The consultant had us draw a timeline leading up to the present. People stood and shared project milestones, corporate announcements, promotions.

I only saw doctors’ appointments, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, rinse, repeat. Those tick marks charted her illness and death.

And he wondered why I didn’t go up to the front.

Norma Gardner retired from the corporate world a few years ago and enjoys spending time with family and friends, travelling, and expressing herself through her writing and sourdough recipes. Growing up in Northern Ontario, her family’s antics and her Italian upbringing supply the inspiration for her writing. She currently lives in Waterdown, Ontario.