Six Pairs of Thick Gray Socks Saved My White House on Elm Street

she said, her voice rising in that hurried rush as she pushed past me into the hall. “It is a brand new winter coat with a thick down lining.”

She set the box on the hallway bench and held up the coat, which was a bright, heavy plum color. “I noticed your old grey one is getting thin at the elbows, and I do not want you shivering when you go out.”