Boasting scars that make it look as though a shark took his head in its mouth, then thought better of it, he still has a slight tremor and does a lot of sleeping. But the dyskinesia is gone, and the interminable periods where Michael shuddered and sweated unresponsive to drugs, are a thing of the past. The fact that a well-paid professional remains a taxpayer, rather than retiring early to claim disability benefit, also means the operation begins to pay its way. Michael goes back to Grenoble in three months for fine-tuning, by which time his chicken fuzz will have grown into real hair. He radiates well-being and his joie de vivre has spilled over on to those who love him.
Freedom looms, and with it huge questions.
Anything seems possible. For the moment, he is planning to retake a long-defunct driving test and talks of a driving holiday. Why, France, of course.