Hannah Reed

“Why are you so happy when Dad is dead? Aren’t you sad?” Tomako, who knew that Kei described death as the very dark box, answered, “Well, if your father could see us from that very dark box, what do you suppose he would be thinking?” With nothing but the kindest of thoughts for Kei’s father, Tomako was trying her best to answer the accusatory question that Kei was asking: “Why are you so happy?” “Your father didn’t go in that box because he wanted to. There was a reason. He had to go. If your father could see from his box and see you crying every day, what do you think he would think? I think it would make him sad. You know how much your father loved you. Don’t you think it would be painful for him to see the unhappy face of someone he loved? So why don’t you smile every day so that your father can smile from his box? Our smiles allow him to smile. Our happiness allows your father to be happy in his box.” On hearing this explanation, Kei’s eyes welled up with tears.”
― Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Before the Coffee Gets Cold