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mates had dances in their homes. One night, I came home from a party and fled straight to my room. My father always wainted up for us when we were out at night and he saw me. He called out but I couldn't hear him. I had closed the door and was on the bed, face down, sobbing. He came in and asked me what was the matter. "Freddie Hatched didn't dance with me," I boo-hooed. 
For once, Father was not gentle. He gripped my shoulder and shook me until my teeth rattled. "You might as well learn right now," he said, "that you can't charm everybody in the world. All you can do is be yourself with other people. If that isn't enough, don't reproach yourself.
How right he was: During World War II, I was working with a woman in a war project. We had a falling-out due to a misunderstanding. I made a special effort to patch it up, even going to her office. She refused to see me. It was like a slap in the face. As I was leaving, I heard his words, "you can't charm everybody in the world." It took some of the sting out of her rebuff. I am glad to