Love's Redemption: Chapter 8
"I failed," Jake sobbed. He plopped into one of the chairs, burying his face in his hands.
Shinobu ran over to the stereo and turned it off. The silence was deafening in the room for the next several minutes as the bad news sank in among the Hinata Sou residents.
Naru elbowed Keitaro in the ribs. "Why didn't you warn us?" she whispered with a hiss.
"He didn't want me to say anything. Neither of us were expecting you guys to do this," Keitaro quietly answered. "If I had known, I would have said something."
Jake, rubbing away the quickly forming tears in his eyes, blubbered, "I don't know what I'm going to do." He felt a warm hand press against his back comfortingly. He looked up at Kitsune, who had seated herself on the arm of his chair. She smiled at him, softly rubbing his back. Jake unconsciously leaned into Kitsune, resting his head on her side.
Keitaro removed his jacket and tossed it on the arm of the chair opposite of Jake's. "I'll tell you what we're going to do: we are going to drink like fish, eat junk food, have some fun conversation, play some games, sing some karaoke, and forget this ever happened."
Jake chuckled lightly under his breath. "Another one of those?" Whenever he, Keitaro, or one of his college friends ever failed an exam or experienced some other form of failure, they would cheer each other up by binging on food and drink and generally make complete fools of themselves. It never failed to work.
"That sounds like fun," Mutsumi said. Several heads nodded in agreement.
Kitsune jumped up and tossed beer and soda around to everyone. Before taking a long pull on his drink, Jake stood up and raised his beer over his head. "A toast," he declared. "For nothing good ever comes out of something that is done right the first time: to failure!"
"To failure!" Keitaro and Mutsumi exclaimed at the same time. Naru shook her head and rolled her eyes.
The others apprehensively raised their drinks and timidly muttered, "To failure."
Jake lowered his beer to his lips, paused momentarily to sigh, and guzzled half of his can in a single gulp.
"Hit the music, Shinobu-chan," Jake ordered, pointing feverishly at the stereo.
"Sure," Shinobu replied, turning the volume back up on the dated but reliable audio system.
Not a single tear was shed the rest of that evening. Hinata Hot Springs echoed with the sound of music, laughing, and extremely off-pitch singing until sunrise.
Jake cracked his eyes open and immediately regretted it. He clamped them shut, feeling as if molten metal was being poured onto his pupils. He laid his arm over his face, trying to block the brightness of the morning sun, but he could do nothing to prevent the incessant chirping from the songbirds outside his window. "Shut up, will you?" he asked, turning onto his side, his back to the window. If anything, the chirping became louder.
Jake bolted upright, angrily tossing his blanket away from his body. "Alright, fine. I'll get up." The bird closest to his room responded with several short chirps, as if saying thank you. Jake realized he had no idea what time it was, and he glanced at the floor around him, looking for his wristwatch. Finding it, he snatched it up, blinking with annoyance as he waited for his eyes to adjust to the bright light shining through the window behind him.
His watch read eleven-thirty. It was likely Jake was the last to wake in the house. Jake stood and stretched, letting out a loud yawn. There was some soreness in his throwing arm, but he ignored it, as it served only to make him recall the events of the previous afternoon. As he stepped towards the bathroom, he noticed his breath was as foul as a sewer. In fact, his whole body was emitting a foul odor.
Twenty minutes later, Jake was soaking his freshly clean, aching body in the hot spring. He closed his eyes, letting the sounds of his surroundings envelop him. He could hear Shinobu hanging laundry on the line on the roof, the sound of the ruffling sheets in the breeze muffling the sound of Motoko's sword slicing through the air.
Jake opened his eyes, seeing a bird chirping from its nest in a nearby tree. He wondered what exactly he would do next. Failure seemed to cling to him like a shroud, following him thousands of miles across the Pacific. Was there even any point in trying to pursue a career in baseball? After all, he had a degree and could easily find a well-paying job, be it in Japan or back in the States. He could shack up back at home until he found his own place. After all, he was sure his mother and sisters missed him dearly.
Thinking about his family reminded him that he promised to call them after his tryout. He slapped the steaming water with his left arm in frustration. Every thought seemed to lead back to his failure. He just wanted to forget about everything that went wrong the past few weeks. Closing his eyes once again, Jake let out a heaving sigh, sinking once again into the water.
