Moorestown, New Jersey, February, 2078, Friday…

Beverley Dorado went through her Hail Marys almost in a trance. Some would say that the repetition along with the rosary was just something to keep her mind off the pain. It did that, but she also felt a spiritual inner peace.

Some of us die violently and never have time to get used to the idea they are going to die. Beverley had been granted ample time. When she had learned of her incurable lymphoma, she first took a vacation to Europe and visited the main cathedrals in many European capitals. It had taken a substantial amount of her savings but the trip had been a great morale booster.

Before she knew she had cancer, she had been a very active person. Her work as a computer programmer at Lockheed-Martin was generally boring, but the company sponsored a lot of clubs and activities for its employees. She had kept really busy the nineteen years she had been there.

She also had kept busy with her church. Once she went into the hospice, one of the parish priests would stop in every other day and say hi. It gave her additional comfort that she needed.

In a way, Beverley was also comforted that she would just go in her sleep. She had always been afraid of dying violently. It was a violent world. She had lived her whole adult life with the threat of being in a shopping mall that was attacked or being the victim of some other terrorist action.