he had to have nerves of steel . in several months he seemed to have changed so much . he felt the lumps in the back of his throat . i stepped in a little closer , nodding to what he was telling me . it slipped from her grip and hit the ground with a thud . he decided to call again , to make sure . anyway , ill see you two around . of course , she had n't liked many of the books he had given her to read , either . 