Prompt: The List | Word Count: 1500 | Genre: Memoir
“Well Mr. Patterson cancer of the kidney is a very slow condition. It may respond to treatment but at your age I would suggest that the treatment would be more draining on you than the disease.” Genuine empathy glowed from his skin.
It was exactly as my father had said last Friday when he told us about the condition. On that occasion next to him at the dinner table was a piece of paper and a pencil. He had started a list.
“Doctor”, I enquired, “how long does my father have?”