Chapter 10
"Mothers Day"
Nodoka Saotome nervously approached the door to a non-descript apartment in a pleasant part of Nerima. Twice during her walk over she had stopped and begun walking home. Each time she would walk no more than a block or two before she again turned and continued her journey. A casual observer would have seen a calm and dignified woman strolling down the street on a sunny afternoon, to someone who knew her; she had the air of someone walking to the gallows.
Summoning up all her remaining courage she knocked on the apartment door. Nodoka could hear someone walking toward the door. It opened.
"Hello Mrs. Saotome. This is an unexpected pleasure." Said Doctor Epstein.
The doctor led Nodoka to a comfortable looking chair and had her sit down. He bustled off to the kitchen and quickly returned with a simple English style tea service. After serving Nodoka and then himself some tea he sat down in a chair next to her, the small end table holding the tea service the only barrier between them.
Nodoka sipped her tea and observed the doctor covertly over the rim of the teacup. Her hand shook slightly. "I hope I'm not intruding." She said quietly.
"Not at all." Responded the doctor in equally quiet tones. "I had hoped to have a chance to talk to you. Ranma talks about you often."
The tremor of Nodoka 's hands increased causing the cup to rattle in its saucer. With a deep breath Nodoka controlled her hands and placed the cup on the table. "He does?" she whispered.
Doctor Epstein nodded.
"What?" Nodoka swallowed heavily. "What did he say?"
"I really can't say." Responded the doctor. "Doctor-patient privilege." He continued on seeing Nodoka 's questioning look.
"Oh." She replied in a small voice.
"What I can say is that your son loves you very much and missed you terribly all the years you were apart." He said evenly. Nodoka flinched perceptibly at the doctors' words. "You seem surprised." Said the doctor. "Is there any reason why you would believe your son wouldn't love you?"
Nodoka looked bleakly at the doctor. "He told you? Didn't he?" She said. Her voice trembled. She picked up the teacup again and tried to regain control.
"Told me what? Mrs. Saotome?" Asked the doctor. His voice remained soft and even but Nodoka could feel the steel beneath it. Nodoka 's trembling increased.
"You have no right to judge me." She cried. "You have no right."
"I do not judge anyone, Mrs. Saotome. " Said the doctor. "I just listen." The doctor gazed at Nodoka calmly.
The teacup rattled once more "I'm curious." He said finally. Nodoka looked up.
"What was Ranma like as a child?"
Nodoka looked into her teacup for a time. A faint smile of remembrance came to her lips. "He was a very happy child." She said. "Always laughing and playing." Nodoka took a sip of tea. Her hands were steadier now.
"He doesn't laugh that much anymore." Said the doctor softly.
The teacup rattled. "No. He doesn't." Nodoka replied. She looked at the doctor. Dr. Epstein's eyes seemed to bore into her. She sipped her tea. When she looked back toward the doctor he could see the tears streaming down her face. "Do you really believe I would hurt my child?"
Dr. Epstein allowed some of his anger to show. "It is unimportant whether I believe you or not." Nodoka felt pinned under his gaze. "What is important is what Ranma believes."
Nodoka put the teacup down before she dropped it. Her hands began to shake uncontrollably. She closed her eyes before speaking. "And what does he believe?" She whispered.
"I cannot say." The doctor replied.
Nodoka 's eyes shot open in disbelief and anger. "Cannot or will not?" She rasped. "I demand you tell me."
"Demand, Mrs. Saotome?" asked the doctor calmly. "By what right can you demand anything that has to do with Ranma?"
"He's my son!" She shouted.
"Not for over 10 years, he wasn't." The doctor continued before Nodoka could speak. "You allowed your husband to take him away and raise his on his own. You even signed a contract with him to that regard." Dr. Epstein took a deep breath. "A contract, I may add, that contained a clause that would require him to commit ritual suicide if YOU didn't believe him to be manly." The scorn in the doctors' voice when he said 'manly' made Nodoka shiver. "No Mrs. Saotome, as his doctor and as his friend, I'm afraid I do not recognize your rights about anything in regards to Ranma." The doctors' voice seemed to echo. "I have a sworn duty to protect my patients from possible harm."
