the priority list by david menasche - read an excerpt!

7/27/2019 The Priority List by David Menasche - read an excerpt!

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P R I O R I Y

L I S

A ars Fial Qust to Disor

Lis Gratst Lssos

DAvID MenASche

A ousto BookPublisd by Simo & Sustr

nw York Lodo oroto Sydy nw Dli


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Prologue

I am sittig om, ridig out t smoldrig at, opprssi

or nw Orlas i Ju, wodrig wy Im lig

so rstlss ad low. As I star out my widow, past t rot

por wit brigtly olord Adirodak airs mad oskatboards rom my yout, to t sowy pik blooms o t

magolia trs i my rot yard ad t aopis o Spais

moss daglig or my strt, t aswr its m. T ig-

borood sool as losd its doors or t summr. It is as

i I a ar t loud quit omig rom t playgroud.

T soud o t sil is usttlig to m atr mots o

listig to t appy irpig o t studts ad all o t

op ad promis ty rprst. Wat Im xpriig, I

raliz, is t sam mptiss I lt w my ow kids lt

or summr brak ad I was alo i my lassroom, laig

up t last rmats o t sool yar. I tik tis must b


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iii Prologue

wat mpty strs ma w ty talk about wat its lik

w t last o tir ildr las om.But rally Im too youg to b a mpty strIm just

barly orty yars oldad I dot a ay ildr o my

ow. Im a tar, body ad soul. My kids ar my studts.

I always kw I lod tm. But it as oly b rtly, as

I ad dow dat, tat I ralizd I li or tm, too.

Ty ar t brat tat kps m ali, log atr t

mdial xprts said I would di.


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1

My lt ar buzzd. I didt tik mu o it, xpt tat it

was as irritatig as o o tos psky gats tat rid your

ad lik a Wa Swigr at a amusmt park. Oly tis

buzzig was insidemy ad. I trid igorig it, util o day,a w mots atr it startd, t soud turd ito a trmor

tat ra rom my a, all t way dow t lt sid o my

body, ad latr, to t tip o my tos. Time to see a doctor, Me-

nasche, I told mysl. Paula mad t appoitmt. S took

ar o aytig i our marriag tat iold orgaizatio.

Witout Paula, t ligts would go out bor I rmmbrd

tat t ltri bill adt b paid.

I wt to my gral pratitior, wo st m to a

ar, os ad troat guy, wo didd I dd to s a

urologist. his am was Dr. Paul Damski. h was youg,

ot mu mor ta my ag at t tim, tirty-our, ad


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2 D Av I D M e n A S c h e

smd ool ad dirt. My kid o guy. I was opig d

alk up my symptoms to a pid r or a rous ti,but istad ordrd a battry o tsts. All o tm ad a-

royms. eeG. eKG. cA. MRI. I lt a ug ss o rli

w t rst tr am bak okay. T last o, t MRI,

magti rsoa imagig, was rtai to tll a story, Dr.

Damski said. Id a to wait a w days or t outom. no

o liks t waitig part ad Im o xptio. So I o-

tratd o t o tig I kw ould oupy my mid i tmatim. I trw mysl ito my job.

coral R Sior hig is alld Miamis mga magt

sool or good raso. Studts rom all or t outry

ompt to gt ito o o t six prparatory aadmis

Itratioal Baalaurat, Agrisi ad egirig,

Busiss ad Fia, Lgal ad Publi Aairs, halt Si-s, ad visual ad Prormig Arts. Sltio is basd o

a lottry, xpt or t visual ad Prormig Arts Aadmy.

Tos studts a to auditio to gt i, ad t omptitio

is r. Wit so may aspirig prormrs, t atmospr

is a lot lik wat you s i t moi Fame. Girls ad boys

ar always pratiig sogs ad da stps i t allways.

You just ould ot lp but b i a good mood w you wr

tr. Util I got sik, I ad r missd a day.

