(a few weeks later)
Dinggggg Dongggg*
the lady with a basket full of fruits and a handmade bento, stood outside the door pressing the doorbell.
the beautiful lady, playing with her hair a little as the sun glistened on her beautiful skin.
creeaaaakkkkk*
the door finally opened, revealing the beautiful pregnant lady who had opened the door
"OHIO saki-chan!!" said the landlord lady yuna
" Good morning yuna-san" answers saki
"i brought breakfast and fruits, i hear fruits are good for pregnant ladies" says yuna slightly opening up the basket to show lots of fruits inside
an hour later *
both the ladies now sitting at the dining table , both eating a slice of orange and a plate between them filled with the peeled off skins of many oranges that they had eaten till now
"so... yuna san, I've been meaning to ask you some questions?" says saki as she finishes her last slice
yuna then follows up by eating her last slice and answers
" questions?" says yuna
"yeah, just a few... may i ask them" says saki smiling
"yeah sure why not?" yuna smiles back
"how much do you know about tarou san?.." asks saki
yuna unhesitatingly answers
"oh I've known him for years, I've known him since he was in middleschool" says yuna
"do you know what he likes, doesn't like, stuff that he loves or hates " asks saki excitedly
yuna after hearing the question is a little surprised but then smiles and answers
"that kid is very simple, he likes to live a simple life, he is not a very much of people person... but who can blame him... after all that happened 9 years ago.. that poor kid.." says yuna a little sad
saki hearing that is a little confused so she decides to ask
"what exactly happened 9 years ago yuna san" asks saki
yuna looks at saki extremely surprised as if dumbfounded
"you don't know!?" asks yuna
"he didn't tell you!?" asks yuna
"..." saki just shakes her head
yuna was extremely dumbstruck but then she calms herself and sighs
"9 years ago... his whole family passed away..." says yuna
"*gasp*... how?..." asks saki
"I'm more surprised that he didn't tell you..." says yuna
"okay then i guess I'll start from the beginning..., tarou used to live alone in this current flat, his parents and elder sister used to live in their mansion outside the city, his parents were very rich, his parents and my parents knew each other so they allowed him to live in this flat under mine and my parents care"
"he... what can i say he was a great kid, he was out going, intelligent and everything a good student is supposed to be, I've looked after him all through his middle school and high school... just before the commencement of his highschool, he... he met with an accident... i can't tell you how much devestated me and my parents were, he went into coma... my parents informed his parents, as his father, mother and elder sister were coming, their car slipped on the road along a steep hill, the car fell down the cliff... no one survived..."
"it took him 4 months to come out of the coma...at first we didn't tell him about his family...but...but when he started to inquire about them and got suspicious we had to tell him..." said yuna looking down in grief
saki still quite till now just listening to yuna spoke in low decibel
"how did he take it.." asked saki
"he...he didn't take it very well.." said yuna
saki just listened with utmost focus
"he.. didn't spoke for a few months.. he didn't cry at the news.. he didn't grief, it felt like he broke from within.." said yuna
"after getting discharged from the hospital he was living here. then one day while i was doing my chores i heard cries coming from his apartment, i immediately came running, only to find tarou on the ground crying his eyes out while hugging the photo of his family, i had never before seen him cry like that before. i did the only thing i could think of at that time, i sat beside him and took his head on my lap, he cried himself to sleep that day..." said yuna shedding a tear
saki after listening to tarou's story couldn't help but be sad
"but you know.. that was 9 years ago, tarou has left it all in the past and moved on... in time he began to recover and now he is good as ever, having a beautiful wife and child on the way, I can't help but be happy for him" yuna looks at saki and smiles
saki smiles back even though she couldn't make a genuine smile
then saki proceeds to ask
"yuna san..how was tarou san before the incident.." asks saki
"oh! he was a handful i tell you, he was a good kid but also a handful, he was the cutest kid i knew, i used to tell him bedtime stories everyday, and by the way that guy can eat ,a lot!. like you can't imagine his appetite, his favorite is meat, you give him deep fried meat and a bowl of rice he would go crazy for you, trust me.." says Yuna
(the two then had another hour of discussion about tarou)
evening*
there he walked alongside the pavement, tired from his day's work
even though he was rich enough to live in luxury fot the rest of his life with doing any job, still he chose to work, maybe that was his way of integrating into the society and be of use to it.
