2
Life went on being its regular self for a while. They had a few weeks where the weather was scorching and Liz got nice tan from a couple days by the sea. Keiko burned because she didn't bother with sun cream and she was paying for it now. She'd seen a few others around but other than that Liz's time was mainly split between school and relaxing at home or the beach.
It had been another hot Saturday and she'd spent it relaxing on the sand. A few hours had given her a nice glow and she was feeling relaxed and on top of the world. Though all the sun had been getting her tanned it had also meant that she'd started turning almost blonde. Recently, she'd been toying with the idea of having a pink streak dyed in her hair. It wouldn't be quite the full pink bob she had when she was online but it would be nice to have some colour in there. Her dark brown hair had always seemed unremarkable to her.
Dressed in shorts, sandals and a top, Liz was walking back home and feeling the afternoon heat. Her headphones were over her ears and one of her favourite albums was playing from her phone. Seeing it to her right, she decided to take the scenic route, through the park, as it was still sunny and she had nowhere to be anytime soon.
It was kind of busy, the weekend meaning that more people were out and about, but despite this it wasn't crowded. Liz loved this park. It was big and could hold a lot of people but the paths wound through the trees and at times it could feel like there were only a few of you enjoying the breeze in the branches. The shade was nice.
It was a good ten minutes' walk across the park and she enjoyed lazily strolling over the gravel. Her headphones meant she shut out all sound from around her and she felt at peace, almost in her own little bubble. She kept getting small stones between her toes, though, which ruined it a bit. After the fourth shake of a sandal she gave up and headed for the exit.
The path she was on took her to a different part of town and as she left it she had to take a few seconds to get her bearings again. Working out where she was she realised that quite near was where she used to live, before her parents had moved her to the smaller house so they'd be closer to work. She missed that old house. It had the best garden, swings and trees, and she'd had her own room. Moving meant she had had to share with her sister.
It's only down the road, she thought, and kind of on my way. She nodded and set off towards the place she'd lived for the first ten years of her life.
She hadn't been to this part of the town for ages. The nostalgia trip was both exciting and sad as she kept seeing things and places that reminded her of times when she was still little. There was the sweet shop where she'd spend her pocket money, the shop that her mum had bought her first school uniform at, and the cinema where she and her parents would go. All of it she drank in. She bought a pasty from the independent baker's, that she was thrilled was still there, and it was so good.
But it wasn't all fun. She kept seeing that things she remembered being there weren't any more. Like the arcade that had only recently closed down, it seemed, or the fish and chips shop that sold the largest fish. What made her especially glum was that the old bookshop that Liz would buy her books at was gone. She'd particularly liked it because it used to have a whole display dedicated to books that had been signed by the authors. It was clearly the same building because of the unmistakable wooden frame on the roof. It swept above the other building tops and narrowed to a point, ending with a metal star. Now, though, the books were nowhere to be seen and she sighed as she saw that it had become a betting house, something that Liz held a particular dislike for. She moved quickly on.
A minute later, though, and straight ahead of her was one more blast from the past. Liz slowed as she recognised the all-wooden structure ahead of her. They even had the same jazzy, rock music playing. "Kobayashi's" was painted above the door on a wooden sign. It wasn't overly large but it was a nice family-run café/restaurant with tables and chairs out the front. She remembered that she used to go there quite regularly when she was younger, her dad would take her after swimming for ice cream.
It seemed pretty unchanged. There was new decking and the awning was obviously new but everything else was just as she remembered. Wonder if they're still doing well, she mused and wandered through the door, briefly noting the 'Help Wanted' sign in the window. She had to sweep the bead curtain out of the way and it rained down on her back when she was through. A couple finished paying up at the counter as she entered and headed out past her.
Seeing who was working today she smiled. "Hey, Mister Kobayashi, long time no see."
The man behind the counter looked up and beamed at her. He'd gotten fatter since she'd last seen him and Liz noticed how his hair was now mostly grey. But there was no mistaking the man who'd remember she wanted chocolate and vanilla each weekend without ever having to ask her.
His smile was in danger of reaching his ears. "Ah, Rika! It has been a long time. How are you? How's your dad?" He walked around the counter to talk to her properly and shook her hand in earnest. He was all grin and she could tell he was thrilled to see her again.
