Infinite Testament Read Free

“To us.”
    Lisa followed and gently clanged her glass against
his. “To us.”
    The restaurant was low-lit, mostly illuminated by the
generous flickering flames of the candles on every table. The waiters
spoke with eloquence and the whole place oozed with excessiveness. The
restaurant was bustling with people, but it managed to keep away from Stephen
and Lisa. The soft, jazzy dinner music in the background enhanced the
romantic atmosphere. Stephen was no high roller, but with their
anniversary on this day and graduation coming soon for both of them, an
expensive date was in order.
    Lisa asked, “How are Bruce and Kristen doing?”
    Stephen’s smile disappeared from his face. “I guess
they’re still going out, aren’t they?”
    “Last I heard. Don’t you talk to Bruce anymore?”
    It was a sore subject. Bruce had abandoned him ever
since he started going out with Kristen. Stephen fidgeted with his
silverware as he tried to politely answer. “Sometimes.”
    “How about Vince?”
    She knew exactly how Vince was doing. “He’s doing
great,” he said.
    Lisa sensed his apprehension. Stephen had been
bothered by Bruce’s apparent abandonment for a while. Life can bring
sudden changes and Stephen wasn’t always accepting of them. Lisa eased
his mind by offering him a smile. It might’ve been lame, but her smile
was always enough to fill Stephen’s spirits. From the day he met her,
there was something about it. It was a special smile, one that was
only for him. For everyone else there was a smile, but for Stephen there
was a smile . Lisa could never consciously make it happen,
it was just a natural result of the deep affections she had for him. And
it didn’t just involve her lips. Her eyes gained an indescribable twinkle
to them. The dimples on her cheeks and the wrinkles in the corners of her
eyes attributed to the smile . Stephen and Lisa both knew it
existed, but never acknowledged it. For Stephen, it was the greatest gift
he could receive. He took her smile and returned one back.
    Lisa remarked, “Only one month until graduation.”
    Four years of hard work were almost over. The
prospect of moving on from college was thrilling. “One month.”
    Lisa’s eyes wandered around the restaurant and oddly became
more reflective. Was she about to cry? The smile that
radiated just seconds before was gone, replaced with a smile that bounced
around, struggling to stay upwards. It definitely looked like she was
about to cry. Her eyes began to produce all-out tears. It broke his
heart to see her like this. What did he screw up? His mind
raced. Did something happen in her family? Was she secretly
flunking a class and wouldn’t graduate? As her smile continued to die, he
finally spoke. “Are you okay?”
    Lisa’s eyes, without a trace of positivity, locked with
his. “Stephen, there’s something I have to tell you.” The
anticipation was tearing him up. The room spun in his head and his mind
howled with insanity while waiting for her words. He casually responded
to the best of his ability, “Yes?”
    “I know you’re against leaving Michigan when we graduate,
but I think I’m going to go to Los Angeles for a little while.” She
continued to talk, but Stephen wasn’t fully paying attention anymore. It
was shocking; his heart folded. They had dated for a year and she never
mentioned moving to Los Angeles. Ever. At least not that he could
remember. He wondered why she would wait until a month before graduation
to tell him. His heart bounced around. There were too many
questions to ask.
    “What? I don’t understand,” was all Stephen could
muster up.
    Stephen waited for a response. Miles
continued to sniff around the backyard for a spot to urinate.
“Well? What are you waiting for?” This process took forever every
single night. “Come on Miles, will you pick a spot and piss
already?” Miles turned his little head and looked at Stephen. He
barked a single bark and went back to searching. “Shut up you