but then the thought of a young pregnant lady came into his mind who was probably home alone right now
"i hope saki chan is not too bored" with that though he picked up the pace of his walk
he came across his building, he looked up at his door on the first floor
and then entered the building and climbed the stairs for the first floor
he came across his door and put in his keys to open it
drrrrrrrr* he opened the door went in and closed the door
he started taking out his shoes but then he smelled something
whiff-wiff*
it seemed like something being roasted, he whiffed again, it felt like meat
he hurriedly dropped his shoes and came running into the apartment
as he entered he turned his head to look at kitchen and there it was, as the strength of his nose had predicted
it was saki in an apron roasting meat on stove, saki looked at him and spoke
"welcome back tarou san" said saki with a smile
"is that what i smell it is?..." he asked
"yes, it's deep fried meat, i heard that you liked it..." said saki nervously
"but saki san!, you shouldn't work when you're in this condition, you have a baby on the way!! what would you have done if something happened to you?" said tarou and little angry.
saki looked down making a sad face
tarou looked and her and realized that he shouldn't have spoken to her like that since she did all of this for him
a few seconds passed by
"but..." he said and saki raised her head in confusion
"since you made my favorite food I feel like i can let this one slide" he said
saki made a confused face but then broke out laughing
"hahaha tarou San you are soo easy to please hahaha" said saki
"hehe... thanks" he said
"alright then, tarou san why don't you go wash up while i set the dinner table" said saki
"no wait I'll also help in setting the table, since you've done all this i should also help" he said and started walking towards the kitchen
but just as he was about to enter the kitched he was stopped by saki with a spatula in her hand
"wait!" she said
"I'm the one doing this, so you should just go wash up and come for dinner" she said making a desolate face
"but.." he tried to reason
"no buts" she turned him by the shoulders and pushed him on the back
"go wash up and the dinner will be ready to eat by then" she said
tarou couldn't argue so he decided to listen to her
"alright..." he said as he went to the washroom
(5 minutes later)
futoshi came back wearing casual clothes and saw that saki had already set the dinner table for him and was sitting there
he sat on his spot and had saki give him a bowl of rice and a plate full of deep fried meat
"go ahead, eat it and tell me how's it taste" said saki
" itadakimasu!" said tarou and doug in to take the first bite
chew-chew...*
with the first bite he felt it, the food was absolutely terrible
he somehow unimaginably gulped down the first bite and then spoke
"saki san... mind if i ask you something?" he said with a smile that was hiding his unimaginable urge to vomit that what he just swallowed
"uh yes.." answered saki
"is this... your first time cooking food?" asked tarou
"um..yes" she noded nervously
tarou had a terrified expression on his face
"is it not good?.." asked saki a little upset
tarou who just snapped out of his expression due to her question looked at her upset face and quickly responded
"THIS is extremely good, wow saki chan i never could've thought that you would make food that was such delicious!" he blabbed subconsciously
saki was a little suspicions of his answer and thought to take a bite of the food herself and tarou saw that coming
"infact this is soo delicious that I'm going to eat all of the meat on the place, sorry for not leaving anything saki chan" he said as he brought down everything saki had made onto his plate
tarou then picked up another piece of meat with his chopstick
' kami-sama, give me strength today' he said as he started gulping food down his throat
(15 minutes later)
' no more... it's finally over...' he thought as he had finished eating everything
' i might have to call in sick tomorrow at work and ask yuna san to help teach saki chan how to cook, otherwise i won't be long for this world'
were his final thoughts as he was struggling to survive his stomach full of food that taste like anything but food
" well i guess it's time to sleep" said tarou
he said as he started making his futon/bed on the hall floor
"tarou san... you can sleep on your bed.." said saki nervously to tarou
tarou turned to face her
"but then where will you sleep?" asked tarou
"i... can sleep on the ground... it's not that difficult for me...plus I've had practice sleeping on... sleeping on... roads..." said saki
"saki chan it's dishonourable for a guy to sleep on a comfortable bed while a pregnant woman sleeps on the floor, plus when the baby comes he/she wil need space too, and a baby only sleeps with his/her mother so the bed would also be of comfort to both the baby and you in future...well as long as you stay here..." said tarou
"but I'm already living here for free, taking help from you and freeloading from you, making you sleep on the ground feels wrong" she said
"well, if you're upset about being a freeloader then why don't you make me delicious food everyday like you did today" said tarou
' CRAP!! i thoughtlessly said that!! '
saki's face beamed with a smile upon hearing that tarou liked and wants to eat food made by her
"o-okay.." she said nodding
"alright then... goodnight!" said tarou
(1:30 am in the morning)
"AAAAHHHH!!"
