Some years ago, my partner took a group of eight year old kids to an outing at the planetarium. As they sat looking up at the stars, the little girl next to her asked how old she was.
Thirty-one, said my partner.
There was a silence in the blackness beneath the bowl of glittering planets and stars. Then the little girl’s voice came wafting over.
I’m lucky, she said.
Why? asked my partner.
Because I’m only eight and I’m going to live a lot longer than you.
My partner laughed.
As they continued to look up at Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Orion, my partner explained the theory of relativity to her.
So you see, my partner finished, even though I’m already 31 and you’re only eight, how long we live is all relative.
There was a pause. Then the little girl’s voice floated through the blackness.
So what have you been doing all these years?
Between the Stars is part of a collection-in-progress entitled “I See You” which includes I Wish I Didn’t See You, Meltdown on the 67, I See You, When A Street Is A House and Delivery.
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