Programmed Lives – Second Stage
Epilogue
They had been very lucky because whereas the whole week had been pouring day and night, in the first Saturday of March the sun shined making the cherry trees show off their brand new pink blossoms in a way that made the whole esplanade leading to the church look like a picture for one of the postcards tourist sent whenever they visited Japan.
Not that Keisuke had even noticed. He had been too nervous on the way there and he was now too busy admiring the beauty of his wife-to-be as she entered the church with her father by her side.
He remembered his first meeting with her parents and, to be honest, he had never been any more eager to make a good impression with anyone in his life. Thankfully, both of them seemed to be just as good natured as their daughter and, even her father, had taken the news of their engagement in a very positive way.
Sure, it helped that he was an increasingly famous racer in Japan and that his family practically owned the three biggest hospitals in the Gunma prefecture. With those credentials, Kyoko's father seemed to overlook the spiky bleached hair that had become Keisuke's trademark.
In any case, as he saw Kyoko close up, he felt like the time had stopped and, for a wild moment, he really wished it was so.
'You look amazing,' he whispered to her. She blushed and smiled in her own, unique sweet way.
'Thanks,' she muttered.
The only hiccup of the ceremony was when fourteen months old Kyosuke dropped the little cushion carrying the wedding rings as he tried to give them to his uncle.
'Hey sweetie, don't worry,' Kyoko said caressing the head of an upset looking Kyo-chan and, as usual, her voice made him smile.
'He's in love with you,' Keisuke muttered at Kyoko.
'I can't help it if I'm this charming,' Kyoko said jokingly.
'Well, sorry mate, but she's taken,' Keisuke said to his nephew with a smile. Ryosuke finally came to get his son so the ceremony could continue.
An hour later, the now Mr and Mrs Keisuke Takahashi received their guests at the reception and after the usual speeches and the meal, it came the time for their first dance.
Minami got up from her chair and walked to the stage where the band was ready to play the first song. She gave a piece of paper and some instructions to the band's director and, taking the mike, she said:
'Kyoko, Keisuke, I know that you guys have received all sorts of presents and I know Takumi and I have already given you ours but, I found out you guys don't have a song to call your own so, I've decided to write one for you…now, if you please do me a favour.'
Keisuke got up and extended a hand towards his wife who picking it up, she followed him to the dance floor.
As the band started playing, Minami started singing a beautiful song that seemed to perfectly describe the newlyweds' relationship.
At the end of the song, the bride's weren't the only eyes who had got a bit shinier than usual.
'Thank you so much Minami, I don't know what to say,' she said hugging the singer as she stepped off the stage.
'Don't mention it,' Minami said shrugging.
'Now I definitely need to teach you how to drift,' Kyoko said.
'Nope, Takumi said he'll do it,' Minami said with a very wide grin.
'Yeah, you better get him to do it before the GT500 season starts or he'll say he's too busy with the races,' Kyoko advised and Minami nodded.
'What are you two plotting now?' Keisuke said approaching them followed by Takumi.
'Nothing,' the two of them said at the same time making it look even more suspicious.
'Keisuke, I don't know you but I really don't want to know,' Takumi said.
'You're such a smart boy, let's dance,' Minami said taking Takumi by his hand leaving him with absolutely no option but to obey.
Keisuke and Kyoko danced for one more song together, then they walked to where Ryosuke and Akiko were seating.
'Oh, I wish I could dance too,' Akiko said putting both hands on an extremely swollen tummy.
'You know what the doctor said,' Ryosuke said.
'I know, I know…'
'Are you sure you're okay?' Kyoko asked her now sister-in-law.
'Yeah, I think so,' Akiko replied, 'but when you're almost eight months pregnant, being okay it's such an abstract concept.'
'I still can't believe you're having another boy,' Keisuke commented.
'Yeah, that's just going to be weird,' Kyoko agreed.
'Weird?' Ryosuke asked not entirely sure he liked that.
'Well, think of this: in less than twenty years time, we're going to have another set of Takahashi brothers going around Gunma,' Kyoko explained.
'Oh gosh…' Akiko said.
'Indeed,' Kyoko said nodding.
'No…guys, I'm sorry…I don't know how to say this,' Akiko said and her voice began to grow shakier.
'What's wrong?' Ryosuke asked alarmed.
'Kyoko, it seems like the second of the new set of Takahashi brothers wants to come to the world right now,' Akiko said frowning as she started feeling the pain of the first contractions.
See you next stage...
