Tsukushi trudged wearily home from work. Her new job was ok, she supposed;
there was nothing wrong with working in an ice cream parlor. But it was
lonely being by herself when there were no customers, and sometimes she
felt that the tubs of creamy goodness were tempting her --calling her to
just try a little of this flavor, or that one-- temptations she felt her
waistline could ill-afford. Still, it was a job. The money was good, and
the setting didn't remind her of Yuki. . . and her . . . Tsukushi was too
forgiving to quite call it a betrayal, so she finally settled on. . .error.
Whatever. Tsukushi resolutely lifted her chin. It was true; she couldn't rely on anyone but herself. She could accept the friendship that others -- that Doumyouji -- offered, but to rely on it to keep her heart from further damage? That she could not do.
She could however, forgive. And she hoped that in time, she could learn to forget that she ever believed Soujiro loved her. Maybe then they could be friends. After all, if she could reconcile with Doumyouji, then anything was possible, right?
Dusk was falling as Tsukushi stumbled up the dimly lit stairs to her apartment.
"Susumu, I'm home!" she called out, as she pushed the door closed behind her. Strangely, when Susumu answered her, it sounded as if his voice were coming from the kitchen, instead of from their bedroom as usual.
"Hey Sis. . . You have a visitor." His voice was tight, as if he were struggling to repress excitement or stress in his tone.
"Who is it?. . . Oh!" Tsukushi made her way to the cramped kitchen, gasping with recognition as she saw the woman who sat at her rickety table, daintily sipping tea from a chipped cup. Hastily, Tsukushi summed up a smile, and greeted her guest brightly, "Mrs. Nishikado! What can I do for you?" Sure, she was confused, but that was no reason to be rude to such a surprise visitor. "Would you care for something to eat? Can I get you anything?" And, of course, Tsukushi's nervousness at this intrusion into her home made her babble like a maniac.
Mrs. Nishikado sat patiently and waited for Tsukushi to wind down. The expression on her face was quite similar to the one she often wore while indulging in her youngest son's prattle.
"Miss Makino." She began at last, eyeing the girl severely, "What has happened between you and my son?"
"Umm. . . err, what?" Tsukushi blinked stupidly. She hadn't known what she was expecting her guest to ask. But this was not it. She didn't mean to be rude to the older woman, but she was momentarily stunned into silence and couldn't reply.
Mrs. Nishikado sighed and regarded Tsukushi intently. She hadn't known what to think of the girl at first, when she'd first started showing up at the Nishikado estate at all hours of the day (and night.) In the beginning, she'd been under the impression that the girl was dating the Doumyouji boy, but she'd soon learned the error of that assumption. . . . More strange was the way her son changed around Makino. While he still frequently didn't come home until morning, he'd somehow started to seem less angry when he was around. He hadn't yelled at his father as much, and he'd been nicer to his mother. . . . Mrs. Nishikado had begun to wonder how Makino had wrought this change, and had investigated her background extensively. She'd been quite surprised to learn how poor the girl was. . . but, Anything that made her son happy was something she could approve of. She'd been even more delighted when the two had started dating, and Soujiro stopped drinking so heavily. It was something of a comfort to know that when he was out all night, he was with one person -- even if she still didn't approve of the illicit activities she suspected, it was still better than what her son had used to be like.
And then, Something had happened. Her son was moping around, acting like a fool, and wouldn't tell her a thing. Not that he ever did. But she was sick of being in the dark about her own son's life. The family had too much unhappiness and too many dark secrets behind their veneer of respectability. She was sick of it, and this time, though Soujiro might accuse her of being a meddlesome old woman, she intended to do something about it.
That something started here and now, with this conversation, although the seeds had been planted several weeks ago when she had received a strange phone call. . . .
"Let me tell you a story." Mrs. Nishikado spoke abruptly, and waited for Tsukushi to focus on her once more, "I got a call the other day, from an old acquaintance of mine. Doumyouji Kaede. I believe you know her." Tsukushi nodded jerkily, "Now, normally I do not believe in spreading gossip, but as this concerns you, I thought it only proper to relay the details to you."
