“Oh, it was stupid, Alby, it was so fucking stupid. We were graduate students, and we were stoned, and…â€? He broke off, staring at the tabletop, sniffing. “We took Rummy, and we put him in this box, you know? This airtight box? And we put a little vial of, I dunno, something — something, you know, in with him? And there was a geiger counter and a tiny tiny bit of uranium, just a tiny bit, and…oh, Alby, I meant to collapse the wave function in the right direction!â€? Tears were streaming from his eyes now, down his cheeks and mixing with the blue on his chin. “But Oppenheimer had this glow stick and it shone a tiny bit green when, you know, at just the wrong time, and I lost my concentration, I lost, I lost…â€?

Chocking sobs. His head was on the table. His tears were running into the Oreos. “Oh, Er,â€? I said, patting his shoulder. “Come on, now.â€? I couldn’t quite bring myself to say, “it was a long time agoâ€?; I didn’t think it would help.

“Alby?â€? he said after awhile, sniffing.

“Yes?â€?