I was o o t origial sta w t sool opd i

1997. It was my rst taig job, ad ostly, at twty-

, I wast mu oldr ta my studts. I spt most o


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h e P R I O R I Y L I S 3

my sixt yars tr taig lt-grad oors ad

adad plamt eglis. I lod watig ts -t- ad sixt-yar-olds grappl wit tir rst major li

disiosutur arrs, rlatiosips, wr to li, wi

ollgs to attd, ad wat to studyat t sam momt

tyr larig to dri, gttig tir rst jobs, ad xpri-

mtig wit drugs, alool, sx, idtity, ad rdom. Its

a trasdtal tim or kids. Miraulously, toug

tyr bgiig to gai idpd ad ar ot agror mor, most art sik o sool yt. Ad I lt ry prii-

lgd to b part o tir mtamorposs.

O way I trid to sigal my agrss to ot b just

aotr tar to ts kids was to a my lassroom b

always op. Tr wr usually a al doz to a doz

studts wo ug out tr durig lutim. May days,somo would b rarsig lis or sigig or daig,

or playig t ioli or guitar. expt or t tims w a

studt am i ryig or a boyrid or a bad grad, ad

tat was usually bor or atr sool, it was a jubilat i-

romt.

Tats ow it was t day I got my diagosis.

It was t day bor Taksgiig, my aorit oliday.

I was sittig at my dsk wit my bst work rid, Dis

Arold, wo taugt sior oors eglis. Dis is ptit

ad ats lik a bird. W s did at, it was usually a w

M&Ms rom a bag s kpt stasd i r dsk. Id usually


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buy somtig alty at lutim ad try to sam r

ito takig a w bits. Tat day w wr splittig a saladrom t atria ad kiddig about ow luky w wr

baus tis tim w got uumbr wit our plasti otair

o wiltd ibrg lttu ad soggy routos. Kids wr mill-

ig i ad out. As w wr isig up, my ll po rag

wit t rig to rom t old Mario Brotrs ido gam.

I ippd it op ad saw my dotors umbr o t sr.

hllo? I said, stadig up rom my dsk.Tis is Dr. Damskis urs pratitior, t oi at t

otr d o t po said plaitily. Your tst rsults

ar i.

I guss its my optimisti atur, but Im always xptig

tigs will tur out okay. O, I said rily. Grat! Wat

ar ty?S sitatd just log oug tat I lt my art quir.

no, s said. You d to om i. Ad you d to brig

somo wit you.

I lt lik sd kikd m i t gut. Im i sool ad I

at gt tr util latr, I said.

Far rally plays gams wit your ad. I tik I was

opig tat by sayig I ouldt gt tr rigt awayby

oldig o to t ormaly o my li bor tat po

allI ould mak t outom dirt. Tat t urs

pratitior would say, Oh, no problem, lets schedule for another

time. S didt.


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Dot worry about t tim, s said. T dotor will

stay.now s was kikig m i t gut wit lats o.

Okay, I said.

I sappd my po losd ad turd to look at Dis.

S was op-moutd, r ys wid wit apprsio.

My tsts am bak, I said. Ty said I a to om i to

gt t rsults. Tat as to ma its bad ws. My rid

lookd at m rassurigly. Itll b all rigt, Daid, s said.I kow it will. cmo! Your iiibl.

I dot kow ow I got troug my lasss tat atr-

oo. I do rall tr wr momts I was so iold i

disussios wit my studts tat I atually orgot about t

dotor. At t d o t day I walkd to t parkig lot wit

Dis. W talkd about wat migt b aad ad ow I wasoldig up, tigs lik tat. W I got to my ar, I turd

to r ad said, Tis is t last tim tigs ar goig to b

ormal. I oly I ould a roz tim.

I slid bid t wl o my ar, turd up t olum

o t radio, ad add ort o t Palmtto exprssway

to pik up my wi. Paula is a istory tar at aotr ig

sool i Miami. S didt a a drirs lis, so I took

r to ad rom sool. Tis was our routi. As always, s

was waitig outsid w I got tr. S jumpd i t pas-

sgr sat ad I turd dow t musi ad ga r t

ws.


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S trid to b alm, but s was larly as paikd as I

was.T dri to t dotors smd to tak orr but it was

too ast or m. I kpt tikig tat t logr I ould put o

arig wat ad to say, t logr I ould prtd tat

rytig was goig to b all rigt. My mout was pard

dry ad my stoma was tid up i kots. Paula trid to

mak small talk about r day ad I was gratul or r -

ort, but I didt ar a word. I just kpt oddig my ad upad dow. Ad tryig to at my brat.