As the doctor spoke, Nodoka seemed to shrink into herself. "Please." She begged. Nodoka buried her face in her hands in anguish. "My child is afraid of me." She choked out as if in pain. She stretched her hand out beseechingly toward the doctor. "Please help me."
Dr. Epstein's gaze softened. "What did you think of Ranma's new dress?" He asked.
The sudden change in topic jolted Nodoka. "His dress?" She asked in confusion. Suddenly recollection made her face light up. "She looked so cute." Nodoka 's face fell. "He was afraid of me then, too. Wasn't he?"
"So he told me."
Nodoka glanced sharply at the doctor. "He-he told you that?" She asked in a curious mixture of hope and fear. The doctor nodded. Nodoka 's expression was more hopeful. She began to play with the hem of her Kimono. "My son has nothing to fear from me." She asserted.
"Your son. No." agreed the doctor. "How about your daughter?"
Nodoka blushed in shame. "I deserve that." She admitted after a moment. She looked the doctor directly in the eyes. "My CHILD has nothing to fear from me." If anything, her tone was even more forceful. She scrabbled around in her purse, finally pulling out a folded piece of parchment. "I will destroy it." She said. "Here and now."
Dr. Epstein shook his head. "It would be better if you gave it to him. It would be even better if you destroyed it together." Dr. Epstein leveled a finger at Nodoka. "It would have been best if it had never existed."
Silence reigned upon the doctors' proclamation. Nodoka closed her eyes. Finally. "He-he was going to leave me and take my child with him." She said in a tone that seemed to quiver with suppressed emotion. She opened her eyes seeming to look off into someplace only she could see. "I married Genma for love, doctor." She sobbed. "HE married me for a son." Nodoka again buried her head in her hands. "I was scared and hurt and I wanted him to be as scared and as hurt as I was."
"So the pact." Said the doctor. Nodoka nodded. "One thing I don't understand." Said the doctor quizzically. "Genma is a powerful martial artist. Why would be afraid of you."
Nodoka smiled wryly. "I too come from a martial arts family." She said. She took the cloth bundle she always carried and began to unwrap it. "Our specialty is the Katana." She said holding up the blade.
End Chapter 10
"Mothers Day"
Nodoka Saotome nervously approached the door to a non-descript apartment in a pleasant part of Nerima. Twice during her walk over she had stopped and begun walking home. Each time she would walk no more than a block or two before she again turned and continued her journey. A casual observer would have seen a calm and dignified woman strolling down the street on a sunny afternoon, to someone who knew her; she had the air of someone walking to the gallows.
Summoning up all her remaining courage she knocked on the apartment door. Nodoka could hear someone walking toward the door. It opened.
"Hello Mrs. Saotome. This is an unexpected pleasure." Said Doctor Epstein.
The doctor led Nodoka to a comfortable looking chair and had her sit down. He bustled off to the kitchen and quickly returned with a simple English style tea service. After serving Nodoka and then himself some tea he sat down in a chair next to her, the small end table holding the tea service the only barrier between them.
Nodoka sipped her tea and observed the doctor covertly over the rim of the teacup. Her hand shook slightly. "I hope I'm not intruding." She said quietly.
"Not at all." Responded the doctor in equally quiet tones. "I had hoped to have a chance to talk to you. Ranma talks about you often."
The tremor of Nodoka 's hands increased causing the cup to rattle in its saucer. With a deep breath Nodoka controlled her hands and placed the cup on the table. "He does?" she whispered.
Doctor Epstein nodded.
"What?" Nodoka swallowed heavily. "What did he say?"
"I really can't say." Responded the doctor. "Doctor-patient privilege." He continued on seeing Nodoka 's questioning look.
"Oh." She replied in a small voice.
"What I can say is that your son loves you very much and missed you terribly all the years you were apart." He said evenly. Nodoka flinched perceptibly at the doctors' words. "You seem surprised." Said the doctor. "Is there any reason why you would believe your son wouldn't love you?"
Nodoka looked bleakly at the doctor. "He told you? Didn't he?" She said. Her voice trembled. She picked up the teacup again and tried to regain control.
"Told me what? Mrs. Saotome?" Asked the doctor. His voice remained soft and even but Nodoka could feel the steel beneath it. Nodoka 's trembling increased.
