Summary

The protagonist calls Brad Karr, who is being hospitalized in a psychiatric unit for suicidal depression. They reminisce about their former boss, Clarence Spraco, who recently died. They recall how kind and competent he was. He then calls Ezra Pollock, who is in hospice care for terminal cancer. Ezra sounds relatively upbeat and says that he plans to write a memoir if he survives the cancer. The protagonist thinks that Ezra will likely not survive, as Ezra is hospice care. The protagonist later goes to the doctor for a checkup regarding his carotid arteries. A sonogram reveals that one of his carotid arteries is severely congested and will require surgery. The protagonist soon realizes that he has not called his brother in a long time. Not wanting to completely lose his relationship with his brother, he calls Howie, but no one answers the call...