| is a cheerful one. First, I would read it on slashdot, then TV, then the truth sets in. Earth is to be annihilated in an hour. After many hugs and tears, I excuse myself from my family and get on the phone.
She knows what is going on, there is much screaming in the background. Her voice trembles, not knowing what to think but certain that we will never meet again. Thirty painful seconds of silence follow while I stabilize my voice. "I love you," I say, suppressing my trembling vocal chords. "I love you, and I know that whatever comes next, I will find you."
"Oh my god, she's going to jump!" Luckily, the voice in the background is talking about someone else. But then it strikes me. Our lives were not over, we were just given an ultimatum. The next hour would be the the last in our lives, and we would have to make the most of it. In vivid details we recount the times we shared, wrestling in the sprinklers, making love under the stars, using each other's sleeves to keep warm in Britagne. Soon, everything around us disappears. Our eyes are closed. We don't even feel the impact.
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