MATH RUINS LIVES
N.B. Wow, I'm updating! :D Very surprised I got such a fast review, thank you HotIceRed :) Trying to make a good habit of updating, but my brain is being squeezed dry thanks to college and university applications!
Nana Komatsu did what she did every morning. She prepared her daughter's lunch neatly into a pink bento box and cooked breakfast while at it. Today she decided to make some tamagoyaki, and they were sizzling in the pan while she packed her daughter's onigiri ume into her lunch box along with some pickles and… fruit, thought Nana. She went to the vegetable crisper and looked quickly at their selection. Apples… No. They'd turn brown by the time she opened up her lunch box, and Satsuki wouldn't eat them. Oranges? They'd dry out probably. What about watermelon? Wait, they're dry out too. We're out of bananas.
Nana moved the boxes of fruits around, then saw a red box. She smiled and took it out, removed a few of the ripe red fruits and put them into the last empty section of the lunch box. She added a little whipped cream to the side of them, and covered the lunch box carefully while still smiling. Strawberries. Nana's favourite. Nana K. never forgot anything about those that mattered to her. She moved back to the stove, removed the three rolls of tamagoyaki, placing them on plates and setting three place settings on the dining table.
"Mom, is breakfast ready?" Satsuki called from her room.
"Yes, it's waiting for you on the dining table," Nana replied while chopping some tomatoes that she had gotten from Junko. Her daughter appeared suddenly, and stole a slice. While still munching, she strolled over to the refrigerator and poured herself a generous glass of orange juice to go with her eggs. In a short while, she was calling her goodbyes to her mother, grabbing her lunch box and leaving for school.
Nana finished up chopping the apples and arranged them daintily on a willow patterned plate. She went to the refrigerator and poured out two glasses of juice as well. As she was placing these on the table, a voice exclaimed suddenly.
"Oh my God, you woke up early and prepared breakfast!" Nobu said excitedly. He sat down enthusiastically, and Nana laughed at him.
"I had to prepare her off for school anyways, but why are you so happy about it?" She asked, sitting down opposite him.
"It's just, it's been a while since I've tasted your cooking," Nobu replied while digging in. "THIS IS AWESOME!" Nana smiled at him over the rim of her glass.
"Well, you'll have more opportunities to taste my cooking now," she said to him. Nobu stuffed a tomato enthusiastically into his mouth and smiled at her. "I'll love every moment of it." He held out his hand to her, and she put hers in it. That simple gesture reminded them of such simple times, back when everything was uncomplicated and when they were happy. But they had come too far now to give up. They wouldn't. Nothing could break this.
In the toilet of the recording studio, Nana Osaki replayed moments of the past few weeks.
"You've got a major world tour lined up! You've been doing many regional tours and a few national ones, but Gaia has decided it's time to take the plunge. The stadiums are all booked, you guys are leaving soon!" Ginpei had exclaimed. Shin and Nobu exclaimed excitedly and whooped. Yasu kept his cool as usual while she had screamed along and ran around excitedly.
"When do we leave?!" she asked.
"A month! So get ready guys! We've got to do this. You guys are it! Trapnest never made it this far! So you've got to hold the record for this. Give it your best!"
Fast forward.
"You're going on a world tour?" Ren asked, one chopstick dropping. "We just got MARRIED!"
"Well, Ginpei says it's time for it. We have an INTERNATIONAL fan base now. I'm not giving this up!" she had replied. She picked up her dishes and placed them in the sink. "I can't wait for this!"
"Well, I'm happy for you," Ren said, joining her at the sink. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and breathed in the scent of her hair. "I wish you didn't have to leave though. I should chain you to the bed and never let you go!"
"As if anything could chain me!" she had replied cheekily. He patted her as he went back to the room.
"You never know."
Fast forward.
Nobu's head was bowed, and he looked moodily at his shoes. "Cheer up Nobu," Shin said encouragingly. "We'll be back soon enough. Hachi will be fine."
"I'm just worried about what Takumi might do," Nobu had replied. Nana looked at him hard.
"He can't do anything now. What we need to do, is SELL. Be psyched! We should bring Hachi along actually!" she said suddenly, inspired.
"Haha, Ginpei would never allow it," Yasu said while tapping his snare. "Nobu would be too occupied with her."
Fast forward. Forwardforwardforward.
"Bleargh!" The toilet flushes. She sits down on it, shaking slightly, a cold sweat breaking out on her forehead. She ran her hands through her hair, closed her eyes to concentrate on holding down her nausea. She crossed over to her bag in the room and looked at the little circle of pills. She put them down, and then took out a plastic bag from her handbag.
Forwardforwardforward.
A little red cross. A little red cross which screwed up her life her plans all gone down the drain fuck fuck FUCK how could this have HAPPENED?
She hurled it across the room. It clattered against the wall noisily but she took no notice. She sank down to her knees, eyes wide and hands clutching at her hair. She held herself and rocked back and forth on her heels, staring at nothing, only thoughts going through her head randomly, quickly and in a blur.
This can't be happening, this can't be happening, this can't be happening. The mantra pounded on and on, over and over in her head, repeating itself, resounding loudly and with each repetition, she grew more panicked.
What do I do, what do I do, what the FUCK DO I FUCKING DO?
Tears filled her eyes, and it was only then did she realize she was shouting, out loud, to nobody in particular. Nana stopped rocking back and forth, then stood up and walked to stare in the mirror at her reflection. Black trails of mascara ran down her face, while her eyes were huge, dark and burning. She continued staring for a minute, then turned on the water and washed her face clean.
Nana didn't hurry. She washed up, then dried off, then walked to her mobile phone, which was lying on the bed. She pressed a button, then pressed call.
Fifteen minutes later, she was sitting in a little café, wearing her dark sunglasses, trademark stockings and combat boots and an oversized striped sweater dress. Her Vivienne Westwood ring sparkled in the late afternoon sunlight. The silver was worn, the edges rounded and smooth to the touch. That ring was part of her, never seen without it; as permanent as the lotus flower tattooed on her arm. She tapped her cigarette, and took another pull. The coffee in front of her was black, a strawberry cake lay half eaten. The whipped cream was inviting. Nana placed her cigarette habitually onto the ashtray, lifted her finger and scooped a bit off. The sharp sweet tang of it was welcoming on her tongue. She licked her fingers, and picked up the honey coated strawberry, licking off the gel and biting into it. A tiny bell tinkled.
Yasu sat down opposite her and watched her devour her strawberry.
"Coffee, black," he said in reply to the waiter's unasked question, who nodded and headed off, returning with a cup of black coffee. Yasu waited till he had left.
"Nana. What's wrong?" he brought out a pack of cigarettes too, Blast cherry flavoured as always. Nana bent her head. Yasu leant forward and placed a hand on her arm.
"Nana," he said softly, squeezing her arm slightly. She didn't look up, but stared at his long fingers; the large stone ring; the scorpion engraving. Then she looked up at him, feeling tears prick her eyes.
"Yasu," she barely whispered, her voice hoarse and shaky. Yasu stubbed out his stick, then held her arm more firmly, worried. Nana bent her head and started sobbing quietly into her hands. Yasu dumped some money on the table, then successfully got Nana to get up and go outside.
They walked along to a quieter place, near a park. Nana had stopped crying, but was still determinedly not looking up or making eye contact with anyone. Yasu stopped suddenly and turned to her, hands on her hands which were encircling herself.
"Nana. What is it?" She looked at him finally.
"I'm pregnant."
N.B. Well… What do you think?
