Chapter 13: Heavenly Move

Back in Venice, Izumi was wallowing in her room, while her father just got home from talking to his boss.

"What? You're transferring the company back to Jiyuugaoka? I don't care if I get a raise, I am getting quite tired of moving and wasting money on apartments…No, Mr. Yoshimitzu, I am not defying your orders, but I do not wish to move back to Japan again… what? I'm going to be discharged if I refuse this move?… but…Yes, Mr. Yoshimitzu, I do care for my family, but… okay! We'll move. What? You're only giving me three days to do all the moving and other business? You arranged the moving vans and the people buying this house? You arranged a house for my daughter and wife to live in? The furniture will be forwarded and sent before us to the new house? Good… Later…" he thought, reminiscing of the discussion he just had with his boss.

Mr. Orimoto slammed the door and was disconsolate. How was he going to tell his daughter, Izumi, and his wife, Mrs. Orimoto? He knew his wife wouldn't be happy, because she was content with her job and her co-workers, who were her friends. On the other hand, he knew Izumi had always wanted to go back to Jiyuugaoka since she was in seventh grade. What was he going to do? Izumi came from her room into the kitchen and said,

"Come to dinner, father."

Mr. Orimoto headed for the kitchen as Izumi set the table and placed appetizers on the dining table. As she put the food up to her mouth, she noticed that her father had not touched his food.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

"Let's wait for your mother to come home."

"Why?"

"Because, I have something to tell the both of you."

"Oh," said Izumi in a downcast tone, as she headed to her room. She paced in her room, wondering if she did something wrong. She tried remembering the days of the week, to see if she did something bad. She couldn't think of anything. But she knew that her father, who liked to eat, when he wanted to wait for her mother, something was wrong.

"Izumi, come down here," her father called from downstairs.

"Coming, dad," Izumi called from her room. She ran down the stairs, seeing her mother hanging her coat and taking her shoes off and replacing them with fluffy slippers. As Izumi walked down the stairs, her mother said,

"Izumi, you know not to walk around the house with no slippers."

"Yes, mom," she replied quietly and went to get some from the closet. She walked to the kitchen, where her mother and father were. She sat down quietly and slowly. She was beginning to worry. "What did I do?" she thought. Her mother casually poured herself soup, but her father was like he was literally stuck on his chair, and like his hands were glued to the seat.

"What's wrong? Usually you'd be chomping down on food by now," Mrs. Orimoto said, slurping soup.

"…I…" Mr. Orimoto said, stuttering.

"You what?"

"Uhh…"

"What did you do wrong? Did you kill my bonsai tree? Did you break one of my vases? Did Izumi do something wrong? Say it already."

"WehavetomovebacktoJiyuugaoka…" said Mr. Orimoto, unbelievably fast.

"What!" said Izumi and Mrs. Oritmoto at the same time.

"We… have to…" Mr. Orimoto stammered.

"We have to what? I'm losing patience," said his wife, chewing on meat.

"We have to… move…"

"WHAT? WHERE?" said Mrs. Orimoto, exploding, spitting out her food, and slamming her hands on the table. Her soup spilled onto the table. Izumi was shocked, but she didn't say anything. She quietly sat there, like she was minding her own business.

"… Jiyuugaoka…" he finally spat out.

"What!" erupted Mrs. Orimoto. Izumi had an obnoxious smile on her face. Mrs. Orimoto wasn't happy.

"Izumi, go to your room," Mr. Orimoto said. Izumi immediately ran to her room, smiling. She was finally going to be able to see Minamoto Kouji and possibly Ichiyusai Asami.

"Why are you telling me this!" Izumi heard her mom from the kitchen.

"It's not my fault! They would've fired me if I refused! We have to move in two days."

"But I don't want to leave everything behind!"

"You're going to meet your old friends back in Jiyuugaoka!"

"But I don't want to leave the new ones I made here! Oh yeah, what about moving vans and the people who are going to buy this house, packing, and buying a new house? How are we going to do this in three days!"

"My boss arranged everything, so all we need to worry about is to make the house look presentable and pack all our things. He arranged the moving vans, the people buying this house, moving our furniture, and the others."

"What about the car?"

"Mr. Yoshimitzu said he'd buy us a new one, and we might as well give the old one to the newcomers in this house."

"Oh. I didn't like that car anyway. But why is he moving?"

"He said progress isn't very good here, so he decided to move back to Jiyuugaoka."

"Why so quickly and all of a sudden?"

"I don't know, it was his decision, and it was kind of spontaneous of him."

Izumi thought for a minute. She didn't want her mom to be melancholy. She felt like she was in her mother's position, back when she had to immediately had to leave from Iwate-san Mountains. Her mother and father were still arguing about the move.

"All right, we'll go back, but I'd like to visit my friends here sometime," said Mrs. Orimoto seriously, finally agreeing. Izumi smiled from her room. Izumi immediately ran to the closet and pulled out all her clothes and luggage bags and threw it all on her bed.

"Izumi!" her mother called from the kitchen.

