Programmed Lives – Third Stage

Chapter Eighteen

During the drive back to Shibukawa, both Takumi and Akito remained in complete silence. The father was thinking of how very strange it had been to be back at the Takahashi, lunching with them as though as the past five and a half years had never happened.

Granted, there had been quite a few things that made him realise that those years had gone by. One, the fact that they all looked slightly older, making Takumi wonder if he looked that much older too. Another one was the fact that Minami wasn't there with him, unlike the last time he'd been invited to a Takahashi family barbeque.

But the most significant difference were the four kids that were sitting with them. Seeing Kyosuke and Seisuke so grown up had been quite a shock for Takumi because the last time he'd seen both kids, they had been little more than toddlers. Ryoko had also been a surprise, the little girl seemed to have grown under her aunt's influence and she was almost as calm and poised as Ryosuke's wife. With a smile, Takumi wondered if the girl had also acquired Akiko's temper.

Thinking of the little girl made Takumi look at his son and say:

'Did you have fun?'

'Yeah, Kyosuke is really cool!' Akito said enthusiastically and Takumi wasn't surprised that the oldest son of Ryosuke Takahashi would cause such a good impression on his son.

'What about Seisuke and Ryoko?' Takumi asked.

'Seisuke's nuts, but he's a lot of fun,' Akito said and Takumi laughed softly noticing the way his son had clearly avoided talking about Keisuke's daughter.

'Dad,' Akito said after a bit, 'you will let me join the karting school, won't you?'

Takumi looked at his son again then, returning his gaze to the road, he thought about it for a bit and then, he said:

'You really would like that, wouldn't you?'

'Duh! Who wouldn't?' Akito exclaimed.

'Just tell me one thing Akito,' Takumi said.

'Yeah?'

'Why do you like driving karts so much?' Takumi asked and his son frowned as if he was trying to put in words what he felt when driving those small but very fast vehicles.

Finally, after several minutes, he said:

'They make me feel something funny but nice, just here,' he said pointing at somewhere in the middle of his chest.

Takumi took a deep breath then, slowly, he nodded.

'Yeah, that's exactly how I feel when I drive as fast as I can,' Takumi said then, looking again at his son, he said, 'alright then, you can join the school.'

'Really?' Akito said almost jumping on his seat.

'Yep, but promise something to me,' Takumi said.

'Anything,' Akito said happily.

'Keep driving only for as long as you're enjoying it. If it gets too much, tell me, alright?'

'I promise you, Dad,' Akito said solemnly.

Takumi nodded and then he said:

'Another thing, you'll be starting school, you know, proper school, next year. I don't want your grades to suffer just because you'll be spending most of your free time at the Takahashi's karting school. Okay?'

'Ah…yeah, sure,' Akito replied and Takumi smiled again for his son had not sounded anywhere near as convincing as he'd tried to be.

'This reminds me, we'll have to pick the school you'll go to pretty soon.'

'But Dad, I won't be starting till next April, that's ages away.'

'Only ten months, Akito, and we have to pick the school so we can go to the meetings, buy your school bag and the rest of the stuff,' Takumi said.

'Alright, I don't really care all that much,' Akito said.

'You could go to the same school I went to,' Takumi suggested.

'Yeah, okay,' Akito agreed.

With this, father and son had settled the whole matter.

Ten days later, in a really warm day of mid May, Takumi and Akito drove back to the Takahashi's motor sports centre for Akito's first day of karting school.

'Hey, you convinced your father, didn't you?' Kyosuke said patting the smaller boy's shoulder.

'Yeah,' Akito said happily.

'Then, come this way, I'll introduce you to the rest of the class,' Kyosuke said and both Akito and Kyosuke's younger brother Seisuke followed the older boy towards a group of kids that were paying their utmost attention to what Kyoko, their instructor for that lesson, was telling them.

'Hi!' Kyoko mouthed seeing Takumi there. He just waved at her.

'I'm glad you made this decision,' Takumi heard a voice say coming from somewhere behind him. He turned round and saw the youngest of the Rotary Brothers walking towards him.

'Yeah, Akito would have not forgiven me if I had said no,' Takumi explained.

'Well, while you're here, why don't you take one of our cars for a spin around the circuit?' Keisuke said pointing at the large race track placed immediately next to the smaller karting circuit.

'No, thanks, I've got to go anyway,' Takumi said shaking his head.

'Ah, I thought you'd stay to watch your son's driving,' Keisuke said frowning.

'Yeah, I'll just see a couple of laps and then I'll go. I've got to get the forms to enrol him at the elementary school he'll attend next year,' Takumi explained.

'Ah, yeah, Kyoko and I did the same for Ryoko a few days ago, she's going to go to the same school her cousins attend. Which school is Akito going to go to?' Keisuke asked.

'My old one,' Takumi replied.

'That's not a private one, is it?'

'Nope, it's a state-run one, Dad couldn't afford a private one when I was a kid,' Takumi explained.

'But you can now, can't you?' Keisuke said.

'Yeah, but Akito's not that bothered so I'll just send him there,' Takumi said.

'Fair enough,' Keisuke replied and, after that, the two adults remained silent while watching as some of the kids, Akito included, boarded the karts and started driving around the circuit.

Takumi had to admit it: his son really had a good rhythm and he was definitely not afraid of the speed, not even when the other karts surrounding him went even faster than him. He just seemed to have loads of fun trying to outclass them and, in fact, there were a couple of occasions when Takumi heard his kid's loud laughter as he managed to overtake one of his classmates.

