A/N: Based off of Hindi Movie: English Vinglish.
Few changes, though. No kids between Tadamu.
Tadamu will turn into Amuto. And it will change officially, so don't worry, Amuto fans, I never loved Tadase and I never supported Tadamu from the heart either.
This is for EternalNight88 who always inspires to see the best in myself. Love you, Erica!
-x-
They had been married for two years. Amu sighed. Tadase had drifted from the loving man she had met all those years ago in her teenage years.
For two years they had been solitary, distant of one another, not talking nor seeing each other's faces. They haven't even consummated the marriage; Amu sadly had to admit, as she was still a fresh young virgin.
Tadase was always claiming to be 'busy' and he couldn't spend time with her because he had 'meetings' to attend that cut into the hours of evening.
Don't get it wrong. Tadase wasn't having affairs behind Amu's back; it was just that he didn't harbor the same feelings he had towards her when they got married, all fresh and in love. Now everything was dead and dull and boring.
"I am hungry, woman!"
The sheets were cruelly ripped away from her body, and the pinkette whimpered in the cold air. Amu timidly opened her liquid gold eyes as she quietly nodded her head as she slipped on one of her plain kimonos for the day.
She brushed her hair back into a neat braided bun and washed her face. Putting on eye liner and mascara and slight powder on her face, Amu deemed herself presentable in front of the public, and quietly shuffling down the stairs, quiet not to wake up Tadase who grumpily went back to sleep and her mother in law, who was the only reason she could stand her husband at all.
Amu timidly prepared tea and biscuits and toasts and strawberry jam. Tadase liked westernized meals and never appreciated her traditional cooking.
As she set the long oval table with various breakfast items, Amu heard soft footsteps and in an instant she became tense, in fear if it was Tadase.
"Something smells good," a gentle voice calmed her nerves.
"Kazuni-san," Amu, relieved, turned around and hugged the lady.
"What did I tell you? Call me mother," Kazuni scolded her daughter for the formalities.
"Sorry mother," Amu brightly smiled. Kazuni sighed when she saw the western breakfast spread.
"Technically, I prefer your traditional cooking," Kazuni sighed, "What is it with my son's preference to American food?"
"He had business trips there," Amu chuckled, "I don't blame him either. American food is highly addictive, I heard. Though it is fatty."
"He is too obsessed. I can't believe that traditional food is like poison to him," Kazuni puffed her cheeks out like a child and poured herself a cup of tea.
"Where is my tea?!"
"Tadase, I have poured you your cup right here," Amu timidly quivered.
Tadase walked in, in a business suit, looking sharp and unfeeling. Amu lowered her eyes in embarrassment as the blonde ignored his wife and mother and sat at the table as he put together his own breakfast and ate, quietly.
Kazuni held her hand as Tadase wiped his mouth with a napkin, picked up his suitcase and left.
Amu released a breath she had been holding in, and crumpled into her chair.
"Don't you have a busy schedule yourself?" Kazuni asked her.
Amu looked up from the table, and nodded.
"I have to drop off these paintings I had been commissioned to make and I have two parties to play the piano for," Amu took her frail schedule from her sleeve of her deep red kimono.
"Go change into a better kimono. This one is your everyday wear. Go wear one of the silk ones," Kazuni smirked, "You never wore one since your wedding. Tadase won't see you in it, I promise."
Amu shook her head as she laughed all the way to her room. Picking out one beautiful magenta silk kimono with fur lining around the neck edges, Amu smiled to herself as she changed into it.
And she also put on makeup fit for a party with bold winged eyeliner and thick mascara and blood red lipstick.
Picking up her bag of music sheets and artwork, Amu smiled as she packed them in the back of her car and climbed the car with some men who helped her in the small business she secretly carried out.
Amu's day, minus Tadase's sour attitude, was amazing. She passed out artwork and played piano at two children birthday parties.
