Author's notes ~*~ My computer lost internet connection. Blame Insight for not having better scheduling. Then one of my best friends had died and I regrettably lost the want to continue, especially because of the reminder of how much she liked me reading them to her. However, I'm working through it and I know she would have wanted me to complete what I've started. Good bye until we meet again, I'll miss you always Tina.
Disclaimer ~*~ I don't own CCS but I think I might have bought Mokona over.
Chapter Two
I rolled over and slapped at the bloody alarm clock before managing to get it turned off. My night had been restless, a mixture of anxiety and the fact that Kiyoshi had managed to climb up in bed with me during the middle of the night. Sneaking as quietly as one could I manage to get out of bed with him only stirring once. If I could get out the door, I would be safe for a quick shower.
The steamy hot water felt wonderful and as usual I couldn't help but just stand there to enjoy it. The fragrance of my strawberry body wash filled the shower and as always it ended too early.
Drying off I rambled through my closet, in the dark, still not wanting to wake Kiyoshi just yet. I wanted to make sure that I already got myself ready and him some breakfast prepared and cooled before waking him up. He gets so grumpy in the morning when he knows that there's food to be eaten and it isn't ready. My poor neighbors would probably think I was beating him the way he screamed and cried to get his way.
I found a pair of baggy gray sweat pants and I white t-shirt and took them to the living room to put on. With that done I went ahead and brushed out my hair and then off to start breakfast.
I had just finished the first pancake when I heard Kiyoshi sliding out of bed and then the running of his feet. "Mommy, mommy!" he called.
"Kiyoshi, Kiyoshi," I repeated. He rounded the corner, bright green eyes and all smile and some teeth. "Read to eat, eat?" I asked placing another pancake on his plate.
"Eat, eat!" he repeated jumping. Well, not really jumping, his feet never left the ground.
I heard myself smile and placed his plate and a Sippy cup of milk next to it. "Alright you, let's get those pajamas off and you can eat, eat all you want.
I hurried and got his pj's off, mostly because his excitement demanded it. Kiyoshi could eat almost non-stop all day long as long as you supplied the food that he like. The bad thing was there were very few things that he didn't like. Even when I carried him I stayed hungry. It got to the point where I was so tired of eating after the first three plates and I was still starving. I stayed hungry all the way up to labor!
I sat a couple of pillows in the chair and sat him on top of it so that he was seated more comfortably at the table. I keep saying that I'm going to get him a booster seat, but I never have any money left over after food and bills are paid. What change that I manage to find or get I put in a jar to further help but lately with the winter months coming, I'm not even getting that much change left over to put away.
Kiyoshi started eating; already a mess starting as try as he might to use a fork, he was doing more flinging then actual eating. Trying to help him this early in, I already knew was pointless. It would only make him start to cry and whine and more food would fly because he's digging his fork in the food and then trying to keep it away from me at the same time… ugh.
I turned back to the stove and began fixing my pancakes, all the while keeping a steady eye on him and cringing every time I saw food fall to the floor.
Learning from experience that anything that Kiyoshi saw me do to my plate the same procedure needed to be performed to his plate, I stayed standing by the counter while I put the syrup and butter on. Then, continued to stand there while I ate it and talked to him through mouthfuls of hastily shoveled in pancake.
Finishing up my plate I went ahead and cleaned up the mess I had made fixing it and ran to his bedroom to grab some clean clothes. This daily mission was getting harder and harder by the week as he was growing out of his clothes. With the lack of money flow coming in, I couldn't even afford to buy Kiyoshi clothes. The ones that we had, I had lucked out on and someone was just giving them away.
After ten minutes of searching and seeding out more clothes that I knew he couldn't wear I finally found a pair of pants and t-shirt with a small hole in the back where the stupid laundry mat dryer decided to catch and rip it.
Taking the clothes and a couple of diapers I stuffed into my diaper bag the day before I went to the bathroom to get his washcloth so I could wipe him off.
By this time Kiyoshi had discovered my absence and took it upon himself to get down, dragging the mess he made in the kitchen to my living room adding to the numerous stains into the carpet.
"Kiyoshi!" came the normal whine from my mouth. I shook my head and he just laughed. Sometimes I wondered if he knew all the grief he put me through when it came to keeping this crappy apartment clean. "Come here, let mommy wipe your hands and change your diaper."
"No!" he screamed before giggling and running back into the kitchen.
"Yes Kiyoshi," I stated firmly chasing after him.
The battle with Kiyoshi to get him cleaned and in clothes lasted a good fifteen minutes of both of us trying to be the alpha. "Finally!" I said leaning back and watched him scamper away back to my room, all clothes on.
Looking at the clock I noticed I still had ten minutes before eight. Getting up with a groan stiff limbs I looked out my window and didn't see his car so I went ahead and finished cleaning my kitchen and sweeping up the breakfast on my floor before Kiyoshi thought it over again and began eating cold pieces of pancake that he smashed into my carpet.
