Summary

The narrator is trying to decide between local and IV sedation to have his wisdom teeth removed. The narrator discusses it with his best friend, Liza. The narrator is conflicted because he isn’t sure if eliminating the memory of the pain is the same thing as eliminating the pain itself. The narrator wonders if removing the memory of something is the same thing as removing the thing itself. The narrator worries about experiencing something which he will have no memory of, and of dealing with a repressed trauma that could affect him in unknown ways in the future. Additionally, the narrator understands that the world will change without his knowledge while he is out. He ultimately resolves to do local anesthesia.

As the narrator heads out to a bar through Brooklyn Heights, the gaslight streetlamps make him feel as if...