It's always cleaner, looking back. Less flies. Nice writing, Sheldon. Slow and resonant.
(The switch from 1st to 3rd near the end for a few lines tripped me up.)
Thanks a great deal for reading, and letting me know about the shift. Was probably left in the re-write. It was originally in third. Preciate it.
I thought it might be an artifact. Good story, I enjoyed it.