The relevant portion of the conversation had gone something like this:
". . . It has come to my attention that your family is associating with, shall we say, undesirable elements?" Kaede sounded as snide as ever.
"Indeed? Of whom do you speak?" At first, she had been certain that Kaede had called to point out another of her husband's illicit trysts.
"Her name is Makino Tsukushi. This girl caused my fool son no end of trouble to get rid of. If you don't want your family name shamed by the association, I'd advise you to get rid of the nuisance as soon as possible."
"Really? She seems like a nice enough young lady to me." Nishikado was getting angrier by the second at the other's meddling in her family's affairs, but like any well-bred woman she was too polite to show it.
"Don't be deceived." Kaede's voice could have flash frozen boiling water, "My advice to you would be to marry your son off as soon as possible, to keep him out of further trouble .just as I have done with mine."
At this, Mrs. Nishikado snorted silently. As if anything short of death could keep Doumyouji Tsukasa out of trouble. She especially resented Kaede's inference that marriage could solve anything. She'd been married off at an early age, after all. And look where it had gotten her -- an unhappy marriage, a faithless husband, and three unruly emotionally stunted sons. Oh no, she would have laughed at Kaede. But nobody laughed at Kaede to her face. Instead, she mustered hr own calm and replied equally coolly, "Thank you for your concern. But I think I can handle my own family business. In fact, I should suggest that you reconsider your information. You have obviously heard incorrect information concerning Miss Makino. If anything, her relationship with my son has improved his attitude considerably," and from what the other gossips say, it was her who turned your son around too, and Not any of your doing, she added silently. "I count my son as mature enough to make his own decisions for the good of the family, without forcing him into any hasty matches." She emphasized the last words, thinking on the unseemly haste of the Doumyouji-Okawahara match. Besides, who in their right mind married kids off as teenagers these days? She planned to wait until Soujiro was done with university before saddling him with a wife and all the responsibility that would entail.
The conversation had gone on a bit after that, with both sides feeling slighted by the other, but each too proud to say anything. In the end, Ms. Nishikado had rung off, feeling that Kaede was an ignorant meddler who didn't know a good thing if it came up and bit her in the ass. She had been confident that events would prove that she, not the elitist Doumyoujis would be proven right by future events.
But then it had all come apart. Something had happened to send Soujiro spiraling into the blackest depression she'd ever witnessed. And Makino hadn't been by even once this week, neither in the day, nor creeping in late at night.
Mrs. Nishikado was worried. Worried enough to stoop to visiting Tsukushi in the closet she called a home to find out what was going on. Her family was important to her, and her sons' happiness most of all. As a mother, she was determined to do whatever was in her power, to help her children. But for that to happen, she first needed to know what had happened.
She stated her request for information once more, and this time, Tsukushi managed to stammer out a coherent reply.
Eventually, Soujiro's mother nodded, satisfied with the information she had received.
"Alas, it runs in the family. . . .I can not ask you to forgive my son, but. . .I would ask for you not to hate him. He needs you more than he can admit. . . Please, I would not ask you to do this if I knew a better way, but will you see him?"
Tsukushi stared, aghast at the older woman. How could she sit there and ask Tsukushi to confront the source of her own unhappiness? It was obvious that she wanted her to forgive Soujiro, to take him back, just as Mrs. Nishikado had taken back Soujiro's father after each of his trysts. Tsukushi wasn't sure she could do that. But the older woman had a point, it was no good to leave it like this, with so much unsaid between them -- so much silence where once there had been a meeting of the hearts. If nothing else, Tsukushi had to know -- needed to understand why: what had gone wrong, why she had been so suddenly abandoned by the man she loved, and why he now was hiding in a silent hell of his own imagining.
What else could she do? Tsukushi nodded slowly, agreeing to Mrs. Nishikado's request. Together, they rose and left the apartment: two lonely women under a dark and starless sky.