After a short time watching his son's evolutions, Takumi announced that he was leaving and then, he walked back to his car to drive back to Shibukawa and to the school where he'd spent the first years of his youth.

Meanwhile, and as he observed his former team mate walking away from him, Keisuke took his phone out of the pocket and dialled his brother's number.

'Ryosuke here.'

'Aniki, it's me. The plan's not working,' Keisuke said.

'Be patient, it's just the first day, isn't it?'

'Yeah but he wasn't even interested in the cars we have here, not even remotely,' Keisuke said.

'Keisuke, we've waited for over five years so we had a good enough excuse for him to come to us. Let's not ruin it all revealing our true intentions before he's ready.'

'What if he's never ready?'

'He will be. He's come to us, hasn't he?'

'Yeah, he has,' Keisuke agreed.

'Well, if we play it nicely, he'll start getting interested in cars once more,' Ryosuke said.

'If you say so.'

'Keisuke, Takumi's been locked up in himself for a long time, now we just have to take it very slow so he opens up again. I know Takumi and I know he misses racing.'

'Almost as much as you do?' Keisuke asked his brother cheekily.

'Yeah, almost,' Ryosuke admitted shocking Keisuke in the process, 'which is why I think we can succeed: we'll get him interested in racing again and, after that, it'll be just a matter of time before we get him back behind the wheel.'

'Yeah, and by that time, the car we're preparing will be more than ready, won't it?'

'Precisely. Keisuke, be patient, alright?'

'I will be Aniki, I will be,' Keisuke said.

'Ah, how is Akito-kun? He's there now, isn't he?' Ryosuke asked.

'He's every bit as amazing as his old man, to think he's the youngest in his class,' Keisuke replied as he observed the boy driving his kart as though as he'd done nothing else in his whole life. Ryosuke laughed softly before saying:

'Well, if the worse comes to worst, at least we'll have a back up…who knows, maybe Fujiwara Akito will become our next national motorsports hero,' Ryosuke said.

'Hey, what about your sons?' Keisuke asked.

'They'll be there too, of course. Just as we were,' Ryosuke said.

'That'd be fantastic,' Keisuke said dreamily.

'I've got to go now, Akiko's waiting for me to start our board of investors meeting, I'll see you back home…'

'Sure Aniki, later,' Keisuke said hanging up.

He then headed back to his office as a certain AE86 was entering Shibukawa's Public Elementary School's car park.

Takumi climbed out of his car and after locking it, he walked towards the school's main building where he remembered the offices were. Entering the hall, he made his way to the reception area where a pretty girl, probably ten years younger than him, was busy sorting out some documents.

'Good afternoon sir, how may I help you?' she said with a pleasant voice.

Takumi repressed a snigger, it was quite hilarious to be addressed as sir in his own former school.

'I'd like to pick up the forms to enrol my son,' he said.

'Is this for this academic year or the next?' the receptionist asked.

'The next one,' he said.

'Ah, I'll go and get them for you, just give me a second, sir,' she said and, getting up from her chair, she went into the room she had at her back.

'Takumi?' he heard a very familiar voice say from behind him.

He turned round and said:

'Mogi? What are you doing here?'

'I work here, remember? I did tell you I worked as an elementary school teacher,' Natsuki said and Takumi could tell that she wasn't entirely happy to see him there.

Then he remembered that he'd agreed to think about going out for lunch with her…and he'd never called her back after that.

'Yeah, I remember,' he just said.

'What about you? Getting some extra lessons?' Natsuki said half jokingly, half sarcastically.

'Do you think I need them?' Takumi said hoping he sounded casual too, laughing as he saw Natsuki's not so sure expression then, she started laughing too.

'I'm here to enrol Akito for next year,' Takumi explained as the two stopped laughing.

'Ah, really? I'm in charge of the first years, maybe he'll be in my class,' she said.

'Wow, that'd be weird,' Takumi commented.

'Why?' she asked defensively.

'No, I…well, it's just…'

'Takumi, I take my job very seriously. I wouldn't let anything influence me when I teach my students, no matter who they, or their parents, are,' Natsuki said looking very serious.

'Sorry, I didn't mean to.'

'Forget it,' Natsuki said trying to smile back at him.

Takumi was spared by the arrival of the receptionist who carried a folder with her.

'Mogi-sensei, do you know this gentleman?' the receptionist asked.

'Yes, he was…we went to this school together,' Natsuki explained.

'Ah, is that so?' the receptionist asked and Takumi found himself just nodding while he looked at Natsuki.

'Well, I better go, I've got a lesson starting in five minutes,' Natsuki said.

'Yeah, I've got to go too, got to go to Maebashi to pick Akito up,' Takumi said, horribly conscious of the fact that the receptionist was staring at them with an almost indecent amount of curiosity.

'Alright, I'll see you next week then,' Natsuki said making Takumi turn sharply to look at her.

'Next week?' he asked alarmed.

'It's the first meeting for the students who will arrive next year,' she explained using every bit of the patience her school teacher's job required.

'Ah, I see.'

'Oh, Takumi, you…' Natsuki said looking almost desperate before shaking her head and turn round.

Takumi observed her as she walked away from both he and the receptionist and, as he walked back to his car with the folder containing all the forms he needed, he had an unpleasant feeling like if, somehow, he'd just done something really stupid.

To be continued…