An Apt Payback

We were up at 4 AM this past Monday, driving an hour out for my knee surgery — a procedure to repair a medical tear in my right knee. Neil was my designated driver for the day. On the way there, trying to keep things light, he said, “Dad, today is payback day. I’m looking forward to you getting poked with as many needles as you made me get poked with when I was a kid!” He was, of course, referring to all the vaccine appointments he loathed growing up.

I shared that line with the nurse when we checked in — she burst out laughing.

A little later, another nurse walked by my pre-op station and casually tossed a slip of paper into the trash bin next to me. I looked up and said, “I charge for that!” She laughed too, and jokingly offered me 25 cents for the incursion. That led to a short, quirky conversation about pennies being phased out and my so-called investment advice: “Hold on to them — they’re copper, and one day, they’ll be worth more than their weight in gold.”

On the drive home, Neil and I talked about how surprisingly pleasant the whole experience had been — all things considered. Once home, he helped me get set up with the ice machine, brought me my meds and food, and finally crashed for a well-deserved nap.

Funny how all those years of driving together in old clunkers — sharing early mornings, bad jokes, and long conversations — trained us well for mornings like this one. What could’ve been a stressful ordeal turned into a memory full of laughter, care, and genuine human connection.

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