I spent the better portion of my night typing up my stupid resumé for Syaoran last night. I decided to leave out the part of me working at as a bartender at a strip club, he didn't really need to know that anyway. Heck that alone might be the determining factor of my getting a job with him. Before I forgot it, I gently stuffed it into the diaper bag with the rest of Kiyoshi's things.
A honk sounded outside and I ran to the window to see Eriol pull up in the parking lot. Quickly, I made sure everything was turned off and grabbed Kiyoshi before running out the apartment. I didn't lock it I had lost my key the day before and I didn't want to ask my nosey landlord to let me in.
Kiyoshi didn't fight me going down the steps today, mostly because he wasn't still truly aware of what was going on and the excitement of actually going somewhere kept him reasonable.
Eriol got out the car and opened the back seat. "Good morning Sakura!" He bent to Kiyoshi's eye level. "Good morning Kiyoshi!"
"Good morning Eriol, say good morning Kiyoshi." Kiyoshi looked up at me and then back at him and continued to stare as if to say, will you get out of my face?
"Quiet this morning huh?"
"The more he sees you the more he'll warm up."
"I believe it," he said ruffling Kiyoshi's hair. "Oh yeah, I got you guys something. Take a look" he said gesturing in the backseat.
I moved closer to the car to get a better look inside. There, taking up space in the backseat was a brand new car seat. Not just any car seat either. I'm talking about the one that I dream about having whenever I get a car. Not the one for thirty dollars on sale at the local grocery store but the one that's almost two flipping hundred dollars if not more.
"Oh my… You really shouldn't have. I-" I can't even thank him properly; he probably thinks that I'm being ungrateful.
"Nonsense," he said still smiling at me. "You don't have a car so I figured that you wouldn't have a need for a car seat and since I'm your ride we and he needs one… uh… I forgot where I was going with that," he waved his hands in a dismissive manner and shook his head. "The point is he needs one so he can safely ride in the car with us."
I couldn't help but laugh, he reminded me of me. "Thank you, I really do appreciate it. You can deduct it from-"
"Nope, it's a gift. I don't deduct gifts."
"Thanks."
"Well, let's get him strapped in and we can drop him off at his daycare. Is yours still open on Sundays?" he asked getting back into the car.
"Yeah my schedule can be pretty demanding throughout the day and I just need to be sure that there's someone always available to watch him while I work." Kiyoshi looked like he wasn't sure what to think about being strapped into this new contraption. It was cute to watch him pick at the straps and work his mouth. He wanted to say something so bad, but I think he was shy. Then again it wouldn't truly matter; I have no idea what he's saying for the most part.
I got in the car and buckled in. Then it hit me. I have an interview with his cousin and I'm dressed in a t-shirt and ragged sweat pants. I hadn't even noticed the drive to the daycare, and barely remembered dropping Kiyoshi off inside. I even walked out only to walk back in because I forgot to take the resumé out of the diaper bag.
"You okay Sakura? You've been really quiet the entire ride," Eriol stated pulling up to the dance studio.
"I'm sorry. I just realized a while ago that I'm going to do an interview today and I feel so under dressed for it. He's going to take one look at my appearance and automatically say no."
"Yeah right." Eriol snorted before cutting off the engine. "Syaoran is a man of business; he understands that he's interviewing you at a job site and I'm perfectly okay with that. However, it's Yu Jie you're going to have to really impress. She's Fai's mother, if you can truly call her one."
We got out of the car and unlocked the building before stepping inside.
"Why do you say that?" I asked turning on all the lights.
She spends her day shopping and going out with her 'friends' and her son stays home living the life of a spoiled rotten child because he doesn't know any better. The only real time he gets any attention from her is when she goes to see her parents on Sundays and she takes him with her or when Syaoran has an important gathering that he needs to attend and he wants the family there."
"I see…"
"The one problem you might have is the way you look."
I watched him load the CDs into his five disk CD changer waiting for him to elaborate further, but he obviously wasn't. "My clothes?"
Eriol laughed and shook his head. "Yu Jie is someone who wants to be known for her beauty and she is, as well as her attitude. She doesn't like to feel like she has to work any harder at maintaining that and has never had to. You on the other hand, are naturally more beautiful than her. There's the possibility that she won't hire you based on that statement alone. There's also the possibility that I can guarantee that I can make that not a factor."
"What?" the very word was dripped and doubt and I didn't even bother hiding it either.
"Hey honey!" came the cheerful voice of a female as sunlight filled the room. We both looked toward the source and saw a slender girl with dyed purple hair and obvious purple contacts stroll in with purple airy long legged pants and a tight fitting white top.
