Friedman of the Plains

Selflessness is Exhausting (And Filling)

PEN Award Winners

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Barry Friedman
May 16, 2023
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Nephew Chris, he who makes the big bucks, and I got free pens today. Fine felt tip diminutive models, they fit comfortably in one’s front pocket and are used by medical professionals who need easy access to writing instruments when making notes on patient care.

“What is that?” Chris asked the surgeon when he saw the doctor initialing protocols with one of them.

“Hold on,” the surgeon said, as he left the room. He returned with a dozen pens and dropped them in Chris’s open palm.

“We’ve got thousands,” he said.

Chris quickly shared the booty with moi. Then, after some considerable flirting and begging, Donna, the nurse, gave me two pairs of hospital socks. These are the socks that are not only warm but have ridges on the bottom to prevent slipping. I don’t like warm socks, nor do I need socks that prevent slipping, but that’s not the point.

Let’s see, what else?

Oh, yeah. My sister, Sharon Louise, had successful hip replacement surgery, which is why I came up to Long Island to see this woman in the first place.

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