When I was a senior in high school I made an effort to give a card and, often, a rose to every girl I knew on her birthday. I drew the cards myself. The rose was usually stolen from out of a yard somewhere in our town of Sebastopol.

I don’t remember what I drew for Trish’s card. I do remember the look that Trish gave me when I handed her the card and the rose. I can’t tell you what the look meant. It looked to me like a mixture of curiosity, disbelief and appreciation but I really have no idea. Like I said, we ran in different social circles. We didn’t hang out or have conversations. She said thank you. I said you’re welcome.

Trish was born October 6th, 1964. I wanted to do a special illustration for her birthday this year but I didn’t think it was smart to wait until her birthday to deliver it. She was in hospice card and had been given a limited time to live. I posted this cartoon on Facebook on October 3rd, 2012.