"Tomoyo!" Hello my pretty beauty," Eriol greeted getting up from his crouched position to give Tomoyo a hug. Somehow I think I would have known her to be his girlfriend if she'd just walked in. Her style and vibrant attitude matched Eriol's perfectly.
"Come, I want you to meet someone," he said pulling her by the hand toward me. I noticed the purple gemmed slippers she wore as she walked. A purple fanatic but seemed to suit her. "Tomoyo, this is the girl I was telling you about. Sakura Kinomoto, Sakura this is the future Tomoyo Hiiragizawa the –"
Tomoyo jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. "I'm Tomoyo Daidouji, Eriol's girlfriend," she said holding out her hand.
I accepted it with a smile. I used not to be so uncomfortable touching people whether greeting or otherwise but my obvious lack of choice of jobs didn't leave me much choice.
"Nice to meet you. I was wondering if I would ever meet the mysterious girl who turned her boyfriend into belly dancing." Honestly I didn't wonder that at all, my brain barely has time to think of witty responses since I became Wonder Mom.
"Awe, you're so cute!" Tomoyo began circling around me not hiding the fact that she was looking me over. "Eriol wasn't joking you've got an amazing body."
"Oh well you know. I get my exercise chasing, throwing, and catching whatever my son gets a hold of for the past two years." I had that feeling of self consciousness that is always lingering around me like a shadow and I felt even worst about my appearance.
"You know what, I don't know if Eriol told you or not but I've been working on my own line of clothing. Because of my love for belly dancing I started up a series for that as well. You have the perfect body for my costumes, I'll pay you twice the amount he is to model for me when I need you to."
I felt my draw drop, literately. This had to be a joke. I've struggled and struggled with jobs over the past three years and I meet one guy who just happens to hire me out of the blue and now I'm getting job offers I would have never considered. I looked from her to him and back again, she was completely serious.
"Wow," was the only thing that I could think to say.
"Oh and don't worry, I'm flexible. I know working with Eriol and then Syaoran is going to be stress as it is," Tomoyo said flicking her hair back over her shoulder.
"But Syaoran hasn't even hired me or interviewed me."
"Don't worry, he'll hire you. I'll make sure of it." Tomoyo stated matter-a-factly.
I wanted to ask her how but someone entered the door.
"Good morning!" we all said automatically smiles on our faces.
A girl entered the room and closed the door allowing us to get a good look at her. She was pretty, very pretty and probably my age. She had soft pretty brown skin and large almond shaped eyes.
"Hi," she said shyly. "I was passing through yesterday with my mother and I noticed this place and I just had to come back and take a look." She stumbled over some of her words but definitely not bad.
"Well welcome, welcome." Eriol went up to the girl and lead her more to the center of the room. "And may I ask what your name is?"
"Brandi, I'll only be here for a little while but I figured while I was here I should keep up my favorite way to release stress."
"First time in Hong Kong?" Tomoyo asked.
"Yeah, mom decided it was time I visit the larger part of her side of the family so here I am!"
"Well Brandi, welcome to Hong Kong, I'm sure you'll find it to be full of things to do while you visit. Come, I'll just need to get some information from you." He led her to a room that I never noticed before, obviously the office.
"So while we wait, what all do you know about belly dancing?" Tomoyo asked.
"That it's pretty?" I felt so uncomfortable again. I'm starting at yet another job and no nothing about it other than they dress in pretty costumes and make men and women everywhere take notice in what they can do with their body.
"Well that's a start. Here I'll show you the basics while we wait for them to get done and for Syaoran to show up."
"Kay."
"Now, let's start with my favorite move, the popping of those hips!"
We worked for about fifteen minute and popping my hip up using the ball of my foot and twisting it back and forth, making my hip rise and fall. It was weird to see my body try something new, especially when it was really clumsy at first. It was really hard trying to get my hip to snap the way hers did but finally got some form of it. She said it was mostly because of her costume that helped and had me tie my shirt up till my bare belly was exposed which helped more than I thought it would.
We were about to start chest isolations next, which looked good when she did it but had to be hard. Her lower half stayed still but she made her chest go in circles as if it didn't connect to the other half of her body. Syaoran had showed up.
"Good morning ladies," he said. Unlike the day when I first met him he was in slacks and a light blue shirt and tie. The temperatures outside had already risen high enough to where he had his sleeves rolled up to try and provide some comfort.
"Good morning, Syaoran." Tomoyo said turning around to face him properly. "Going in early?"
"Yeah, wanted to stop by and interview Kinomoto before heading in. Figured it would be easier for the both of us," Syaoran said unfolding his sleeves and buttoning them back down to his wrists.
I could feel myself begin to shake and realized that my belly was so exposed right now. Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear I quickly undid the knot that held my shirt captive and let if fall back to where it was, only now super wrinkled.
