The scent from the restaurant was tempting. Especially since he was used to a long, leisurely meal after Shabbat services.
"Yeah," he agreed with Ben. "Probably just dermatitis. I referred her to a dermatologist months ago. But people think because they're seeing a specialist, they won't have new medical problems and get frustrated when they do. What she showed me looked like a skin tag. They're harmless."
Adam had a very good memory when it came to his work. Now everything else? He was lucky to walk out the door with his keys, pager, and cellphone on the first trip. He'd remembered all of those this morning, but had made it halfway to the ferry on the island before he realized he didn't have his yarmulke or his prayer book. That took another trip back to his room, after which he had to search for twenty minutes to find both of them. There was a reason he left so early for things.
And he was well used to be asked to armchair diagnose things. It'd been happening since he'd started studying to be a doctor. His own father was the worst of the culprits. Alvin Berkowitz was a borderline hypochrondriac who didn't like doctors. Especially Gentile doctors. So for the last ten years, he'd gotten a call from his father over every little malady or change in his body at all, concerned that he had developed something new and fatal. Adam had been tempted to just route the calls back to the family physician his family had been seeing since before his birth. It was an occupational hazard, and one he was well used to dealing with.
As for the lecture, Ben's comment on the lack of discussion of the mutant genome made the young doctor roll his eyes. "I've offered all the research universities my records from the students and staff who've agreed to share them for scientific purposes. The director of UCLA genetics research seems to think that since I'm technically only a GP, that my observations couldn't possibly have bearing. That or he is hung up on my mutation. He asked, I showed him. It was funny watching him choke on his laughter."
Most people laughed or apologized or generally seemed surprised when they learned what Adam's mutation was. They were used to destructive, earth shattering or invasive mutations. Chromatic alteration just wasn't any of those things. And he had to deal with people who didn't take him seriously or drew odd conclusions based on his powers. Since he'd avoided and true physical backlash from his mutation, he figured this was his downside. Nobody took the guy who can change the color of things seriously.
"Coffee please," he told the waitress with a polite smile of greeting. "You ready to order, Ben?" He turned his attention back to the waitress. "I'll have the fish and chips."