This is a story in exactly 81 words. Originally written in 2014 for the (now defunct) website 81words.net. Find more of these stories here
He laughed. Then he started to cry. He shook his head. Then he sighed.
“How long?”
“I give you forty-eight hours”, the doctor said, “maybe seventy-two.”
He thanked the doctor and went outside, where he took a cab.
“I love you”, he said as she opened her apartment door.
She laughed. Then she started to cry. She shook her head. Then she sighed.
“Don’t you think it’s a little too late for that?”, she asked.
“It never is”, he said, smiling.