I
"Mom," Sara Smith asked her mother, "where's Dad?" Her mother gave her a small sigh. "I don't know, sweetie, but he better get here soon. I'm starting dinner in a couple of minutes." Just then, Sara's dad walked in.
"Dad!" Sara shouted. "Hey, sunshine," he replied. Mom gave him a weak smile. "You're just in time for dinner." That night, after they had eaten their steak and went to sleep, Dad woke Sara up. "Come on," he said, "I want to show you something."
Sara followed him outside into to the backyard. They sat down and he pointed to the sky. "See that?" Dad asked. "That's the sky, but there's more beyond that. There's our moon, our galaxy, and stars." "Like infinity?" Sara suggested. Dad smiled.
"When we die," he said, "we go beyond infinity. Anyone can go beyond infinity. They just have to believe that there is something beyond infinity."
"I believe, Dad."
"I know, Sara. I know." The next night, Sara noticed Dad never showed up for dinner. He wasn't there before she went to bed, nor after. He wasn't there when Sara was watching the morning news.
"Yesterday evening," announced the spokesperson, "several cars collided in what became a serious crash."
Sara scoffed. "If I was 16 already, I'd be driving so damn better than them."
"One of the killed men was identified as Arnold Smith, father of Sara Smith, married to Ariana Smith," the spokesperson said. Sara froze: Dad. That's why he never came home. That's why he didn't get to even watch the news or have dinner. He died.
Dad, Sara thought, I hope you're beyond infinity, just like you wanted. And for the rest of that day, all Sara and her mom did was cry and cry.