the scream of a woman filled the whole house
tarou who was snoring was awaken by it
"huh! saki chan! " he stood straight up in a frenzy and ran towards her room
and opened the door
there she was saki holding her own stomach as she seemed to be in pain
"saki chan!" he ran straight up to her
"my... my water broke..." she said in painful voice
"but... the due date was not supposed to be for another month.." asked tarou
"AAAAAHHHHH!" saki screamed in pain
tarou snapped out of his thought
"wait saki Chan I'll call the ambulance" he said as he ran out of room in a frenzy
(10 hours and one C-section later)
outside the operation theater*
he was nervously walking back and forth biting his nails as he stood outside the OT
when they brought saki into the hospital she was not in good condition, she was having a premature delivery
as the door opened doctor finally came out
"doctor! is everything alright?, how is she?" asked tarou worriedly
"congratulations, it's a girl" said the doctor
tarou was confused for a second
"the operation was a success, your wife is fine Mr. tarou, she just needs a day's rest and as for your daughter she is fine too but she will be kept under doctor supervision for the day" said the doctor
the expression on tarou's face turned to that of fear upon hearing that
"don't be afraid, we just need to run some test on your daughter since it's a premature delivery but rest be assured she's alright" said doctor
"when..when can i meet saki san" asked tarou
"well the best i can say is that she will need at least a day's rest but she'll be okay too" said doctor
"thank you doctor" replied tarou humbly
"alright I'll be going ,but the nurse will check on your wife from time to time" said the doctor as he made his way out
tarou then sat at a chair outside to wait for saki to recover
( 15 hours later)
with her eyes beginning to open up slowly ,she saw a white ceiling.
"huh..." for a few moments she forgot why she was here
but then in an instant she remembered
"my baby!"
she tried to wake up hurriedly
"AAHh" she was stopped by a pain in abdomen
hearing that a nurse entered the room
"oh you've woken up" said the nurse as she came beside saki and checked her vitals
"how're you feeling?, any particular pain?" asked the nurse
"ye-yeah on my stomach, but more importantly, where's my baby" said saki
" your baby is fine the doctors are just running some compulsory test on her , she'll be here in some time, and don't worry about the pain it's just the stitches, it'll dissolve by the end of week and you'll be back to normal self before you were pregnant" said the nurse
saki then remembered her life before she was pregnant but before she could dwell on that thought, the nurse spoke again
"oh and your husband has been here sitting outside for the last 25 hours" said the nurse
saki looked at nurse with curiosity
" i told him multiple times that he can go home and come back later but he just won't budge...*sigh* you've got yourself a good man there " said the nurse
saki blushed for a moment but then her expressions faded when she remembered that tarou wasn't her man
-knock-knock-
the door opened and tarou peered his head inside
the nurse looked at him
"speak of the devil" she said "come inside" she told him
tarou nervously came inside and came up to her
"how're you feeling saki chan?" asked tarou
"i-i'm fine" said saki
"have you seen my baby?" asked saki
tarou shook his head
"they told me they're running some tests and it'll be done today and they'll bring her here" said tarou
" 'her' ?" asked saki
"it's a beautiful baby girl saki chan" said tarou
saki's eyes were accumulated with tears as they rolled down her face wetting her cheeks
" i have a baby daughter..." she said with the most beautiful smile tarou had ever seen on her face
tarou petted her head
"there-there saki chan.. you did good" he said letting her well up on this incredible feeling she had never experienced before
seeing all that the nurse couldn't help but give a genuine smile towards this couple
-treeeeeek-
the door opened again and this time a nurse with a small crib entered the room
"saki tarounoshi?" asked the nurse that had just came
saki just noded
the nurse then picked up a very beautiful yet delicate baby that was inside the crib she handled the baby as if it was made of the most delicate material on planet and would shatter if not handled with care
"your baby girl is healthy and fit" said the nurse approaching saki
she then brought the baby near saki
saki tried to extend her hands but retracted mid air as if afraid over the possibility that maybe she was not capable of handling the delicate baby
"it's alright, every mother feels that the first time" said nurse as if reading saki's mind
saki then puckered up the courage and extended her arms full to receive the baby
then gently as if the slowest process known to man the nurse gave her the baby
saki who at first was feeling hesitant at first quickly and very delicately brought the baby near her chest almost looking like she was covering the baby with herself to protect it from the world
then saki looked at the sleeping baby girl
the little baby slowly opened up her eyes and looked at saki
THE END
for now, better keep something for the next chapter and the chapter after that too