As promisd, Dr. Damski was i w w got tr. T

urs pratitior poitd us toward is of witout mak-

ig y otat. T door to t of was op. Dr. Damski

was satd bid is dsk w Paula ad I walkd i. his

brow air was ut sortr ta t last tim Id s imad wor a wit lab oat, wit a sttosop aroud

is k. ha a sat, said, poitig to t two ta ad

brow iyl airs aig is dsk. h bga spakig i

mdial trms I didt udrstad. Glioblastoma multiforme?

I ouldt say it, mu lss udrstad wat it mat.

Okay, Dr. Damski said, lt m sow you.

Bid im a larg omputr moitor displayd a

omious-lookig imag. o m, it lookd lik a Rorsa

tst, a big, gusy, swirlig blak, wit, ad gray mas. T

dotor turd toward t moitor ad poitd. Tats your

brai, said, mattr-o-atly. I rpositiod my air to


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s bttr, ad Paula got up ad stood bid m. I ad o

ida wat I was lookig at. h poitd to a wit mass o agray bakgroud. o m, it lookd lik somtig youd s

o t watr rporta urria loud o a Dopplr radar

sr. T urria i my ad was a tumor, said. Tat

was plai oug, but I ad a millio qustios. T tar

i m took or.

So wat dos tat ma? I askd. Is it big? ni

try.Dr. Damski put dow is lipboard ad p ad lookd

m straigt i t y. h sitd uomortably i is air.

no tumor i t brai is big, said.

Is it arous?

Ys, its ar.

h migt as wll a sluggd m i t solar plxus. noair. I lt datd. hollow. Sig t trror o my a, t

dotor trid to sot t blow ad just struk. But w

dot kow too mu yt, Daid, said. W d to a

a biopsy do. A biopsy or wat? hd alrady said it was

ar. W d mor iormatio, Dr. Damski said. W

wat to kow ow ast its growig. Or mayb its b sit-

tig tr or twty yars ad growig ry slowly.

Okay, I tougt.I can handle a biopsy. I didt kow t

tat it mat rmoig a portio o my skull.

ca it wait util summr aatio? I askd.

h pursd is lips, t way I somtims did w o


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o my studts askd a qustio tat smd partiularly

ai.no, tats too ar away, said.

Okay. how about waitig util cristmas aatio?

Tats oly a mot away.

I ostly dot kow i youll mak it tat log, said.

I jrkd away rom im as i Id b slappd. Ad t

blows just kpt omig. Witout tratmt, I ad a li

xptay o about two mots, Dr. Damski said. I lookdaroud is of. T walls wr paitd t olor o ospital

srubs, oly mor mutd, ad t art was a postr o a spial

ord ad brai. A stailss stl xamiig tabl drapd wit

risp, wit papr sat i t orr. It was all so old ad

liial. Souldt you at last b i a omortabl sttig

w somo tlls you your goig to di? how log aI kp big m? I askd. I alrady kw t aswr. Tat

tim ad passd.

Paula was stoi, but I ll apart. I xusd mysl ad

walkd outsid to t parkig lot to all my brotr. Jaqus

was igt yars oldr, a rla ditor ad jouralist. e

wit is ti sdul, ad always b tr or m.

Jaqus was my rok. W I ard is oi, I brok dow.

I ould barly ok out my words. Brain cancer. Terminal.

Only months to live. I was tirty-our yars old, dam it. I

lod my job. I lod my wi. I lod my li. It may soud

lik a li, but w your gi a dat st, you


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rally do tik to yoursl, How can this be happening? When

will I awaken from this terrible nightmare?Ad tats wat I said to Jaqus btw sobs. how

a ta tis b appig? I trid to b a good prso.

I trid to do tigs rigt. Did I bump my ad? Did I

at somtig wrog?Daid, said ally, you got to

b tougr ta tis. Tat was my brotr. ci up. oug

troug it. B bra. I watd to b tat or Jaqus. For

Paula. For my studts. I didt wat to sm wak, powr-lss, out o otrol. I took a dp brat, ad aotr, ad

t out o owr, words Id r xptd am tum-

blig out o my mout.

Dot worry, I got tis, I said. Ad stragr ta

arig t words was kowig tat I did.


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the priority list by david menasche - read an excerpt!

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