YOUR MOTHER SHOULD KNOW
The sun was beginning to set over Kanagawa, noted Mrs. Sakuragi looking at the increasingly dark sky barely visible through the small kitchen window. She sighed in resignation as she beheaded another carrot. The weather was getting better and better those days, winter was leaving them behind and that day had been particularly wonderful... or so she'd heard. She didn't quite remember when was the last time she'd been able to enjoy a sunny day. Her days were split between endless hours under the sickly white light of the office and lonely, quiet hours spent doing household chores. That was the life of a single mother, she thought, as she poured the chopped vegetables into the pan.
Well, she shrugged, things weren't really that bad. Not any more, at least. Being a bit- quite- busy was nothing compared to the hardships she'd had to go through after her husband's passing. Being short of money, so much so that she hadn't known what else to do to bring food to the table. Crying herself to sleep because she felt lonely, because she was scared, but she couldn't show it. Enduring all that just to see her little boy get into fights, fail at school, and not knowing how to get him on track again. She had been truly scared then, once Hanamichi reached high school. Her son was nothing short of a juvenile delinquent, and it hurt. It hurt because she knew him. Hanamichi might have not been very bright, but he was a great kid, with a heart so big it was a wonder it fit in his chest. He was also the one thing that helped her get through all the other stuff, what had her getting up in the morning. Her son had been lost, and she had been loosing herself along. She'd even started to consider re-marrying. Never mind that she wasn't ready, never mind that she didn't love any of the men she could have accepted. Maybe having a man in the house again would have helped her rescue her son.
Then, something had changed. One night, Hanamichi had gotten home late, yet quite earlier than usual, carrying a pair of worn out snickers with him. He rushed to her side and started telling her about his day, about some girl and a team and a stupid kitsune. It was the first time in years he took the initiative to talk to her, and he'd looked... happy.
Her trip down Memory Lane was cut short by the sound of the front door and the even louder sound of her son's singing voice. She smiled, stirred up the sauce one more time and turned around just in time to see Hanamichi enter the kitchen, grinning manically.
"Behold the sight of the Tensai, mother!" he boasted, and patted her back a little too hard. "You should be proud of yourself, having had a son like me."
"I am, sweetie." She chuckled and kissed his cheek. "Now set the table."
He didn't even protest, just grabbed a couple of plates and did as he was told as he started talking about the upcoming game and Haruko-san. It was the same topic every night, except the times he talked about which college had the best team, or how Akagi-kun had kicked his ass into studying for some test. She didn't get in much, just listened, and that was enough. She would slowly get her life back, bit by bit, and maybe she would have something to talk about as well one of these days.
Mrs. Sakuragi had never been one to like sports, but she sure as hell loved Basketball.
OWARI
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