of one's existence. A family can also be most of the meaning of one's existence. I don't know whether myfamily is bane or meaning, but they have surely gone awayand left a hole in my heart."She is very close to weeping and he has never known Kerewin...
