The First Three Minutes (and the last)

I reacted in pretty much the same way. I’m not so good at taking anything seriously, at least not in front of other people. “You have three weeks”, they said. “No I don’t”, I replied. “You are going to die in three weeks”, they said. “No I’m not”, I replied. “I have to do my A-levels.”And I did. And now, three years on, heading a department of an advertising company, researching Psychology at one of the UK’s top universities, I’m still trying to keep my secret secret. My fiance knows. My two best friends know. And that’s about it. My employer has no idea, my research teammates are in the dark. I don’t intend to go out wih a bang, to a fanfare of people who’ve been hanging over the edge of my deadly precipice, awaiting the moment when I’ll fall and all the while trying to catch me. For most people, it will be very sudden, and totally unexpected. For a select few, it’ll be utterly unsurprising, and they will have been preparing for some time. As will I. As will I.