She smiled back at him, warmly. "We're both good, thank you. He's been promoted at work and now moves all around the country to oversee the company's offices. I'm still at school though. How about you?"
Mr Kobayashi nodded. "I'm good, thank you for asking, still here, still doing my thing. The place has been getting pretty busy lately. Guess the sun's been helping us out," he chuckled. "What have you been getting up to these days?"
"Just school really. The beach has been great in this weather though," she added and gestured over her shoulder to suggest that was where she'd come from. "I haven't been down this way for so long, it was nice to see it all again."
"Well, I'm very glad you did," he said, still beaming. "I don't suppose you'd want to keep coming down this way? We're actually looking for new staff if you're interested? Aiko, bless her, has gone to live with her dad in Kyoto after her parents split up and I'm afraid that Ichiro just doesn't want to help anymore. So we've been advertising around town."
Liz gestured towards the door, "Yeah, I saw the sign. What exactly are you looking for?"
He seemed excited at her interest. His hands started moving more as he talked at least. "Oh, well it'll be two roles eventually but first we'd start you in the café, taking orders, making tea, serving cake. Then once you've got that you can start in the restaurant, delivering food and table service. Sound alright?"
She nodded. "I guess I could, as long as I could do outside school hours?"
He clapped his hands together. "Perfect! Want to do a trial shift? Say, Monday?"
Liz blinked. She'd only come in to say hi. "Er, sure," she grinned. It was about time she got a job, she guessed, it would be nice to have something to do and earn a bit of money doing it.
"Marvellous. Can I get you anything while you're here? We've still got the homemade chocolate-vanilla combo." He winked at her.
Her eyes lit up and she felt flattered that he still remembered. Kobayashi ice cream was the best. "Oh, yes please," she said and reached into her bag for her purse.
He waved his hand at her. "No, no, no, it's on me. I insist. Call it a welcome to the team bonus." He started scooping it into a tub. He'd even remembered that she wasn't a fan of cones.
"Oh, right. Well, thank you very much then." She gratefully took the tub and swiftly brought a scoop of both flavours to her lips. It was even better than she'd remembered. Mr Kobayashi looked thrilled at her enjoyment.
"It was really good to see you again, Rika. And may I just say, what a beautiful young woman you've grown into." He bowed gently.
She blushed. "Thank you, Mr Kobayashi," she said, "See you Monday then." She left, eating the ice cream as she went.
The ice cream was the perfect thing in the summer heat. It very quickly vanished and Liz found herself wanting even more. But, no, she restrained herself from rushing back for another tub.
The cobbles of the street were reflecting the sun up at her and she pulled out her sunglasses from her back to tone down the brightness. It was a pleasant walk from the shops into the area where it was more houses than anything else. The trees were rustling slightly in a lazy breeze.
It wasn't long before she was slowing down in front of her old house. She had no trouble finding it, the entrance still had the beautiful arch over it with the rose bush growing through the wooden slats. In the height of summer the flowers had started to lose their shine and wither somewhat and yet they were still an incredible shade of red and scattered over the green brilliantly.
She didn't want to go in. The hedge had come down and now you could see into the whole garden, meaning that she didn't even need a reason to.
Looking through the upstairs window she could see into her old bedroom. It was unrecognisable now that the walls had been painted and things moved. Then someone passed by and she jumped. It was still weird, even after all this time, to see other people living in the house. In her head, without her family it should be empty. But it wasn't. And looking around she could see that everything was different. That old swing had gone. No daffodils were in the front garden.
It had been a stupid idea, she realised, to go and hope that nothing had changed after all these years. That swing had been old by the time they'd moved, of course it had been taken down. But still. She wanted those things to be there, even now. If she couldn't live there anymore then it would have been nice to have a piece of her life preserved. She guessed it was, except it was only in her memory.
Anyway, she realised, it's getting dark now. Best be off.
The sun had sunk behind the trees and now only the orange glow gave her any light. It was dark when she got back and Keiko had already gone to sleep, Liz could tell from the rumbling snores rolling down the stairs. For such a little girl she could make a heck of a lot of noise.
Five minutes later and she was washed and in bed. It had been an eventful day but, she reckoned, a good one. She fell asleep smiling.
