i turned the knob and pushed the door open . i had been convinced that my father was the strongest person in the world . `` made one of us strip and crawl over broken glass . youve got the key with you havent you ? he knew all about them , knew exactly how to maintain an appropriate distance , how to stop himself from revealing too much to the woman in his bed , how to keep her from thinking they could have something more than good old-fashioned f**king . nothing from him but that slow , steady stare . 