Swing Upon A Palm
Chapter 5 Part A
It was already dark when the Suzuki finished unpacking at last on their fifth day in their new home. It was extremely small, barely big enough to house the family of four.
The small Japanese and western furniture were already set in their temporary places as well as the cooking utensils were organized in the small kitchen. The mattresses were already lying in the two small bedrooms; Miho sleeping with Mrs. Suzuki while the twins slept in the other.
Everyone were tired from unpacking, but thanks to the Hamada and the Nakajima, the job was shortened and not so hard to accomplished.
Outside on the balcony of the house, Miho sat, relaxing to the calmness of the night. She stared at the small lighting of the stars. Thn, she looked down the pat as her palm opened on her lap.
Days before, while her absence in the Hamada extended, Miho wandered down that very path. There, she discovered on eplace that finally can calm her feelings and clear her mind.
The third night when Miho discontinued to returned to the Hamada, she decided to walk down that path. Just seven blocks away from the house. It was dark that night, but the street lights were able to give enough lights to guide her path.
A soda can was lying in front of her. She examined it as if it would attack hera ny minute. She blinked once and swung her leg to kick it. The flying can flew through the beds of tall bushes and stopped clinging behind.
She turned to leave, but something behind the bushes suddenly drew her back. Her body walked towards the huge, tall bushes as she squint passed the small openings. Finding a passageway as she separated the thorny bushes with her hands, she squeezed herself through. When she passed the bushes, instead of another lane of houses and streets, it was a small playground. A very, very small playground with only a square sandbox filled with sand and two swings hanging from its holder. The monkey bars were low and colorded with silver bars and colorful connecting metals. The two low slides were joined with the children's playhouse.
She watched unknowingly as her mind became blank as if she became lost in another world. A smirk appeared on her face. How can a place like this be hidden by all these bushes? she thought as she now see the numbers of bushes circling the small playground, separating its existence from the outside. She yawned and walked towards the nearest empty swing. Miho slowly seesawed her feet as she watched the twinkling stars.
A sudden breeze blew into her face, making her fresh of mind. The night sing softly as the golden sand kissed the bare skins of her ankles. When it seemed like a very long time, she finally managed to ask herself, "My face…..Is less tense now….Strange….What really is this place?"
"How unexpected to see a stranger here, even this late too," an old man's voice husked. She turned her head to meet a grey-haired old man, walking towards her. He sat himself on the other swing. "Why, you're a new face. Did you just move here?"
Miho didn't answer. He coughed. "If you don't know about this place….It was a small playground I designed for my wife and daughter." She finally raised her head towards the old man.
He sighed heavily. "My wife…..She was a lovely ballet dancer. I will always remember how she had dance that night when we first met……Oh, I'm sorry….."
"I don't mind," Miho answered to his departing movements. The rising old man glanced at her and then sat himself back down.
"Ahahahhaahaha. Not many young kids these days want to listened to a boring old story of an old man like me….My wife really loves our only child. That's why she retired being a ballet dancer and request me to build a playground, especially for my daughter. However, it took me three years to finally finish it and when that time came…..My wife passed away with my daughter only three years of age." He paused and studied the slides. "My daughter loves that slide a lot……Hahahhahaa. How unexpected for my daughter to grow out to be someone so extraordinary. I really set a bad influence for her. Haaaaa.. I wonder if she will ever marry with a personality like hers. Hahahhahaha…… Maybe someday you will meet her too. If I give you a description, you can probably make out who she is if you see her…….You know, child, from your silence….I can tell you don't really speak out your mind, do you? Probably from a passed experience or rather a nature. But sometimes, not saying anything really makes others think wrong of you. Whatever it is that's pulling you back, you always have to move forward." He paused as he swing himself a bit.
"If you don't have support nor force nor your hands to hold onto the swing, you can never go forward nor can you go any higher than your current state."
"What are you trying to say?" Miho questioned his conundrum, finding it somewhat useless to say to a person like her.
He laughed as he got off the swing, making his way towards the bushes. "I'm getting too old to be sticking around here this late. I have to get some sleep now. Someday, you will discover it in your own palm of the forthcoming. Go get some sleep as well, child. It's very late out." With that, he disappeared behind the bushes.
Miho looked down at her open palm, folding and extending her fingers. "What did he mean to say things like that?" she asked as she studied the lines of her palm.
Now….Are you getting any ideas to what the meaning of the title really mean? lol….Must be ridiculous… Lol….but yeap, its meaning reflect to life…lol.. Oh…. This chapter explains a little about what made Miho realize about herself and her actions in the further chapters and the missing pieces in her palm….. Laugh… Next part will reveal about Kenchiro's past in chapter 5 part B….