6 Days after Surgery

I have a 9:45 appointment to get blood drawn at a Quest Diagnostics lab less than 3 blocks from my apartment.  En route home, I realize I can walk without the assistance of my crutches and never use them again.

Tom picks me up around 11 a.m. It takes him 2 trips to load everything.  I'll be co-habiting with Magda in the basement apartment of their home which has a walk-in shower.   I can't wait to take one, my first since Thursday.

After showering, I slowly remove the bandage and take my first look at the wound.  It nearly mirrors the residue of my mid-life crisis on my left hip:  a lightning bolt tattoo, inspired the cover of David Bowie's Aladdin Sane.