To be continued.
~~~Man oh man it's hard to type after scraping nasty paint off the floor. (why the floor is painted I'll never know -- but having decided that I want to refinish the wood, I'm now subjected to the joy of RSI! I have no idea where this chapter came from. Or why. But here it is..~~~
Whatever. Tsukushi resolutely lifted her chin. It was true; she couldn't rely on anyone but herself. She could accept the friendship that others -- that Doumyouji -- offered, but to rely on it to keep her heart from further damage? That she could not do.
She could however, forgive. And she hoped that in time, she could learn to forget that she ever believed Soujiro loved her. Maybe then they could be friends. After all, if she could reconcile with Doumyouji, then anything was possible, right?
Dusk was falling as Tsukushi stumbled up the dimly lit stairs to her apartment.
"Susumu, I'm home!" she called out, as she pushed the door closed behind her. Strangely, when Susumu answered her, it sounded as if his voice were coming from the kitchen, instead of from their bedroom as usual.
"Hey Sis. . . You have a visitor." His voice was tight, as if he were struggling to repress excitement or stress in his tone.
"Who is it?. . . Oh!" Tsukushi made her way to the cramped kitchen, gasping with recognition as she saw the woman who sat at her rickety table, daintily sipping tea from a chipped cup. Hastily, Tsukushi summed up a smile, and greeted her guest brightly, "Mrs. Nishikado! What can I do for you?" Sure, she was confused, but that was no reason to be rude to such a surprise visitor. "Would you care for something to eat? Can I get you anything?" And, of course, Tsukushi's nervousness at this intrusion into her home made her babble like a maniac.
Mrs. Nishikado sat patiently and waited for Tsukushi to wind down. The expression on her face was quite similar to the one she often wore while indulging in her youngest son's prattle.
"Miss Makino." She began at last, eyeing the girl severely, "What has happened between you and my son?"
"Umm. . . err, what?" Tsukushi blinked stupidly. She hadn't known what she was expecting her guest to ask. But this was not it. She didn't mean to be rude to the older woman, but she was momentarily stunned into silence and couldn't reply.
Mrs. Nishikado sighed and regarded Tsukushi intently. She hadn't known what to think of the girl at first, when she'd first started showing up at the Nishikado estate at all hours of the day (and night.) In the beginning, she'd been under the impression that the girl was dating the Doumyouji boy, but she'd soon learned the error of that assumption. . . . More strange was the way her son changed around Makino. While he still frequently didn't come home until morning, he'd somehow started to seem less angry when he was around. He hadn't yelled at his father as much, and he'd been nicer to his mother. . . . Mrs. Nishikado had begun to wonder how Makino had wrought this change, and had investigated her background extensively. She'd been quite surprised to learn how poor the girl was. . . but, Anything that made her son happy was something she could approve of. She'd been even more delighted when the two had started dating, and Soujiro stopped drinking so heavily. It was something of a comfort to know that when he was out all night, he was with one person -- even if she still didn't approve of the illicit activities she suspected, it was still better than what her son had used to be like.
And then, Something had happened. Her son was moping around, acting like a fool, and wouldn't tell her a thing. Not that he ever did. But she was sick of being in the dark about her own son's life. The family had too much unhappiness and too many dark secrets behind their veneer of respectability. She was sick of it, and this time, though Soujiro might accuse her of being a meddlesome old woman, she intended to do something about it.
That something started here and now, with this conversation, although the seeds had been planted several weeks ago when she had received a strange phone call. . . .
"Let me tell you a story." Mrs. Nishikado spoke abruptly, and waited for Tsukushi to focus on her once more, "I got a call the other day, from an old acquaintance of mine. Doumyouji Kaede. I believe you know her." Tsukushi nodded jerkily, "Now, normally I do not believe in spreading gossip, but as this concerns you, I thought it only proper to relay the details to you."
The relevant portion of the conversation had gone something like this:
". . . It has come to my attention that your family is associating with, shall we say, undesirable elements?" Kaede sounded as snide as ever.