As idle minds tend to wander, Kitsune leapt into Jake's mind. He had no idea what to say or do around her, but he could never quite shake the thought of her from his mind. It had been quite some time since the two shared any real meaningful conversation, and there seemed to be an ever-widening gap between them; a gap with no passable bridge in sight. Another sigh escaped Jake's lips as he dipped his head underneath the naturally heated water, air bubbles passing from his mouth to the surface.
Later that afternoon, after going through the motions getting the building straightened up after the previous night, Jake was catnapping on the sofa when he heard the front door slide open. Turning his head and poking an eye open, Jake saw Keitaro step in and shut the door behind him.
"Hey," Jake greeted him unenthusiastically, not bothering to sit up.
"Hey, Jake. How are things?" Keitaro asked, kicking off his shoes and stepping into his slippers.
"Same as always."
"Tired?"
Jake shrugged his shoulders. "Just trying to bury my head in the sand, I guess."
Keitaro sat in the chair across from Jake, putting his legs up on the table. "School sucks," Keitaro noted off-handedly. He could tell Jake was in no mood to discuss his own current events, so he decided to change the subject. However, he did not lie with his statement.
Jake chuckled through his closed eyes. "At least you have a nice place to come home to."
"Yeah, I guess," Keitaro replied, gazing around the room. "Thanks to you, for the most part."
Jake chuckled. "It's pretty easy to keep the place up when you aren't making a mess by getting yourself thrown out windows and through walls."
"Again, thanks to you."
"I don't feel like I've done a damn thing," Jake finally admitted, putting a hand on his brow. "It's like I've been running on a treadmill; busting my ass but getting nowhere."
"I know the feeling," Keitaro said, but offered nothing further. Having spent the vast majority of his life competing from the losers' bracket, Keitaro knew there were no magic words that would lift the cloud of dread hanging over Jake's head. It would take time, and little else.
"I haven't the first damn clue what to do from here," Jake said.
"Well, feel free to take as much time as you need," Keitaro said. "I'm in no rush to replace you."
Jake broke out in a crooked grin. "It's good to know I have at least some job security."
Keitaro chuckled. "Well, you are probably the only person in this whole country with an undergrad degree that would take this job for this pay."
"Maybe I should negotiate a raise, then. You shouldn't be able to afford me, after all."
"I guess I should get a job posting put together, if that's the case," Keitaro said sarcastically.
The two laughed at each other a bit, sitting in silence for a few moments. The telephone rang, breaking the silence.
"I'll get it," Keitaro said, rising from his seat.
Jake lay there, unmoving. He honestly could not care less who was on the phone. Were he alone, he would have been content to let the damned thing ring all night without answering it. A few short moments later, however, his mind was changed.
Keitaro popped his head back into the room. "Jake, it's Jane on the phone for you. She sounded a little distraught."
Jake snapped upright, cursing. "I forgot I was supposed to call them!" He jumped to his feet and ran past Keitaro to the phone, picking up the receiver. "Jane, what's the matter?"
Fifteen minutes later, Jake said goodbye to his sister and hung the receiver back on the phone. He walked sullenly back to the great room where Keitaro sat reading the morning newspaper. "It looks like you'll need to get that job posting put together after all, Keitaro," Jake said, his voice cracking.
"What's going on?" Keitaro asked, setting aside the newspaper.
"I need to fly home right away," Jake said matter-of-factly, moving towards the staircase without looking at Keitaro.
"What happened?" Keitaro asked, his voice rising with worry.
Jake took pause. His heart hung heavy in his chest, but strangely, the words came quite easily to him. "It's my mother. Her breast cancer came back and metastasized. She's only got a few days, they said."
"Oh my God," Keitaro exclaimed, rising from his chair.
Jake kept his head down, his eyes scanning the floor for something unseen. "Yeah, that's what I said when I heard. I need to pack. Can you look up the next flight back home for me?"
"Yeah, sure," Keitaro said, dumbstruck. He could tell Jake's eyes were glazing over with tears as he watched him climb the stairs.
Jake paused halfway up the stairs. "Sorry about all this," he apologized before running up the stairs to his room.
Jake hastily packed up everything he could within the limited timeframe he was afforded, throwing clothes and other breakable items precariously into his large duffle. He didn't care about anything except getting home as soon as he could. He feared this day for over five years; ever since his mother was first diagnosed with breast cancer. Thankfully, several rounds of aggressive chemotherapy beat the cancer into remission, but now it appeared it was all for naught. He threw the last few items into his bag roughly, cursing loudly for leaving home when he was needed most.
