Elise Schempp

The Final Appointment Book

The book had been so unassuming with worn edges, a pronounced crack down the spine, and black leather scuffed from use. The pages were yellowed, almost brittle, yet it seemed as though magic hummed through them preserving the book for future use. Noah had found it unobtrusively wedged between two seats on the subway. He had just filled his final insulin prescription using his parent's health insurance. In three days he would turn 26 and would be removed from their plan. His serving job did not provide health insurance and at $250 a vial for the life-saving insulin, Noah was beginning to feel the walls of desperation closing in on him.