Three people sat at the breakfast that day: two adult women and a girl of the tender age of six.
Other than obligatory pleasantries and requests for soy sauce or rice, not many words were exchanged by them. Watching this scene from the side, one would most probably have trouble believing that this family was once loving and joyful.
Sitting at the head of the table was Natsuki Kruger, a young and successful businesswoman, the co-founder and sole owner of Otome Infusions, a company dealing in teas and tisanes. Orphaned very early by her mother and never knowing her father, she made it the purpose of her life to reach the top. The most diligent student during her school years, the most hard-working apprentice a successful international multi-branch company, the most persistent customer treading paths from office to office while building her own company from scratch. Yet, if one had asked her then about her most precious thing, her response might have been surprising. For she wouldn't have mentioned her business, not even for a second would have her thoughts stray in that direction. There was something much more important. Somebody, whose smallest smile could light up her entire world, even after a long, uneventful day.
Shizuru Viola was Natsuki's first and only love. They met as adolescents and after a little bumpy start, they stuck together through thick and thin. In this, Shizuru proved a glaring contradiction to what society generally thought about people sharing her profession. Ever since she laid her eyes on the brash entrepreneur, there was no other muse to her paintings, no other inspiration. Time flew for them both really fast and before they even noticed, they were in love and then married. After a few years, at Natsuki's insistence, they adopted an abandoned infant, a lovely dark-eyed girl named by her new caretakers Kiyoko, a "pure child".
The breakfast the three of them shared that morning was nothing like the meals at the beginnings of their family life. As per Natsuki's request, the meal proceeded in silence so that she could work in peace. Long gone was the rule she had set herself; the rule stating that table time was meant for being together.
One of the household members still had some trouble adhering to the new order, though.
"Mommy," the child's voice resounded clearly in the silence. "I don't want the milk. It's too hot."
Shizuru noticed the telltale twitch of her wife's left eyebrow. Yet, the long fingers were still scrolling through the text displayed on the tablet screen and the emerald eyes were still focused on the reading.
"Mommy…" Kiyoko's tone became whiny. "Miss Maria will get angry at me. We have the rehearsal today. The milk will be hot forever!"
By this time, the twitch was joined by a grimace of the tight lips and the finger-scrolling faltered for a moment. Still, with a few sips of bitter black coffee, the explosion was put off. Shizuru knew her wife well enough to know that the delay was only temporary. And so, she tried to placate their girl, blowing on her milk to cool it at least a little bit.
"There's skin on it!" Kiyoko seemed oblivious to the tension between her parents. "I hate skin. It's gooey and yuck, and it makes…"
"Enough!" Natsuki slammed both her hands onto the table. "Young lady, you will not sulk at my table. I work my fingers to the bone to put food in your plate so don't even think about wasting it just because you don't like something."
The girl looked up at her mother, scared by this outburst. Her lower lip trembled and tears were on the verge of falling from her eyes. She turned for help to her other mommy who would most probably take the skin off for her, was it not for the fear of further angering her wife.
"Oh no, young lady, you will not cry your way out of this." Natsuki cleared Kiyoko's dishes, leaving only the cursed mug. "You are not to move from your seat until you finish your milk."
Paying no further attention to her family, Natsuki gathered her belongings from the table and made it toward the front door. From the threshold, she turned back.
"Shizuru, I expect you to make sure she actually does drink it down. It's high time you started bringing her up properly. She's much too pampered!"
And with a slam, she was gone to work.
Having seen Kiyoko off to school, excused her lateness and cleaned up the mess left after their breakfast, Shizuru finally had a chance to sit down with a cup of tea. Cradling her favourite clay mug in both hands, she took a whiff of the delicate aroma of chamomile. The smell always calmed her mind and didn't fail to do it now.
It wasn't even noon yet, and she was already exhausted. After Natsuki's departure, Kiyoko threw a tantrum about the milk skin and being late for the rehearsal. As much as it pained her to see her daughter so distressed, she knew that Natsuki was at least partially right. And so the two of them spent a terrible half an hour in an intense battle of wills which ended with Kiyoko forcefully swallowing the skin and milk mixed with her own tears. All the time she looked ready to throw up and when Shizuru tried to hug her after her ordeal, the girl pushed her away.
