The phone sat on the kitchen table and it was seven fifty eight. Gerald was asleep in the spare room with the hospital bed we had rented. I kept checking the clock like that would slow anything down.

Gerald is my brother. Shirley has been his wife for fifty years. I have known her almost as long as he has. When the doctor called last night and said weeks instead of months I just sat on the edge of that bed for a long time.

Back in April Gerald asked me to come over after his appointment. He had told Shirley it was just a check on his back. We sat at this same table and he looked at me and said “The news is not good.” Then he said “Do not tell Shirley until after the cruise.”

I asked him why he was so set on that. He told me they had been planning the Alaska trip for two years. He said “She has wanted to see those glaciers since we got married. I want her to have that before everything changes.”

I told him it did not feel right. He just shook his head and said “Promise me.” So I did. I figured he knew what he wanted. I figured I could keep my mouth shut for a few more weeks.

Shirley started calling twice a week after that. She would ask how his back was feeling. I would say he was resting and taking it easy. She would tell me about the clothes she was pulling out for the trip and how she hoped the ship would not be too cold for him. I would nod even though she could not see me.

One time she said “Make sure he does not overdo it at work.

He thinks I do not notice when he winces.” I almost told her right then. But I remembered what Gerald had asked and I just said I would watch him.

The last few days she has been excited in a way I have not heard in years. She told me she bought a new coat for the deck and that Gerald always said he wanted to see a bear from the water. I kept thinking about how she would feel if she knew the truth while she was folding those sweaters.

Last night the doctor called again. Gerald’s numbers had dropped more than they expected. The doctor used the word weeks and then said it could be less. I stood in the hallway holding the phone and watching Gerald sleep through the open door. He looked smaller than he had even a month ago.

I thought about calling Shirley right then. She would cancel everything and come sit with him. That is what she would want. But Gerald had been clear. He said she deserved the trip they had talked about for so long.