"Good morning," I mumbled. I so didn't want to be here, I wished I didn't have to go through this right now. All I wanted was to hid somewhere and let someone else take my place.
"Let's get started. You brought you resumé?"
"Yeah, let me go grab it for you." Lucky for me I remember throwing it over where Tomoyo put her bag. The last thing I want him to think is that I'm a total ditz. I ran over and grabbed it and quickly returned.
"Let's take a look here," he said reading over the very vain of my work history. "You've taken on a lot of jobs at once it looks like."
"Well, when you become mommy anything that pays more or would help becomes an opportunity too good to pass up," I said smiling. Oh my God I wish I would just shut up already!
"I see. You have one child?" I nodded; I just didn't trust myself to orally answer another question. "How old is he?"
"He's two but you would think he's a lot older the way he acts." I could feel my smile becoming more genuine than nervous; talking about Kiyoshi always has that affect on me.
"I know the feeling. My son is spoiled. He doesn't listen to anyone, gets into everything and loves to scream for hours. How would you handle my son knowing those characteristics?" His unbelievably pretty amber eyes bore into mine. The seriousness of his tone wanted to make me believe in monsters again.
"Well, I would treat him like he was my son. He gets into things he's not supposed to get into so he needs someone there to teach him what he can play with and what he can't. The more communication that he has with someone at a constant amount of time, whether it is the same person everyday or multiple people throughout the day the more he'll seem to understand. Also being with other kids who do listen makes them want to follow suit because at this age they love to learn, which is why he gets into everything. As far as his screaming habits go that can be easily reduced as well. He probably wants something to be given to him and screaming is the only way that he knows how to communicate someone into guessing what it is to make him stop. By helping him learn how to do simple things like pointing helps a lot."
"So you're saying you can teach him these things?" Syaoran's face looked skeptical.
"Of course. My son is two and despite the days that I have with him that aren't as good as others he knows what I'm saying to him and he knows how to properly get my attention for things that he wants. Kids seek approval from their parents or from anyone at that matter and automatically know if it makes you happy. My son likes it when I tell him he's doing a good job or high fives; it makes him feel like he's done something great. He'll throw his own diapers away or hand him something and tell him what to do with it he'll do it and feel proud when congratulated. Or he'll see me picking up his toys and decides he wants to help."
"How do you feel about meals?"
"As an adult we grow knowing that lunch is three times a day and we have these big meals and eat until our plates are completely empty whether we're full or not, because that's how we were raised. I believe that kids should be given smaller meals that have every member of the food pyramid at least five times a day. That way they're not being over stuffed, they get their nutrition and learn to love foods that we don't eat because they taste 'yucky'." Oh gosh Sakura, yucky? Really? Couldn't come up with a better word than yucky.
Syaoran cracked a small smile. "Fai won't eat all of his food."
"That's probably because Fai isn't hungry. Kids will stop eating when they're full mostly because they have other things to do than sit there and eat."
"What about bed time, Fai hates it fights it and doesn't fall asleep until really late at night. How do you tend to solve that?"
"The same way I had to solve my son's sleeping habits. Whether he wants to or not I put him in his room at bed time and tuck him in. He'll cry and scream, but you have to ignore it. That's their way of breaking down your defenses into letting them stay up later to play. I also noticed that a nap time shortly after lunch is good for them to; makes them less cranky."
Syaoran nodded his head and stared at me with those judging eyes. "I have to admit I like you a lot more than all the other's I've interviewed."
"Really?"
"Yes. I honestly thought you are too young for something like this but obviously being a mother has made you a bit of an expert at this," Syaoran commented. I wasn't sure if I should have been complimented or insulted so I decided to ignore it. After all, I'm trying to get a better job.
"Well, I would never call myself an expert because being a parent is a lifelong learning experience; everyday you learn something new with your child and that in itself is awarding." No matter how much of a tyrant your children are, they will always be your child.
Syaoran nodded again in agreement with me. "Alright well I like you. You seem to know more about what you're doing than all the others so I'll set you up to where you'll meet Yu Jie and Fai later on this evening when I return from work. We'll meet at my house say six o'clock sharp?"
"Okay," my voice obviously happy that he liked my interview more than anyone else made me so excited that I wanted to jump and scream with joy. That was until I realized that I didn't have a car to shower, change, get Kiyoshi and then make it to wherever his house was by six.
"Alright then I'll see you later," he said. He waved at Tomoyo and left back out the door.
"Don't worry about a thing, after you get off here, we'll head over to my place and I'll dress you up for the interview with Yu Jie." Tomoyo looked more excited than I felt over the fact that Syaoran said yes. "Oh I have so many styles for you to try on for just this role!" Definitely more excited.
Author's Notes again.
I do apologize for the extremely long delay. But now that I'm getting things back in order I'll be posting once a week! Promise, unless something else happens that stops me from doing so. Thank you guys for reading!