Salty Coffee

Chapter 11 – To Forgive And Forget

" Please don't cry." Tsukushi comforted in whispering tone as she patted Yuuki gently on her shoulder. It was then Soujirou's eyelid fluttered open. Despite the giddiness inside his head, which he had gotten from his previous drinking, he managed to notice his newly wedded wife's distraught expression. His glance then shifted conspicuously up to Makino, who was sitting just next to Yuuki.

" She is just too happy." Makino remarked, as though she could read Soujirou's questioning glance. Unfortunately, that was purely Tsukushi's presumption for Yuuki's sudden outburst. Soujirou just smiled back and quickly had his head lifted from Yuuki's lap.

" Oh no!" Soujirou gasped and did an impersonation of the boy in 'Home Alone'. " Your face is such a mess that I couldn't even recognize you if you are not wearing this gown." Soujirou remarked, half jokingly as he tried to help his wife relax and it worked pretty well.

" Gomen ne." Yuuki apologized and took the tissue paper, which Tsukushi had intuitively retrieved from her pocket. " How do I look now?" Yuuki asked in a cautious voice.

" Now, you look like the most beautiful bride in the world." Soujirou cajoled and Yuuki blushed like the way a shy bride would blush on her wedding day. As a matter of fact, she was a genuine bride during that night.

" Ah hem…" Tsukushi finally gotten their attention by clearing her throat so as to let the couple know they were not alone in the room. 

" So, DOMYOUJI-SAN. How's your honeymoon?" Soujirou quickly teased out.

" Tiring." Tsukushi sighed as she pulled back her shoulder. Immediately, Soujirou knew he had used a wrong question for the purpose of distraction as he recalled how Tsukasa had grumbled to him about Tsukushi's constant proposal of shortening their honeymoon trip during dinner.

" Isn't it fun to get the chance to go to so many different countries?" Yuuki added in enviously.

" If you consider visiting the bathroom repeatedly after each meal just because your body couldn't adapt to the density of the water or their food in different countries as fun. Then, yes. It is fun." Makino grumbled as she recalled some of her nasty encounters.

In fact, one year just wasn't enough for a genuine round-the-world trip, which Domyouji had truly wanted. However, Tsukushi just couldn't get used to the different climates in those countries in Europe so she insisted on shortening their honeymoon. It was a phone call from Rui informing Domyouji about Soujirou's wedding that had saved the couple for getting into another heat row of bickering about whether to lengthen or shortened their trip.

" So, where are you planning for your honeymoon?" Tsukushi asked.

" Osaka. Two days, one night. We are leaving tomorrow." Yuuki replied. Tsukushi's eyes widened.

" Osaka?" Tsukushi's eyes kept blinking non-stop, wondering if she had heard wrongly.

" I will bring her to Paris once I had saved enough money for the trip." Soujirou informed out, his voice firm and filled with the dignity of a husband.

" Saved enough money?" Tsukushi was repeating their words like a parrot. Her eyes were wider than before. " Why do you need to save money when you have tons of them in your bank?" Tsukushi asked in the most bewildered tone.

" Ahh…I don't think she has been updated yet." Yuuki quipped as she exchanged a quick glance with Soujirou.

" Isn't it quite obvious?" Tsukushi sat up right and had both her hands on the side of her hips. " Now. What have I been missing? Am I the only one not knowing anything at all?" Tsukushi questioned, her arms were now folded firmly in front of her chest as she awaited an explanation from the couple.

Soujirou looked away, while Yuuki let out the most satisfied smile she ever had in her life. " I guess I better leave you two alone." Soujirou gave Yuuki a quick peck on her cheek before starting his way to the door.

Tsukushi could have sworn she had spotted his face turning crimson before he turned it away from them. " Tsukushi-chan." Yuuki whispered as she had Tsukushi hands in hers and after a some moment of silent, Yuuki began to relate out everything that had happened when Tsukushi was away from Japan while Tsukushi just sat there with her bewildered 'ohs' and 'ahs' as she drank in each and every word from Yuuki's revelations.

*****

Soujirou was making his way to the room where the rest were enjoying with their wining and dining. He stopped his track when he spotted a shadowy figure standing just behind a roman-designed pillar located along the corridor. Suddenly the air around Soujirou somehow became frozen when he finally realized who this shadowy confronter was.

" Tousan?" Soujirou called out, but he was surprised at his own voice because it had sounded so weak all the sudden. It was as if something had choked his windpipe to prevent him from projecting his voice.

" Do you consider me as one when you had mercilessly walked out of the house during that night?" Mr. Nishikado questioned pointedly in an icy tone. It was then he had stepped out and revealed his face under the spot light from the ceiling. Soujirou was shocked when he found himself looking at a totally different person whom he had once knew so well.

The once suave looking face with all the dignified features that never failed to have the opposite sex charmed (Soujirou knew he had inherited his gene more than all his brothers), was now being reduced to a wrinkled-filled piece of skin. His glance was constantly distraught despite he was trying his best to keep them cold and dark.

Silver hairs? Their existence was something that was totally forbidden in the past but now Soujirou could spot quite a few strands of silver hair at his father's sideburn even though he had a hat to cover them.

All these drastic transformation just happened within a short period of six-months when his father had been portraying out as a strong-willed man in his childhood memories. Soujirou just couldn't imagine what damage the impact could have done to his mother. "Is Kaasan here?" Soujirou asked out intuitively when he finally found his voice.

There was a long pause while both the father and son could only stare blankly at each other, as they stood rooted to the ground. "She's seriously ill." Mr. Nishikado informed his son, his voice remained cold.

" What?" Soujirou gasped as his heart skipped a beat.

" Her heart failed her when she spotted you eating a take-away bento in a park during one afternoon." Mr. Nishikado drew in a deep breath before he went on.

" You are actually eating take-away bento for lunch?" Mr. Nishikado exclaimed disgustingly as his eyes grew smaller and darker.

" Yes. With my current salary, I can only afford that kind of lunch." Soujirou said, casting a rebellious glance at his father although his heart was crying out for his mother's latest situation.

Mr. Nishikado let out a long sigh and his glance shifted to something behind Soujirou. " Jirou." Yuuki called out meekly as she stood behind Soujirou. After that first and last meeting she had with her father-in-law during six months ago, Yuuki had developed an indirect phobia about this man. Yuuki was relieved to find Tsukushi standing beside her.

" Don't worry. He cannot stop us because we are already officially married to each other." Soujirou said out reassuringly and his glance never left his father. Yuuki heaved a sigh of relief while Tsukushi was once again awed into silent to see how cool Soujirou was behaving. 

Feeling totally despaired by what he had seen and heard, Mr. Nishikado shook his head when he realized that his son was inheriting his stubbornness and even out-beaten him in this case. " Your mother is now bedridden and she kept calling for you, even in her sleep. You have to visit her before you start regretting about it." Mr. Nishikado said and turned to leave.

After taking another few steps, he stopped but his head did not turn, " Remember to bring your wife along too."

To be continued…