“The toilet tank,” Dad said.

I looked through the open door of their bathroom and, sure enough, the big porcelain toilet flush tank, which was supposed to be bolted up on the wall above the toilet, so when you pulled the chain it flushed, was lying broken in half on the tile floor. There was about an inch of water on the floor and blood splattered around. The pipe was wrenched off the wall and bent where the falling tank had pulled it down.

Mom looked too, and said the wrong thing. “Oh, Ralph, how did you do that?”

And the manager chipped in. “Eet never ‘appena before. Whata deeda youa dos?”

Dad was so mad at Mom for saying “How did you do that?” that he ignored the manager and shouted, “Don’t cOh, Ralph’ me! You bring us to some fool place instead of our usual pensione! What did you expect!”

“But the pounding music kept you awake over there,” said Mom.

“And you think this is better?!”

“I never expected something like this.”

“You and your fool ideas!”

“Calma! Calma!” said the doctor. “You musts composing youra-selfs!”

I didn’t say anything but I bet I knew what had happened. I bet that Dad had been in a Mood and pulled the chain the same way he slams doors at home when he’s in a Mood. I bet he yanked that thing with all his might and it all came down on his head. And I bet Mom knew this and I bet the manager did too, because he had seen Dad at our table on the dining terrace breaking stuff.

I thought about saying as how we were better off at the Biea since the rooms had no toilets, only showers, so Dad had been safer. But of course I didn’t since I could see well enough how a remark like that would strike Dad.

Mom turned to the manager and said, “We’re very sorry this happened. I hope you will be able to fix it.”

Dad yelled, “What about my head?”

The doctor tried to get Dad to lie down and kept saying, “Calma, calma!”

Dad yelled, “I’ll ‘calma you.” And he shoved the doctor so hard the doctor staggered back from the bed. Then the doctor got all dignified and put away his stethoscope and his blood pressure stuff and turned to go.

Mom said to the doctor, “I’m so sorry he’s in a Mood.”

The doctor said, “I shalla proscribe sedativos.” He started to write down a prescription.

The manager said to Mom, “We weell ‘avea to adda the costa ofa repairings to youra beell.”

“I understand,” Mom said.

“Elsa, if you pay one penny of the cost of that toilet tank I’ll leave you!” Dad shouted.

Then the manager wrung his hands and looked from one person to another and Mom said, “But, Ralph—”