He received the news on December 10, 2010. It was a Thursday and was like any other day, except this Thurday was his last. As he listened to the causes that were rattled off one by one, his heart slowed along with everything else, time included. Looking around the room, Chris felt sympathetic towards those who were delivering the news as well as those that were simply there as observers. It saddened him to think that this duty was part of their job description. Saddened because, though this was the end of the road for Chris, it was merely another stop for the man delivering the news and his protégé. Tomorrow, as Chris dealt with what he was being told, these two gentlemen would most likely have to sit before some other poor guy and sound the same death knell. That was how this epidemic worked. Chris leaned back in his chair and deemed himself lucky. Lucky, because unlike what he had heard about these disclosures, his was a semi-private affair. Only two others had fal...