Thanks.
There were a number of Hank Rearden's in my family, maybe a Nat Taggart up the line as well.
Some of it had to sink in.
;-)
The rain stopped and a the rays of a descending sun lit up the water droplets of the diner's plate glass windows. The people emerged from the shelter the city provided. My coffee finished, I rose from the counter and tipped the waitress well. Her gratitude was genuine and the coffee was good. The people that had huddled under the crumbling cornices had moved on and as I walked past the furriers I noticed a sign in the window, "Coming Soon: Victoria's Secret". I smiled to myself, and suddenly I didn't feel so bad about the meter, even if nearly 14 hours were still on it.