I thought I would go home. I walked down to the end of the hall and exited through the same fire doors. The stairs down were lit, but not heated, and I felt suddenly cold. Rennel’s white Rambler was in the parking lot next to the dormitory. It was raining. I thought I would sit in the car and wait till he came and then I would ask him to drive me home. I wanted to get back to the skylight. Inside, the Rambler was warm. The keys were in the ignition. I turned them and the car muttered and shook under me. I flicked the lever on the steering post and the car moved back a ways, slowly. The bumper came to rest against one wall of the dorm. I sat and looked at the thin lights of the dashboard. There were those stupid pedals to fool with, too. I flicked the lever again. The car jigged forward and started to climb somebody’s Volkswagen. Fresh, I thought.

I left things alone for a while. Sat looking calmly at the dark trees against the dark sky. I breathed carefully.

A little man tapped at my window. I rolled it down and smiled at him.

“Hi.”

“Are you a student here?”

It was Mr. Galvin. Two big men in dark uniforms with shining buttons stood behind him talking to each other.

“Yes. You’re the men’s counselor, aren’t you?”

“Are you on drugs? You’re bumping into a lot of things tonight.”

His hoarse voice was comforting.

“I’ve been drinking some wine. Maybe that’s it.”

“Well, move over and I’ll see if I can get this car untangled. I’ll park it and then you’d better find some place to sleep it off. You can’t drive like this.”

“Actually, when you come right down to it, I can’t drive at all.”

I slid over in the seat and leaned back. He brought in a lot of cold air. He slammed the door and fooled around with the steering wheel. Something he did made a loud thump and we were suddenly several yards from the Volkswagen.

“Are those cops that were with you?”

“Yes. There’s a report of somebody from the town out here selling drugs. That’s why it isn’t a good night for you to be bashing around.”

The car came to a stop between white lines. The little man looked at me sharply.

“Have you got someplace to sleep?”

“Sure. Thanks. You really rescued me.”

“Leave a note on that Volkswagen so the owner can contact you about the damages.”

“Right.”

He was still in the car when I got out and walked away.