7/27/2019 The Priority List by David Menasche - read an excerpt!
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7/27/2019 The Priority List by David Menasche - read an excerpt!
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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
7/27/2019 The Priority List by David Menasche - read an excerpt!
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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
7/27/2019 The Priority List by David Menasche - read an excerpt!
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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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4 D Av I D M e n A S c h e
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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h e P R I O R I Y L I S 5
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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6 D Av I D M e n A S c h e
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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h e P R I O R I Y L I S 7
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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8 D Av I D M e n A S c h e
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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h e P R I O R I Y L I S 9
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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