A break abbreviated Dominic Gregorio MD Class of 2026 I leaned on brass and pushed into cool, conditioned air.
sat down alone. Familiar flavors flooded in as I scooped up several scalding bites. Squawk. Vibrating violently, and totally devoid of dinnertime decorum, boxy black plastic began
Boom, boom. Black steel-toes landed on faded
to crackle and beep. Like busy signals on old
entryway fibers. Boom. Echoes alerted all, then
telephones, annoying tones meant all parties
reverberated faintly from scuffed hardwood’s
were occupied. Put precisely, county control was
counterparts above and below. Thump. Tossed
pleading for off-duty personnel to respond.
bags found targets on living room carpet. Zip. Zip. Freed feet kicked constraining armor aside, then stretched to stride towards cold kitchen tile. Saved dinner sizzled and snapped. Through steam and summer beams, I spied beef and noodles, borderline boiling, that obviously obeyed house rules: “Serve hot food hot.” Late again, I
20
unloaded diverse devices onto tabletop oak and
I chewed and swallowed, then shoveled one mouthful to-go. Room temp remainders would be waiting upon return. House rules hate unpredictable schedules. Without wasting effort on organization, I clutched diverse devices in hand. Four wooden