It was a sunny day. I arrived home on time, checked my watch. Kids milling about. I settled onto a stool and asked my partner about his day. Jasper raced into the house and hollered, “Adrian’s been hit by a car.” I rolled my eyes. (Jasper lived a life of excitement even when none existed.) My partner heard something I did not. He moved fast. Adrian’s body askew at the side of the road, bike, helmet, shoes scattered. Unconscious, bleeding, broken, scraped but alive. I called 911. Four minutes since I got home. Life now measured in before and after.
Cathy Gilbert lives on a boat on Vancouver Island, Canada with her partner, and two dogs.