Life - Message From The Past

Reality Sets In

Jeremy

Jeremy sunk back into his seat. His fingers began to tingle. His heart began to pull blood from his extremities pumping at speeds the stonemason had never experienced in his forty years. His eyes lost focus before losing consciousness.

"Jeremy? Jeremy?" Dr. Francis Capella's face showed years of wear giving grim news to his patients and his friends. Jeremy soon showed signs of coming to.

"Oh, geezus." Jeremy held his head as his elbows rested on his knees. "I wasn't expecting that."

"It seems the lung cancer is in its later stages." Another revelation Francis found difficult to deliver to his childhood friend.

"So, that's it Francis?" Jeremy spoke matter of factly to his doctor as if it were his destiny to die alone. "So, what's next?"

"I am sending you to the city to see my friend from university. She's the best oncologist I know. Can you find someone to drive you? I don't want you driving after the tests she will put you through."

"I'll be fine."

"Jeremy, come on."

"I'm not dead yet!" He fought his friend. "I'm fine. I'm fine."

"There's a shuttle I have going into the city." He made eye contact with his friend. "Take it! It's non negotiable, Jeremy. I don't practice medicine in town to bury old friends. Now take the damn shuttle!" Francis raised his voice to his friend he has known since grade school.

"Geezus, Francis! Don't take my lung cancer so personally."

"Damn it, Jeremy, a piece of me dies with every patient I lose." The doctor removed his glasses to rub his face with both hands. "Every friend." Francis appeared defeated but he convinced his friend.

Those words hit Jeremy like the bricks he lays. "Geezus, it's worse than I thought." He felt it like a punch to his gut.

"Just take the damn shuttle." Francis made another plea to Jeremy. "For me?"

"Alright!" Jeremy startled his friend with the volume of his voice that most certainly could be heard throughout the waiting room. Then he spoke again in a far softer tone. "Alright ~ alright."

Relieved Francis nodded, and wrote a note in Jeremy's file before informing his friend. "Great, I will get Joan to set up the shuttle for Tuesday."

"Tuesday?!" Jeremy barked. "Impossible!"

"You have the rest of the week to clear your schedule." The doctor pointed at his stubborn patient. "No physical work." Francis noticed Jeremy's reaction. "No physical work. Sub it out."

"But..." Jeremy rarely took days off, let alone a week.

"Sub it out! There are others who will do the work."

"Fine!" Jeremy grabbed his Toronto Blue Jays ball cap and stood. "I have four tickets to Saturday's game. They're playing the Yankees."

"Oh, Lynne and I are headed to the lake. But I can find someone who could use the tickets."

"I will send Pumpkin over with the tickets when I get back to the office." Jeremy tugged his cap down.

"Still calling Pete, Pumpkin after all these years?" Francis laughed. "I will never forget him wearing that pumpkin as a Halloween mask in grade six!"

Jeremy chortled, "he smelled like a pumpkin for a week!" Francis laughed harder and soon both were howling at Pete's expense.

When their laughter subsided the two grinned at each other. The doctor stood and stepped towards the door.