Jake tumbled down the stairs with his bag in tow. Keitaro was standing in the foyer. "If we leave right now, we should just barely make it," Keitaro said, looking at his wristwatch.
"I'll pay for any speeding tickets. Just get me there on time." Jake pleaded with his friend. Keitaro nodded in approval. The two men left the building and drove down the hill. Jake never looked back.
The plane ride back home lasted an eternity. There was no way Jake could sleep. Every time he dozed off some unseen force jolted him back into consciousness. He just sat there in the darkness, listening to the jet pierce through the thin 35,000-foot air, staring blankly at the seat in front of him.
His sisters met him at the gate. After hugging them briefly, they hurried off to retrieve Jake's baggage and bolted out of the airport. Although they had a multitude of questions for him, Jake's sisters sat on either side of him in the taxi in silence. Jake appreciated his sisters' recognition of his want for peace and quiet. They too were probably mentally taxed and were pleased to get the little silence they would have before reaching their destination. That, and each of them were afraid to say what was on his or her mind.
The somber mood worsened when they reached their mother's hospital room. They had since moved her from the ICU to a regular room. All hope was lost after all. Jake hesitated in reaching out for the door handle. Jane rubbed his back sympathetically, her lower lip quivering. Silent tears fell from Jill's eyes, the ramparts of her will crumbling around her.
At last, Jake pushed open the door, letting his sisters enter the room ahead of him. As he stepped in, he saw his mother's pale, drawn face. She looked like she had fought a battle against a fearsome poltergeist that had drained the strength and color from her. Her hair was disheveled and seemed much more grey than the last time he saw her. A tube across her nose fed the oxygen her weakened body needed.
He stood still a few paces from the bed until his mother slowly turned her head in his direction. "Jake," she whispered with as much strength as she could muster with her shriveled voice.
Jake bolted to her side, taking a knee next to the bed. He clasped his hand over hers. It was cold as a bitter winter's morning. "I'm here, mom," Jake said with a distinct crack in his voice. Lifting her hand, Jake's mother stroked the side of Jake's face. Jake could hardly believe how cold her hand was on his face.
"It's been so long since I've had all three of my children together like this."
"Yeah, mom, you have a way of forcing us to get together," Jake said sarcastically. His mother laughed for a moment before a coughing fit stole her breath. After a few long moments, she finally recovered.
"I'm really glad you made it here in time," Jake's mother said between hoarse breaths. Jake cracked the tiniest of smiles. She had already accepted her fate, and he had just barely recognized the gravity of the situation. He was far behind her in the process.
"Me too, mom." He sat there unmoving for a few minutes, letting his mother touch his face and look at him. At last, he asked the unthinkable question. "What are we supposed to do without you?"
Surprisingly, Jake's mother simply smiled at him. "Don't worry about that. You kids are all grown up now. You don't need me anymore."
Jill collapsed to her knees on the other side of the bed, throwing her arms over her mother. "That's not true," she exclaimed, bawling openly. Jane covered her mouth with her hands at the sight of her little sister becoming hysterical. She sat in a nearby chair and wept silently.
Jake's mother stroked Jill's long brown hair. "Don't be scared, Jill." She turned her head to look at Jake. "I'm leaving you in good hands, isn't that right?"
Jake stared at his mother's smiling face for a moment before giving a slight nod. Leaning over to kiss his mother on the cheek, he whispered in her ear, "I'll take care of them."
"I know you will," she responded warmly, but weakly.
After another few minutes, a nurse interrupted them, saying her patient needed to get some rest. Knowing there would be many arrangements to see to, Jake told his sisters to stay with their mother while he made some phone calls.
Stepping out of the room, Jake pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed Keitaro's number. After a few short rings, Jake heard a click and Keitaro's voice on the other line.
"Hey, it's Jake…Yeah, she's not doing so well…It's hard to tell, it could be any time now…Yeah, that would be for the best. I don't know when or even if I can make it back…Thanks. Can you do me a favor? Would you mind apologizing to everyone there for me? Yeah, I know, I just feel bad leaving the way I did…Thanks a lot…You too. Take care." Jake closed his phone and placed it back into his pocket. He had no idea what to do from here. Hearing the door to his mother's room close behind him, Jake turned and saw the nurse smile weakly at him then turn and walk in the other direction. "Well, I guess it's as good as any place to start," he muttered, walking in the direction of the nurse's station.
Author's Note: About time I got off my ass and started writing again. Sorry about the hiatus, but I really needed it for personal reasons. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and hopefully there will be more from me in the near future.