He picked up the telephone for it was Dr. Wein calling. When he told him that there was mild calcified plaque at the carotid bifurcation he steadied himself in his office chair and breathed shallow throughout the rest of the attendant analysis.
So this makes it easy, the doctor said. You need treatment.
What kind of treatment?
He went over the litany of all the types and then he said: A statin. 20 mg of Crestor. It’ll make you right as rain.
Right as rain.
It’s an expression.
He sat there with his mouth open and put the cheeseburger that he had been eating at his desk in the wastecan along with its wrapper and poured the coke from the solo-cup into the plant and set the empty in the can too.
But I’m only 47, he said.
Well. You’re an anomaly. But it isn’t a death sentence, son.
It isn’t to you, doc.
Well.
Well.
Look I really have to go.
He returned to breathing shallow and sat there for a long time after Dr. Wein hung up. Damn, he said.