Shizuru sighed and raised the mug to her lips only to hiss when the hot tea scorched her tongue. Still, she was too far gone in her thoughts to stay irritated by a thing like this. Turning her eyes to the wall calendar and counting days left till Christmas, she absentmindedly ran her fingers around the mug rim, smiling when they hit that chip she remembered so well.
Happy memories were cut short by an alarm clock beeping. Shizuru stood from her seat and reached into the cupboard. From behind her tea and tisane selection stash, she took out a couple of unlabelled vials. A few moments later, she once again checked the pills in her hand - more by habit than from the need to be sure, by now she could take them with her eyes closed - and swallowed them all at once, taking a few gulps of tap water afterwards.
Grabbing the mug on her way out, she left the kitchen and went to her loft studio. She stopped at the threshold, leaned against the doorframe. There laid her kingdom: canvas, paints, brushes, paintings at various stages of completion, sketches strewn across the floor. With the exhibition approaching, she really needed to do some work, even if this day she didn't feel like it. But this will be the last for the time being. After that, she should have just enough funds to put her plan into action.
Setting half-finished tea by the door frame, Shizuru stepped past the threshold. This was the battle she fought for her family. She intended to win it.
"I don't care if you're not ready. I want these samples on my desk tomorrow morning… No, I've already given you more time." Natsuki strained to keep her voice steady but the almost pleading tone of the other speaker didn't make this easy. "I want this blend to be this holidays' bestseller. I should have started advertising it by the end of November, at latest. Good thing your mistress is way smarter than you and managed to create a whole campaign without one thing certain."
Casting a glance at her watch, Natsuki swore under her breath. Yet another day was nearing its end without her achieving anything worth mentioning.
"Cut it out, Helene," she sharply interrupted the woman on the other end of the line. "Pregnancy is no disease. Unless your condition is so grave that you can't get out of bed and," Natsuki stressed the last word, preventing any possible interjections, "you have a signed medical note to prove that, either bring me the samples or don't bother coming back to work."
With that, she hung up and looked at the papers scattered across her desk. So much work to be done, day after day filled with work through and through. But if her past taught her anything, it was that she could count only on herself, that if things were to be done right and on time, she could not pass them onto others. Even if this meant that she spent whole days cooped in this office, up to her ears in invoices, notes and agreements.
Suddenly, the door to her office burst open and in came a furious redhead. Seeing Natsuki still seated behind her desk, the woman stopped in her tracks and even took a few steps back. Under Kruger's inquiring gaze, she hastened to explain:
"I thought you were already gone for the dinner, Boss. I'll come back later."
"The dinner with the officials!" Natsuki almost slapped her forehead in irritation. Between the morning fight with Kiyoko, Helene's tardiness with getting the new blend ready and myriad of other problems, the event nearly slipped her mind. Quickly gathering the papers she wanted to work on that night, she snarled at her assistant and copywriter:
"If you came to complain on behalf of your lover, Sugiura, don't even bother. She knew the conditions before accepting this job."
"Boss, but you could cut her some slack." Midori still tried to defend the company's researcher. "We're expecting in two months and the kind of flavour you want to achieve with this blend isn't exactly easy to create."
"Cut the crap, Sugiura. I gave her more than enough time. Oh, and by the way," Natsuki turned back from the door. "I need to get something from home before the meeting. I want you to greet the officials and keep them company till my arrival."
"It was Nao's job…" Just as Natsuki stepped past the threshold, a soft whisper reached her ears. She turned back to Midori, waiting for her to elaborate. "When Nao lived, she was the one taking care of guests and public relations."
"Why do you bring her up now?" asked Kruger angrily, surprisingly disconcerted by the mention of her long-time business partner.
"It's nearly her death anniversary. Remember? She died on Christmas Eve, two years ago…"
"See to the officials," barked Natsuki, leaving the room immediately after.
Hello there, girls and boys :)
It's this time of year that can't be without nth re-read or re-watch of Dickens's 'Christmas Carol'. Here's my take on that :) The story will be published through the 12 days of Christmas, most probably one chapter every other day.
As a word of warning: for the sake of this story, Shizuru and Natsuki are christians, celebrating the occasion as something more than just tree, santa and gifts. If you're allergic to mention of God, you may want to reconsider reading this story ;) JK
Very Merry Christmas, dears! May God bless you :*
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