For Maria, to be opened on the day of my funeral.

Writershelpingwriters.net has some great stuff. I love all their thesauruses (thesauri?)—which are not free but so worth it.

@Tami Winbush just do it!

@Max Langton I really like this! The countdown (or count up) is a great hook and instantly draws you in with the tension and wanting to know what he’s waiting for. Perhaps tightening up the last sentence might add more tension, as I found myself tripping over the adjectives… “Between her ramblings and the drumming of the man's grubby nails on his empty cardboard cup, just couldn’t seem to hit a sixty this week.”

Perched near the end of the long, polished table, I try to steady my nerves as Hugh presents the slides I spent all day perfecting—with zero acknowledgement of my efforts. As always. The usual Marketing suspects are here, transfixed on the giant screen as if hypnotised by his monotonous drone. The air inside the cramped meeting room is infused with a suffocating blend of furniture polish and late afternoon testosterone from the six men sat around me. It’s hard to breathe and my heart’s pounding so hard, I’m sure everyone can hear it. Just three more slides to go until I put my plan into action…