The Man Who Knew Her Grandfather
Before they could leave, a measured set of footsteps approached the hollow.
Elsie signaled Wade to stay quiet, then stepped out where the man could see her.
He was older than the others, with gray hair and watchful eyes.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked.
“Walking my dog,” Elsie said.
He studied her carefully.
“What’s your name?”
“Elsie Warren.”
Something shifted in his face.
“Warren?” he repeated. “Was Samuel Warren your grandfather?”
Elsie went still.
“Yes.”
The man looked down, then back at her.
“He trained me when I was a teenager,” he said quietly. “He was the first man who ever made me believe I could become better than my worst day.”
Elsie didn’t know what to say.
The man glanced toward the woods, then away.
“The man you’re hiding,” he said, “I won’t look for him.”
Then he turned and walked the way he had come.
Before disappearing between the trees, he added, “Your grandfather was right about you.”
