Summary

In "Farce, or 105 Rust Road": "A Strictly Factual Account of the Day of His Diagnosis," in autumn 2008, Charlie Barnes, or Steady Boy, descended into the basement for work. Charlie was a 68-year-old "small businessman and father of four" (4). Despite all he had done in his life, he felt like "a big fat fraud" (4). Though he had certificates on his walls, he "hadn't even finished college" (4). He stopped listing "all his damn failures," because he had cancer and no time to waste (4).

After turning on his computer, he thought about his children, his ex-wives, and his old colleagues. He was married to Barbara Ledeux, "a nurse at First Baptist" (6). He called an old colleague, Larry Stoval. He left a message about his diagnosis.

Before starting his own company, Charlie had worked for Bear Stearns, "an estimable American institution" run by...