How is it that, even in the largest crowd of people, you can still feel like you're the only person there?
How is it that said person always seems to be me?
Rika sighed as she stared into her glass. It was coming up to New Year, and, again, she had no one to celebrate with. Her grandmother was visiting friends, and her mother was working. Neither of them had been there for Christmas either.
Stupid mom, why'd she have to go and do her stupid job over the holiday. She promised she wouldn't!
Angrily, she got up, and stormed out of the small café, leaving a handful of coins on the table. Outside, all she could see was people doing things together. Couples walking, holding hands, parents trying to control their young children, who were waving at…her?
No, she decided, not me, someone else.
Friends standing in groups on the street corners, talking about who likes who, what they were doing for New Year, what did they think about the latest movie out in the cinema. All this just made her mood worse, so, shoving her hands in the pockets of her coat, she turned and headed to the park, and the one place she knew no one knew about.
Or the place she thought no one knew about any way, for sitting in the middle of the clearing was a shape, rather small, almost like a small child.
"Hey you! What do you think you're doing here? Get out! This is my spot!" she yelled whilst heading towards the figure, intending to give whoever it was a piece of her mind.
The figure looked up as she approached, and drew in a shaky breath.
"Sorry," they mumbled, "I'll go." And stood up on unsteady legs.
"…Goggle head?" asked an incredulous Rika
"Sorry for disturbing you Rika, I'll go back to the bakery now"
Something's wrong, he never refers to his home as 'the bakery'.
" Oh no you don't. I doubt you could get home even if your life depended on it when you're like this. You can't even stand up properly. Now, I can see that something's wrong. You now have two choices, tell me, or I force it out of you. So which one are you going to go for? I better warn you, I'm am not in a good mood today."
" Okay, okay. I'll tell." Takato said, smiling slightly. "Recently I found out that I was adopted. I looked for information on my real parents, and found that they were living on the other side of town, near you actually. Anyway, I begged mom and dad to let me go and see them. They were reluctant, but they did agree, so I went. I told them who I was, and why I was there, and…"
By now Takato's depression had returned, and he was struggling not to cry. He drew in another shaky breath, and carried on.
"…and they said…'Why have you come to see us? We didn't want you, didn't want a son, and we still don't. Why do you have to bother us? Stay away, we don't want to see you, neither do our daughters.' And slammed the door in my face! I found out I'm a big brother, and I'm not even allowed to see my sisters! And then I got home, and found out that my parents were going away, and I couldn't go with them, and would have to find somewhere else to stay because there plane leaves…"
Here he broke off to look at his watch.
"…sorry, left, at three. Of course, no one would let me stay, because they didn't want me intruding on their celebrations. So now I have nowhere to go."
He lurched forward as sobs overtook him. Rika wrapped her arms round him rather hesitantly, and when he threw his round her neck, and sobbed against her shoulder, she stiffened. Takato, feeling this, started to pull away and apologise, but Rika tightened her hold on him, pulling him closer.
"Shhh, hey, it's okay, you can come and stay with me, and we'll celebrate together, yeah? You're welcome to stay as long as you need."
"You…you mean it? You'll let me stay? But, what about your mom and grandma? Won't they mind?"
"Hey, what they don't know can't hurt them, right? They wouldn't care anyway, they didn't care enough to stay over Christmas, so why should this bother them, even if they were here." Rika replied with an obviously fake smile.
"Rika…"
"Can it goggle head, are you coming or what?"
"Yeah, I'm coming."
As they walked towards Rika's house, she realised something.
Maybe I'm not alone, after all.
How is it that said person always seems to be me?
Rika sighed as she stared into her glass. It was coming up to New Year, and, again, she had no one to celebrate with. Her grandmother was visiting friends, and her mother was working. Neither of them had been there for Christmas either.
Stupid mom, why'd she have to go and do her stupid job over the holiday. She promised she wouldn't!
Angrily, she got up, and stormed out of the small café, leaving a handful of coins on the table. Outside, all she could see was people doing things together. Couples walking, holding hands, parents trying to control their young children, who were waving at…her?
No, she decided, not me, someone else.
Friends standing in groups on the street corners, talking about who likes who, what they were doing for New Year, what did they think about the latest movie out in the cinema. All this just made her mood worse, so, shoving her hands in the pockets of her coat, she turned and headed to the park, and the one place she knew no one knew about.
Or the place she thought no one knew about any way, for sitting in the middle of the clearing was a shape, rather small, almost like a small child.
"Hey you! What do you think you're doing here? Get out! This is my spot!" she yelled whilst heading towards the figure, intending to give whoever it was a piece of her mind.
The figure looked up as she approached, and drew in a shaky breath.
"Sorry," they mumbled, "I'll go." And stood up on unsteady legs.
"…Goggle head?" asked an incredulous Rika
"Sorry for disturbing you Rika, I'll go back to the bakery now"
Something's wrong, he never refers to his home as 'the bakery'.
" Oh no you don't. I doubt you could get home even if your life depended on it when you're like this. You can't even stand up properly. Now, I can see that something's wrong. You now have two choices, tell me, or I force it out of you. So which one are you going to go for? I better warn you, I'm am not in a good mood today."
" Okay, okay. I'll tell." Takato said, smiling slightly. "Recently I found out that I was adopted. I looked for information on my real parents, and found that they were living on the other side of town, near you actually. Anyway, I begged mom and dad to let me go and see them. They were reluctant, but they did agree, so I went. I told them who I was, and why I was there, and…"
By now Takato's depression had returned, and he was struggling not to cry. He drew in another shaky breath, and carried on.
"…and they said…'Why have you come to see us? We didn't want you, didn't want a son, and we still don't. Why do you have to bother us? Stay away, we don't want to see you, neither do our daughters.' And slammed the door in my face! I found out I'm a big brother, and I'm not even allowed to see my sisters! And then I got home, and found out that my parents were going away, and I couldn't go with them, and would have to find somewhere else to stay because there plane leaves…"
Here he broke off to look at his watch.
"…sorry, left, at three. Of course, no one would let me stay, because they didn't want me intruding on their celebrations. So now I have nowhere to go."
He lurched forward as sobs overtook him. Rika wrapped her arms round him rather hesitantly, and when he threw his round her neck, and sobbed against her shoulder, she stiffened. Takato, feeling this, started to pull away and apologise, but Rika tightened her hold on him, pulling him closer.
"Shhh, hey, it's okay, you can come and stay with me, and we'll celebrate together, yeah? You're welcome to stay as long as you need."
"You…you mean it? You'll let me stay? But, what about your mom and grandma? Won't they mind?"
"Hey, what they don't know can't hurt them, right? They wouldn't care anyway, they didn't care enough to stay over Christmas, so why should this bother them, even if they were here." Rika replied with an obviously fake smile.
"Rika…"
"Can it goggle head, are you coming or what?"
"Yeah, I'm coming."
As they walked towards Rika's house, she realised something.
Maybe I'm not alone, after all.