side each item. 1. He thought about Marian. She had left him nine years ago after five years of marriage. He was fifty-two now; that would make her just under forty. Marian had dreams of becoming a musician, a folksinger. (Robert James Waller, The Bridges of Madison County) 2. I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't afraid. I don't want to die, and thanks to my parents-my mother lived to ninety-six-I long assumed that I was genetically capable of growing even older than I already am. Until a few months ago, I fully believed I had half a dozen good years left. Well, maybe not good years. That's not the way it works at my age. I've been disintegrating for a while now-heart, joints, kidneys, bits and pieces of my body beginning to give up the ghost-but recently something else has been added to the mix. Growths in my lungs, the doctor said. Tumors. Cancer. My time is measured in months now, not years... but even so, I'm not ready to die just yet. Not today. here is something I have to 10 do, something I have done every year since 1956. A grand tradition is coming to an nd, and more than anything, I wanted one last chance to say good-bye. (Nicholas Sparks, The Longest Ride) 3. At Kalispell, Montana, he stopped for the night, late. The Cozy Inn looked inexpensive, and as. (Robert James Waller, The Bridges of Madison County) a