Ran loved her ballerina painting, as she always wanted to be a ballerina.
Miki and Su loved the piano performances at their parties.
Coming back home, Amu thought she should call her husband, Tadase, and tell him how her day was, not telling him how much she earned, of course, because he thought she was doing either community work or collecting money for the needy.
Three rings passed by and Tadase answered his phone.
"What do you want?"
"Tadase! The paintings sold well and everyone loved the performances, and I-"
"Listen. I am at a meeting. I am too busy. Call you later. Bye."
The phone call ended and Amu sat silent as the car drove by.
The pinkette placed the cell phone in her purse. Her day got dampened by the one phone call that she was obliged to call.
Snapping the purse shut, it took all of her energy not to cry. Amu looked at the scenery outside her window paint into one of her house.
The engine was turned off and Amu dejectedly got out of the car, unlocking the front door to the house. Amu was immediately greeted by Kazuni's warm smiling face.
"How was work?" Kazuni asked.
Amu sighed and put her bag down. She forced a smile, which made Kazuni frown.
"It was fun seeing smiling faces."
"Daughter, dearest, what happened?" Kazuni prodded.
Amu shrugged and took the money from her kimono sleeve and tucked it away in the safe she had hidden in the kitchen that Tadase didn't know, existed.
"I called Tadase, today."
"What did he say?"
"He was busy, as always."
"Do you love him?" Kazuni asked so suddenly.
Amu didn't want to disappoint her with the wrong answer. But she was the kindest person to her, how could she break her heart.
"Of course, I love him. That's why we got married."
It wasn't a lie, but on Amu's lips, it didn't feel right. Love. They didn't have it anymore.
"Sweetheart, I know the real answer," Kazuni rubbed Amu's arm, but they stayed quiet.
The door opened and slammed shut. They heard shoes being kicked off, and a groan being amplified though out the house.
"Where is my food?"
"I will start cooking, Tadase!" Amu called out.
"Good, because I am starving."
Kazuni rolled her eyes and muttered her insults towards her own son about treating Amu like 'wife material'.
-x-
A few boring weeks went by like this. Amu would get up too early and make breakfast, she would leave for work, come home, stuff her income in her box, make dinner and then they would lie around for a while, Amu would clean the dishes, and they would go to sleep.
Nothing was new, until one day after dinner, while Amu and Tadase were lying on couches. Amu meticulously calculated fifteen minutes before she had to get up and do the dishes.
"Amu."
Amu perked her head up in surprise. They would just lie there on the couches and do nothing. They never talk. So is this a bit of her dream husband coming back?
"Yes, Tadase?"
"Your sister, Ami, her daughter Dia is getting married."
Her heart dropped. It was too much to hope for an 'I love you' from Tadase. Hiding her frown behind her sleeve, Amu looked at her husband.
"I see."
"She is getting married in six weeks."
"And what does this have to do with me?"
"You are leaving tomorrow for New York in America. Despite your poor English you will have to manage, as your sister is adamant about having you help her with the decorations," Tadase said.
"How long will I stay there?"
"I do not know. From there, we will have to book our ticket home."
"I understand."
"You will have to come up with answers for the immigration checkpoint in fluent English, so be ready. Though I doubt someone like you can survive a foreign country. You are just a housewife," Tadase stared at her for thirty seconds before walking away.
Tears clouded Amu's vision. Sure she knew her English wasn't fantastic. But her husband loved to rub it over her face as the one of the many things she can't do right. Her attempts to say English words were terrible and it ended up with her husband laughing at her in her face.
Come on, jhaz instead of jazz? Cut her some slack!
Amu got up earlier than expected and got down on the dishes. She knew she had to allocate thirty minutes for the immigration checkpoint answers before she went to bed.
-x-
"So, what is your reason for visit?" Tadase asked in English.
"I… I trying… no… I am visiting my niece's wedding," Amu stumbled.
