The Excerpts of Before, Now, and Later

six-seated van

inside of a van, there are four people, and myself.
there is an infant in a booster seat, asleep.
a six year old child with the eyes of stars, cheerful and gleaming.
a ten year old child, nervous and shy.
and an eighteen year old woman at the steering wheel.
i sit besides the ten year old.
there are six seats,
one is unoccupied.

i speak up, questioning the absence of the last person,
Who should be sitting there? This doesn't feel right.

the woman driving the car looked back, eyes tired, a frown curled on her lips.

I am, as are you. but neither of us could make it.