A bell over the door tinkled. Ralph almost wept from the sound of it.

He felt relieved making the decision. Any action was better than no action at all, he was becoming convinced.

Then suddenly he knew! His mind buckled. For a minute he could only stare dumbly at his hands. He knew! His mind roared with the knowing.

But when you’re depressed, it shows all over you, even the way you light a cigarette.

“I’m the one going crazy,” he said and then nodded his head in agreement.

Not since he was a kid, it seemed to him, had he known what it was to be free from worry and worse.

just the low ceiling of heavy clouds pressing down on everything.

He tried to see everything, save it for later.

The waiter looked amazed and then perplexed.