Ralph reaches out to Grover Ding again. He will not have the ability to analyze why he did so for many years. Even though he knows he is being reckless and wrong, he cannot help himself. In the wake of his tenure, he is delighted. He takes the family on professional outings, and they take their first vacation to the ocean. He floats in the sea with his daughters while Theresa and Helen stay in the shade. That summer, he teaches Theresa and Helen to drive. He uses his engineering knowledge to help neighbors.

School begins, and Ralph teaches his first class as a tenured professor. The experience is miserable. His students are uninspiring, his lecture hall is awkward and dusty, and he has to see Henry far more than he ever expected. He drives home with the car’s convertible roof lowered and rain begins to fall. The rain worsens, but he does not lift the roof until people’s stares make him uncomfortable. The roof only lifts halfway, and he cuts himself on the mechanism. Ralph gives up and decides to walk the rest of the way home. He stumbles along a dark path until a black shape rustles from the bushes and passes in front of him.