The lights were dim inside the Urameshi household. A steady flicker from
the TV set in the family room dazzled the eyes of the viewers watching it.
Megumi was lying in Keiko's arms; as she gazed at the talking cocker
spaniel, Lady, sneak away from her backyard to greet her mutt boyfriend,
Tramp. Megumi and Keiko watched as Tramp walked with Lady to the back of
Tony's restaurant. Lady sat on one side of a crate, Tramp on the other.
Suddenly Old Tony and his assistant came out the backdoor with a hot plate
of spaghetti. Tony set a tablecloth over the crate. He placed the plate
in the center of the cloth, between the two dogs. While he did this, both
Tony and the assistant serenaded the dogs in Italian. While the dogs were
busy eating the pasta, they picked up the same noodle with their mouths.
Right as the two dogs realized this, their muzzles touched each other.
As they were watching the scene, Keiko felt her daughter's body fall limp. Her eyes were shut closed. Keiko reached for the remote beside her in the soft recliner she was sitting in and turned off the movie and the TV. Gathering Megumi into her arms, she carried the sleeping girl off to her room. Already in her pajamas, Megumi was laid upon her bed gently. Her head was caressed in the pillow; her body relaxed against the mattress. As Keiko drew the covers around Megumi's sleeping body, she began hearing faint music coming from down the hall. It almost sounded as if the movie was turned back on again. She walked out of Megumi's room, heading back towards the family room at the end of the hallway. As she approached, however the TV set remained silent and the sound itself was coming from the kitchen. The music intensified as she approached the kitchen. Then she smelled the strong aroma of tomato sauce and garlic in the air. She opened the door to see her kitchen looking more like an Italian Café. The cabinets were dressed in cardboard with what looked like an Italian villa. Upon the floor was a small crate covered by a red-and-white checkered tablecloth. Two stout white candles where placed on the makeshift table in clear glass cups, with red mesh wrapped upon each cup. Then coming out of the door leading into the dining room, Yusuke carried a plate of hot spaghetti, wearing a white Italian chef's outfit. He had across his upper lip a fake handlebar mustache, completing the look of an Italian chef. As he carried the dish to the table, he lip-synced to the singer on the cd in the stereo player under the cabinet next to the sink. Keiko began laughing at this Japanese man pretending to sing Italian to her. "What is this for?" she chuckled to him. Yusuke said nothing, continuing to lip-sync to the music. "Madam, will you please have a seat," he said in his Marlon Brando "Thank you, Tony," Keiko joked, sitting herself on the floor. She grabbed for what she thought was a napkin with silverware. She found nothing in the napkin and started searching the table for a set. "Yusuke, where is the silverware?" "We don't have any." "What are we supposed to eat this spaghetti with, barehanded?" "You remember the couple in the movie?" "You mean Lady and the Tramp?" "They ate without hands." "Yes, but those were dogs." "It doesn't matter, we will eat like that." She shook her head in disbelief. "In fact," he continued, removing the mustache, "in order to keep from eating with our hands, take your arms, place them behind you and lock them together." She did as he asked, locking her left hand around her right wrist. He sat facing her on the other side of the crate and did the same. "What do we do now, eat with our faces?" "Yeah." "Why?" "Because in the movie they did eat with their faces." "Lady and Tramp are dogs. We are humans. Dogs don't have hands. We do. Why must we eat like dogs?" "Doesn't matter," he said, starting to eat the pasta. She looked at him in disgust. She hesitated for a while, looking at him with a look of pain. "I'll tell you what, you only have to eat a few bites like that. I do have utensils." "Then why can't we use them now?" He pointed at one noodle at her end of the plate. "Just eat that one like this." She shrugged her shoulders. 'It's only one noodle, guess I can humor him,' she thought. So she picked up the end of the noodle with her mouth. As she was eating the noodle, she saw that the same noodle was in Yusuke's mouth. She closed her eyes and started laughing with the noodle still in her teeth. She realized the kiss scene from the movie was being played out before her. Both Keiko and her husband ate the strand towards each other into the awaited kiss. Their eyes closed and their lips touched. She caressed his lips for the longest time over the spaghetti plate. At the end of the kiss, he revealed from behind him two sets of fork and spoon, one set for her and one for himself. "Thank you, dear," she sneered playfully. "You're welcome, dear," he sneered back.
