He is wearing his long overalls and a beige, straw rancher hat. A long beard descends to a point just above his navel. Robert drove in from a small rural town. At first glance, he seems thin and in good shape. I look further. Perhaps a bit too thin.
I meet this man at the end of my first year of medical school. With an interest in surgery, I spend my time seeing patients in the hospital's ear, nose, and throat surgery clinic.
The man speaks in a thick country accent. He takes off his hat and lifts his beard. Hidden beneath it lies a contour-breaking lump. An affirming exchange of nods between him and me. I feel it. Incorporate its nonmobile nature into my mind.