"You have no right to judge me." She cried. "You have no right."
"I do not judge anyone, Mrs. Saotome. " Said the doctor. "I just listen." The doctor gazed at Nodoka calmly.
The teacup rattled once more "I'm curious." He said finally. Nodoka looked up.
"What was Ranma like as a child?"
Nodoka looked into her teacup for a time. A faint smile of remembrance came to her lips. "He was a very happy child." She said. "Always laughing and playing." Nodoka took a sip of tea. Her hands were steadier now.
"He doesn't laugh that much anymore." Said the doctor softly.
The teacup rattled. "No. He doesn't." Nodoka replied. She looked at the doctor. Dr. Epstein's eyes seemed to bore into her. She sipped her tea. When she looked back toward the doctor he could see the tears streaming down her face. "Do you really believe I would hurt my child?"
Dr. Epstein allowed some of his anger to show. "It is unimportant whether I believe you or not." Nodoka felt pinned under his gaze. "What is important is what Ranma believes."
Nodoka put the teacup down before she dropped it. Her hands began to shake uncontrollably. She closed her eyes before speaking. "And what does he believe?" She whispered.
"I cannot say." The doctor replied.
Nodoka 's eyes shot open in disbelief and anger. "Cannot or will not?" She rasped. "I demand you tell me."
"Demand, Mrs. Saotome?" asked the doctor calmly. "By what right can you demand anything that has to do with Ranma?"
"He's my son!" She shouted.
"Not for over 10 years, he wasn't." The doctor continued before Nodoka could speak. "You allowed your husband to take him away and raise his on his own. You even signed a contract with him to that regard." Dr. Epstein took a deep breath. "A contract, I may add, that contained a clause that would require him to commit ritual suicide if YOU didn't believe him to be manly." The scorn in the doctors' voice when he said 'manly' made Nodoka shiver. "No Mrs. Saotome, as his doctor and as his friend, I'm afraid I do not recognize your rights about anything in regards to Ranma." The doctors' voice seemed to echo. "I have a sworn duty to protect my patients from possible harm."
As the doctor spoke, Nodoka seemed to shrink into herself. "Please." She begged. Nodoka buried her face in her hands in anguish. "My child is afraid of me." She choked out as if in pain. She stretched her hand out beseechingly toward the doctor. "Please help me."
Dr. Epstein's gaze softened. "What did you think of Ranma's new dress?" He asked.
The sudden change in topic jolted Nodoka. "His dress?" She asked in confusion. Suddenly recollection made her face light up. "She looked so cute." Nodoka 's face fell. "He was afraid of me then, too. Wasn't he?"
"So he told me."
Nodoka glanced sharply at the doctor. "He-he told you that?" She asked in a curious mixture of hope and fear. The doctor nodded. Nodoka 's expression was more hopeful. She began to play with the hem of her Kimono. "My son has nothing to fear from me." She asserted.
"Your son. No." agreed the doctor. "How about your daughter?"
Nodoka blushed in shame. "I deserve that." She admitted after a moment. She looked the doctor directly in the eyes. "My CHILD has nothing to fear from me." If anything, her tone was even more forceful. She scrabbled around in her purse, finally pulling out a folded piece of parchment. "I will destroy it." She said. "Here and now."
Dr. Epstein shook his head. "It would be better if you gave it to him. It would be even better if you destroyed it together." Dr. Epstein leveled a finger at Nodoka. "It would have been best if it had never existed."
Silence reigned upon the doctors' proclamation. Nodoka closed her eyes. Finally. "He-he was going to leave me and take my child with him." She said in a tone that seemed to quiver with suppressed emotion. She opened her eyes seeming to look off into someplace only she could see. "I married Genma for love, doctor." She sobbed. "HE married me for a son." Nodoka again buried her head in her hands. "I was scared and hurt and I wanted him to be as scared and as hurt as I was."
"So the pact." Said the doctor. Nodoka nodded. "One thing I don't understand." Said the doctor quizzically. "Genma is a powerful martial artist. Why would be afraid of you."
Nodoka smiled wryly. "I too come from a martial arts family." She said. She took the cloth bundle she always carried and began to unwrap it. "Our specialty is the Katana." She said holding up the blade.
End Chapter 10