“Never heard of her.” Melvin answered gruffly. Bette’s audible sigh at her father’s demeanor was lost on him as he was focused on getting into the Audi sports convertible. She watched him for a few minutes, as he seemed to be having trouble with his balance. Seeing that he wasn’t going to do it on his own, Bette took his elbow and helped him into the leather bucket seat. He grunted some more as he folded his 6’4” frame into the tight space. After making sure that her father was situated Bette closed the passenger door and walked around the front of the car to the driver’s side.

“She’s the reason I wanted to go into the arts” Bette continued the conversation with her father over the hood of the car since the top was down. Opening her door and getting into the driver’s seat, she reached for her seat belt and pulled it across her thin frame easily fastening it into the buckle. Although she was 5’8” the car suited her perfectly. She especially enjoyed it on late summer days like this one when she could drive with the top down, wind blowing her long curly hair, and her favorite music blaring from the premium custom installed speakers.

Bette glanced in her rear-view mirror and saw the valet attendant who was signaling her to move the car since it was parked in an active guest loading and unloading zone. She waved her acknowledgment and was about to start the engine when she noticed her father’s trembling fingers struggling to get his seat belt buckled.

“Here Daddy, let me help you.” She said removing her hand from the gear-shift and reaching over to grab the belt that her father was holding in mid-air. She expected him to protest but instead he relinquished his grip and allowed her to extend the belt across his middle to snap it into the lock.

“There you go Daddy. Is everything OK?” Bette asked concerned at his apparent fragility.

“I’m fine. Just not used to these tight spaces.” He commented on the two-door sports car model versus the larger four-door sedan.

“Yeah, I suppose it’s not too comfortable for someone your height. I should have thought of that. Sorry Daddy. It’s such a beautiful day and I had to drive to Santa Monica this morning so I wanted the top down. We can go by the house and get the Lexus SUV before going to the office, especially since Allyn will likely ride with us to lunch.”