As the two of them continued with their meal, Keiko spotted a small box wrapped in a clear plastic sleeve among the pile of noodles. She attentively reached into the pile to retrieve the box. "What is this?" she asked Yusuke. "It's for you," he answered. She removed the two-inch square box from the sleeve and opened the hinge. Inside the box was a pair of white pearl earrings. "Thank you," she laughed, swoon by the gesture, "what is the occasion for all of this?" "Don't you remember?" he responded, smiling, "It is our anniversary." "Oh," she chuckled, almost in tears, "you are the sweetest man I know. Thank you." Again she reached over the plate of spaghetti and placed another kiss on Yusuke's lips, this time hugging him with her arms. "Thank you. Happy Anniversary." "Happy Anniversary, darling," he replied.
As they were watching the scene, Keiko felt her daughter's body fall limp. Her eyes were shut closed. Keiko reached for the remote beside her in the soft recliner she was sitting in and turned off the movie and the TV. Gathering Megumi into her arms, she carried the sleeping girl off to her room. Already in her pajamas, Megumi was laid upon her bed gently. Her head was caressed in the pillow; her body relaxed against the mattress. As Keiko drew the covers around Megumi's sleeping body, she began hearing faint music coming from down the hall. It almost sounded as if the movie was turned back on again. She walked out of Megumi's room, heading back towards the family room at the end of the hallway. As she approached, however the TV set remained silent and the sound itself was coming from the kitchen. The music intensified as she approached the kitchen. Then she smelled the strong aroma of tomato sauce and garlic in the air. She opened the door to see her kitchen looking more like an Italian Café. The cabinets were dressed in cardboard with what looked like an Italian villa. Upon the floor was a small crate covered by a red-and-white checkered tablecloth. Two stout white candles where placed on the makeshift table in clear glass cups, with red mesh wrapped upon each cup. Then coming out of the door leading into the dining room, Yusuke carried a plate of hot spaghetti, wearing a white Italian chef's outfit. He had across his upper lip a fake handlebar mustache, completing the look of an Italian chef. As he carried the dish to the table, he lip-synced to the singer on the cd in the stereo player under the cabinet next to the sink. Keiko began laughing at this Japanese man pretending to sing Italian to her. "What is this for?" she chuckled to him. Yusuke said nothing, continuing to lip-sync to the music. "Madam, will you please have a seat," he said in his Marlon Brando "Thank you, Tony," Keiko joked, sitting herself on the floor. She grabbed for what she thought was a napkin with silverware. She found nothing in the napkin and started searching the table for a set. "Yusuke, where is the silverware?" "We don't have any." "What are we supposed to eat this spaghetti with, barehanded?" "You remember the couple in the movie?" "You mean Lady and the Tramp?" "They ate without hands." "Yes, but those were dogs." "It doesn't matter, we will eat like that." She shook her head in disbelief. "In fact," he continued, removing the mustache, "in order to keep from eating with our hands, take your arms, place them behind you and lock them together." She did as he asked, locking her left hand around her right wrist. He sat facing her on the other side of the crate and did the same. "What do we do now, eat with our faces?" "Yeah." "Why?" "Because in the movie they did eat with their faces." "Lady and Tramp are dogs. We are humans. Dogs don't have hands. We do. Why must we eat like dogs?" "Doesn't matter," he said, starting to eat the pasta. She looked at him in disgust. She hesitated for a while, looking at him with a look of pain. "I'll tell you what, you only have to eat a few bites like that. I do have utensils." "Then why can't we use them now?" He pointed at one noodle at her end of the plate. "Just eat that one like this." She shrugged her shoulders. 'It's only one noodle, guess I can humor him,' she thought. So she picked up the end of the noodle with her mouth. As she was eating the noodle, she saw that the same noodle was in Yusuke's mouth. She closed her eyes and started laughing with the noodle still in her teeth. She realized the kiss scene from the movie was being played out before her. Both Keiko and her husband ate the strand towards each other into the awaited kiss. Their eyes closed and their lips touched. She caressed his lips for the longest time over the spaghetti plate. At the end of the kiss, he revealed from behind him two sets of fork and spoon, one set for her and one for himself. "Thank you, dear," she sneered playfully. "You're welcome, dear," he sneered back.
As the two of them continued with their meal, Keiko spotted a small box wrapped in a clear plastic sleeve among the pile of noodles. She attentively reached into the pile to retrieve the box. "What is this?" she asked Yusuke. "It's for you," he answered. She removed the two-inch square box from the sleeve and opened the hinge. Inside the box was a pair of white pearl earrings. "Thank you," she laughed, swoon by the gesture, "what is the occasion for all of this?" "Don't you remember?" he responded, smiling, "It is our anniversary." "Oh," she chuckled, almost in tears, "you are the sweetest man I know. Thank you." Again she reached over the plate of spaghetti and placed another kiss on Yusuke's lips, this time hugging him with her arms. "Thank you. Happy Anniversary." "Happy Anniversary, darling," he replied.