"Coming!" said Izumi, as she flung her skirts onto the floor, and headed down the stairs. "Yes?" she said in an innocent tone, as soon as she got down.

"We have made the decision that we are moving to Jiyuugaoka. We need to leave in two days. However, your mother isn't happy about it, and she'd like to come back sometime. Well, Izumi it seems you're getting what you want by sheer luck," said Mr. Orimoto, and Mrs. Orimoto, pouting while eating udon. She was a little too old to be pouting though. Izumi smiled. "Oh yes, I need to sign you out of school and pay your dormitory rent for this month," he added. "Honey, I know you're angry, but please understand."

"I know…" said Mrs. Orimoto, giving a fake smile to him, and went to her room. Mr. Orimoto looked at her, knowing she was unhappy. He was mad at himself. Why couldn't some other company transfer instead of his? He walked upstairs, the food on the table, abandoned. He walked past Izumi's room, and saw her packing happily and throwing hangers everywhere crazily.

"Izumi, do me a favor, don't look too happy when we leave, because your mother isn't."

"Yes, I know, dad."

He left Izumi's room, and went on to his room. He saw his dear wife, wallowing in her own sadness in a chair.

"Honey, I know you're sad, I guess this shows how Izumi felt when we dragged her here in such a hurry back in Jiyuugaoka."

"Yes, I know, I have some friends in Jiyuugaoka, but I don't want to leave my newfound friends. Promise me we will visit again."

"Yes, yes, we will."

"Thank you," she said, and hugged her husband, then went to the closet to grab her luggage bags and started taking down clothes.

Izumi was happier than she ever been. She was already done with her clothes. She had to move her furniture out of the house. She went downstairs and called her father.

"Dad! When do we move furniture?"

"When we're all done packing clothes and belongings."

Izumi went back upstairs. She sorted through her clothes and put them into piles. Her skirts, tops, and other clothing items. She took them all of her hangers and folded them neatly into her suitcase. It was already bulging full when she finished putting her clothes in. She got another bag, and put certain belongings, such as her books, decorations for her room, pictures, and other valuables. That one filled up, and she scanned the whole room to see if she missed anything. She ran to the wall, and took down the Iwate-san Mountains fieldtrip class picture from the wall. She lovingly and carefully put it in her duffel bag, with her other belongings. Her room was lonely and empty now, with the exception of bare furniture lying around.

"Izumi!" her mother called from her room.

"Yes, mom?" she called from the doorframe of her room.

"Take your blankets and pillows too."

"Okay!" Izumi said, and went back to her room.

She had only one bag left. She grabbed it and opened it. She got her bed sheets and folded them carefully, then her pillowcases and pillows. Her mother and father were doing the same thing. Her father ran past her room and to the phone to call the moving company for directions. Her mother asked one of her friends for spare boxes. She also drove to the university to sign her out of school and pick up her grades. Mrs. Orimoto was content with her grades, then drove back home.

"I signed you out of school, Izumi."

"Okay, mom," said Izumi, walking very slowly with one of her luggage bags in her hands, and putting it in the pile with her parent's pile of luggage.

"I needed to get some boxes, so I got some from friends."

"I need to put my computer and television other things in there."

"Izumi! The moving people will take care of the heavy things!"

"Yes mom," Izumi said, looking at the floor.

Izumi's parents and her walked throughout the whole house, seeing if they overlooked anything. Only furniture and heavy things were left. Things such rugs, lamps, clocks, and other miscellaneous things were put in boxes. Mr. and Mrs. Orimoto move every piece of furniture downstairs. They finished this whole process within the time Mr. Orimoto's boss allotted. Izumi had to clean the entire house, which made her exhausted. Since their beds were moved downstairs and stripped of their bedding, they slept on the sofa for the night. Izumi didn't mind. She was too happy to care. Her mother and father kept squirming through the night though. The next morning, the people buying the house came by and looked around. They were very content with the car offer and accepted. Izumi's parents discussed matters, insurance, and other things concerning buying homes. They were done discussing after two hours. They left, and the movers came, they did everything within an hour, and Mrs. Orimoto offered them something to eat, but they didn't want to trouble her. Everyone was stressed out, including Izumi. All they wanted to do was sleep. Meanwhile, Mrs. Orimoto was calling her friends to say goodbye, asking phone numbers to keep in touch, and crying at the same time. Izumi felt really bad. She didn't want her mother to be in pain, but she couldn't do much, except give her a hug. A moving van picked them up and drove them to the airport. They did everything, clearing with passports. Izumi went to the souvenir shop to pick up a memento before she left. She bought a small stuffed animal, which was a cute, little stuffed cow.

"Why did you waste your money on that Izumi?" her mother asked, while sitting by the boarding platform.

"I just did," she replied back.

Her father called, telling them that it was time to leave. While boarding, Izumi walked quite fast, and to their compartment. She wanted to be by the window seat to take one last look at Venice, Italy, even though she didn't make any friends. The plane took off. She watched her town she called home become smaller and tinier until clouds billowed over her view. She'd be able to see Kouji again and hopefully, she'd be enrolled in Jiyuugaoka University. The plane headed for Jiyuugaoka.