 Mr. Sanders is an ex-student of the convent, now a success in his adult life. He has come back to the convent to adopt a child, namely what he calls the dumbest kid in school. By this, he infers that he is not only wanting such, but also the most mischievous, underachieving child. Although the Reverend Mother is somewhat off-put and offended by Sanders request, she cannot fault his motives: Sanders himself was also self-professed the dumbest kid in school and if not given the chance by his adoptive parents, he knows he would not have become a successful adult. The Reverend Mother can think of only one child that fits the bill: Joey. Joey is surprised to hear that someone is even considering adopting him as he realizes he doesn t have the best "on paper" record. He asks Carlos for advice on how to impress Sanders, Carlos telling him to go against all his own natural instincts of what to do. In his outing with Sanders, Joey, based on Carlos  advice, is the model child. From this, Sanders knows that Joey is not the child for him. The Reverend Mother finds out about Joey s talk with Carlos, and urges Sanders to take Joey out again, and tells Joey to just be himself on this second outing. Joey ends up being everything Sanders is looking for in a child. However, Sanders also tells Joey that he wants to adopt a child like himself, the dumbest kid in school. Joey is hurt by this admission and runs off. Back at the convent, he confronts Sanders and the Reverend Mother. He shows them both that he indeed is not dumb, but wise beyond his years. He tells Sanders that he will let Sanders adopt him when he becomes the smartest kid in school. Sanders knows he s found the right child.