There was a slam, and Jigen awoke from his nap on the couch.
"Glock? Is that you?" He called.
There was no answer, just a rummaging sound.
That boy was always hungry.
Jigen stood up and stepped into the kitchen.
Glock had a banana in one hand, a soda in his pocket, a hotdog in his mouth and still seemed to be looking for sustenance.
He finally pulled out a container of soup and swallowed the hotdog in one bite.
"Can you really eat all that?" Jigen asked. He knew his son could, but it was the way he and Glock talked. They were both quiet, and not given to conversation.
Glock put the soup in the microwave.
"You're just like me," continued Jigen, not waiting for an answer. "I was the same way when I was your age. I ate my parents out of house and home, and stayed skinny."
Indeed, the boy had inherited his father's lanky frame. He had also inherited his mother's long blonde hair and blue eyes and had her quiet, if masculine, voice.
"I'm going out tonight." Glock told his father.
"Where to?" Jigen never really bothered with his kids. He loved them, but they really ran themselves.
"I'm going to visit sis, and then I'm going on a date with Eva Marie. We're going to mom's house."
Jigen sighed. "Check to see how Beretta's doing, alright? Your sister never tells me anything. She always tells me some cock and bull story about working with fish. I thought I taught you guys to lie better than that."
"Yeah dad."
Glock knew that while his father would never prevent him from living his own life, that didn't prevent Jigen from giving advice.
The young man felt sorry for his father, though. He knew his dad was upset about being separated from his mom.
"And treat Eva Marie nice, you got that? She may be half-Fujiko…" The years had not helped that relationship any. In fact, Jigen blamed Fujiko for Lupin's continuing grief over Lupin IV. She had never shown him any support after that day.
"She may be half of…that woman…But, she's my best friend's only kid. If you ever do anything to her, I'll kill you, boy."
Glock nodded and inhaled the soup. He loved Eva Marie too much to hurt her. Glock then had to dance around the room for several minutes. He had burned his mouth.
After he had finished dancing, all while Jigen watched without offering to help, Jigen finished his dictations.
"And tell your mother..."
"Bhat?" Glock's mouth still hurt.
"That she should visit- -you more. She shouldn't make you come to her house all the time."
Glock knew this was as close as Jigen ever came to admitting he missed his wife.
He nodded and went out.
A few hours later, Goemon came to visit. Jigen was back on the couch.
"Jigen?" said the samurai.
"Oh. Hey, Goemon."
"Why, Jigen? Why?"
This happened every month. Goemon came to complain about his kids to Jigen. He always came when he collected his "rent". Goemon had kinda lost it when Ai died.
"My children scorn the proud names I gave them…Susanne defies me, Fujiko ignores me, and Goemon hates me. And it's all your fault!"
Jigen rolled his eyes under his hat.
"All they want to do is laze around, and they've taken these ridiculous names!"
"So? You named them when they were young. Now that they're older, that changes."
"But Goemon wishes to be called Frolic Brodderick!"
"It's as good as Goemon Ishikawa XIV."
"Susanne is as good as Hero Gyro? Fujiko is as good as Baffi Boushi?"
"I don't see your point."
This was met by a glare.
"You know it's your fault."
"Listen, your kids like me. I like them. They want to be like me. Who am I to stop it?"
"But, what have you become?" cried Goemon.
"Well, when I told them I was a hippie, that seemed like a pretty good description. That was a joke.
Now I am one, and nothing's really changed. I just have justification for lying around all day."
"You have brought shame upon my house!"
"Well, you've brought hysteria to mine. Listen, I've got a lava lamp you can look at if you want to clam your chi or whatever."
Goemon stomped out of the room and slammed the front door.
Jigen was depressed.
Cinnamon could've helped with that conversation.
She was always better at talking to people.
But not to me. That's one reason why we're not together anymore.
I shouldn't have just left it up to her. I should have spoken before…
Jigen fell into a fitful sleep.