Tadase shook his head but the shaky foundation on English would have to do for now.
"What is your duration of your stay?" Tadase asked.
"I am staying at my sister's house," Amu smiled confidently.
Tadase shook his head in disappointment, faltering Amu's confidence, "I asked you how long you were going to stay in America and you tell me where you were staying?"
"Oh! Around 6 weeks, or so," Amu mentally kicked herself for her mistakes.
"It will have to do for now," Tadase sighed in disappointment, and Amu hung her head in disappointment.
"I'm sorry," Amu whispered.
"What can we do about you? Your English sucks anyways, there's no way you are going to improve," Tadase sighed, "Why was I even married to you?"
Amu's heart faltered and she had to bite her cheek very hard to fight back her tears at the last comment. It really stung. She didn't love him, but she cared about him too much than to just leave him like some woman in her right mind would do in an unhappy marriage. She was too kind.
Was she not desirable? Was she not beautiful enough? Was she all plain, drab, and boring in her faded everyday kimono wear?
Was she just a burden?
"You're such a load," Tadase sighed as he parallel parked and picked up her luggage and swung it on a cart for her and left the airport, not even bothering to say goodbye for her.
Amu wanted to cry on the spot, but so many people were rudely pushing past her so she wheeled her cart in and made herself inside the airport.
-x-
Getting inside the airplane, Amu was amazed to see that she got the window spot. Next to her sat someone who almost looked like Tadase, but had purple charming eyes instead of burning angry ruby eyes.
When the plane took off, Amu felt her throat burn in some weird way that she needed water.
Clawing at her throat, Amu frantically looked around and even grunted a little to get some water.
"Are you okay? Do you need something?" The man beside her spoke.
"W-Water…" Amu didn't want to express her amazement that he was Japanese, as she was thirsty.
He nodded and he pressed a button over them and an attendant came.
"One glass of water for the lady," he spoke in fluent English.
He turned to her and said, "You can press the buttons for any little whim you have. Just like magic."
Amu smiled as she took the glass of water, downed it, and pressed the button herself, as she and the man lightly laughed and joked on 'magic' when the glass was taken away.
-x-
"Veg or non-veg?"
"Hmm?" Amu woke up from her slumber.
"The lady is asking you about your meal preference," the man nudged her.
"Non-vegetarian is fine with me," Amu smiled, as he nodded and translated her.
When the meal was distributed, Amu flipped through channels only to be disappointed.
"No Japanese channels? I could translate an English movie for you," the man grinned like a little child.
"Okay."
Apparently he had chosen an action packed movie in which the sound effects he had translated for Amu with emotion had caused other passengers to call him a terrorist and to shut the hell up.
"Sorry, I can't go any further than this or else they might boot me off the plane or something," he grinned sheepishly.
Amu couldn't control her laughter. No one went through this much trouble for her to make her feel appreciated in an unknown land.
-x-
The next morning she was in the airport. She was at the immigration checkpoint after trading her yen for dollar bills. All her business earnings were converted into United States dollars.
"What is your reason for being here?" A fat guy asked, uninterested.
"To… I attend… my wedding?" Amu said and it felt different.
"Lemme see your documentations," he snatched he papers from her hands, "Oh not YOUR wedding, you are here to attend A wedding."
"Y-Yes?"
"Kay. You're good."
As she left, she saw the guy who sat next to her in the plane, go.
"Why are you asking me why I am here? I am going to spend money here and help your economy by adding revenue into the system. You should be happy I am helping your country out."
Amu laughed as he got the approval to go by and he came up to her with a slight smile on his face.
"Remember, first time in a new place will be scary. It will all turn out on how you make it to be," he smiled as he walked past her, "All the best."
When Amu turned around to thank him, he was gone.
"Auntie Amu! You came!"
Amu turned around to see her sparkling niece. The 27-year old slightly smiled.
It was going to be a journey she would never forget.
.
.
.
TBC
