why did she always want to laugh when she was in this man 's presence ? my girl , dad turned to me . i jam the note into my back pocket for later , then sprint across the small lobby and up the marble staircase to the second floor . beth rose , fetched the coffee , filled elsies cup . she let me hold her hand as we walked to the truck . slowly , i unbuttoned my coat and opened it . he should have probably just kept quiet , but , hell , he was no prize . 