"I'm sorry too," the President said, and cradled the phone.
Dee Allison sat tight-eyed staring out the window. Her handkerchief was balled into a wad in her hand. "He's so cruel—so thoughtless," she said.
Her mother regarded her with resignation. "What do you want me to tell him when he comes?"
"Tell him I never want to see him again!"
Frank Allison got as far as the lobby of the building in which Mrs. Gregg, Dee's mother, lived. He raised his hand and his finger was inches from the bell. Then he doubled the hand into a fist and thrust it into his pocket. "The hell with it!" he growled. "If she wants to see me, she knows where to find me." He turned and strode out of the building.
The President of the United States had sat staring into space for a long time. A sound caused him to look up. His secretary stood by the desk. "Yes?"
"This new statement you just prepared, Mr. President. I'm not entirely clear on how you plan to use it—what should I do?"