"Indeed? Of whom do you speak?" At first, she had been certain that Kaede had called to point out another of her husband's illicit trysts.
"Her name is Makino Tsukushi. This girl caused my fool son no end of trouble to get rid of. If you don't want your family name shamed by the association, I'd advise you to get rid of the nuisance as soon as possible."
"Really? She seems like a nice enough young lady to me." Nishikado was getting angrier by the second at the other's meddling in her family's affairs, but like any well-bred woman she was too polite to show it.
"Don't be deceived." Kaede's voice could have flash frozen boiling water, "My advice to you would be to marry your son off as soon as possible, to keep him out of further trouble .just as I have done with mine."
At this, Mrs. Nishikado snorted silently. As if anything short of death could keep Doumyouji Tsukasa out of trouble. She especially resented Kaede's inference that marriage could solve anything. She'd been married off at an early age, after all. And look where it had gotten her -- an unhappy marriage, a faithless husband, and three unruly emotionally stunted sons. Oh no, she would have laughed at Kaede. But nobody laughed at Kaede to her face. Instead, she mustered hr own calm and replied equally coolly, "Thank you for your concern. But I think I can handle my own family business. In fact, I should suggest that you reconsider your information. You have obviously heard incorrect information concerning Miss Makino. If anything, her relationship with my son has improved his attitude considerably," and from what the other gossips say, it was her who turned your son around too, and Not any of your doing, she added silently. "I count my son as mature enough to make his own decisions for the good of the family, without forcing him into any hasty matches." She emphasized the last words, thinking on the unseemly haste of the Doumyouji-Okawahara match. Besides, who in their right mind married kids off as teenagers these days? She planned to wait until Soujiro was done with university before saddling him with a wife and all the responsibility that would entail.
The conversation had gone on a bit after that, with both sides feeling slighted by the other, but each too proud to say anything. In the end, Ms. Nishikado had rung off, feeling that Kaede was an ignorant meddler who didn't know a good thing if it came up and bit her in the ass. She had been confident that events would prove that she, not the elitist Doumyoujis would be proven right by future events.
But then it had all come apart. Something had happened to send Soujiro spiraling into the blackest depression she'd ever witnessed. And Makino hadn't been by even once this week, neither in the day, nor creeping in late at night.
Mrs. Nishikado was worried. Worried enough to stoop to visiting Tsukushi in the closet she called a home to find out what was going on. Her family was important to her, and her sons' happiness most of all. As a mother, she was determined to do whatever was in her power, to help her children. But for that to happen, she first needed to know what had happened.
She stated her request for information once more, and this time, Tsukushi managed to stammer out a coherent reply.
Eventually, Soujiro's mother nodded, satisfied with the information she had received.
"Alas, it runs in the family. . . .I can not ask you to forgive my son, but. . .I would ask for you not to hate him. He needs you more than he can admit. . . Please, I would not ask you to do this if I knew a better way, but will you see him?"
Tsukushi stared, aghast at the older woman. How could she sit there and ask Tsukushi to confront the source of her own unhappiness? It was obvious that she wanted her to forgive Soujiro, to take him back, just as Mrs. Nishikado had taken back Soujiro's father after each of his trysts. Tsukushi wasn't sure she could do that. But the older woman had a point, it was no good to leave it like this, with so much unsaid between them -- so much silence where once there had been a meeting of the hearts. If nothing else, Tsukushi had to know -- needed to understand why: what had gone wrong, why she had been so suddenly abandoned by the man she loved, and why he now was hiding in a silent hell of his own imagining.
What else could she do? Tsukushi nodded slowly, agreeing to Mrs. Nishikado's request. Together, they rose and left the apartment: two lonely women under a dark and starless sky.
To be continued.
~~~Man oh man it's hard to type after scraping nasty paint off the floor. (why the floor is painted I'll never know -- but having decided that I want to refinish the wood, I'm now subjected to the joy of RSI! I have no idea where this chapter came from. Or why. But here it is..~~~