Dr. Who?

To allay my fears about any new ailment that crops up, our family physician always tells me to relax, adding that whatever it happens to be is, "As common as a penny!" That usually works. But today I went for my annual checkup with my cardiologist, who reminded me that another thing that's as common as a penny is having a heart attack. Neither of us addressed the elephant in the room, which is that the thing that's even more common than a penny is death. Some things are best left unsaid, and besides, we're not that close. Actually, I might have trouble picking him out of a lineup.

I met my cardiologist a little over two years ago, after my first and only heart attack. I was lying in my hospital bed when he walked in the room and asked, "Do you have a cardiologist?"  Of course I did not, so he said, "Well, I can be your cardiologist." Post-surgery and happy to be alive, I said sure. I have seen him three times since then, counting today. During the same period I have seen my orthodontist six times, my dental hygienist nine times and the fish guy at Bow Street Market 140 times.