I'M BACK. I AM BACK.
I'm sorry for the hiatus, but now that my exams are mostly over, I will be able to get back to writing. However, since it's been months since I last wrote, I apologise if my writing and stories are not as good as they used to be. I am aiming to increase the quality of 'moments with you', and do more show than tell in the story. Thank you for the wait!
14.
It is morning, the ground is damp, the breeze is just right for a race on her motorbike, and GoGo Tomago is stuck at home, writing a letter.
She blames Tadashi (and Honey Lemon, for provid- forcing, that idea into her brain) for that.
It's his birthday in three days, and despite scouring for gifts for ages, GoGo hasn't found anything that could pass off as a presentable present. She had intended to buy food; but Honey had banned that decision in mortification ("It's not personal if you do that!"). Which was a pity, really, because GoGo was planning to buy a bag of giant marshmallows and tell Tadashi to build Baymax out of that. Though, given how he hasn't had any luck with the robot lately, she thinks it might be a bad choice.
Which is why Honey Lemon came up with the idea of a letter. To GoGo, it's stupid, cliche, cheesy and not worth the effort. But she still ends up seated in her apartment on a Saturday, trying to compose one (So far, she has a few tic-tac-toe games and a lot more doodles of her bike). She can almost see Honey Lemon's satisfied smile, when she realised her idea had worked.
Dear Tadashi,
GoGo bites her lip hesitantly and crosses it out. She's not the 'Dear so-and-so kind'.
Tadashi,
Did that sound too casual? Was including dear a more polite option after all? GoGo shakes her head in frustration. She'll come back to it later.
(Despite saying she'll come back to it later, she spends another 3 minutes on the salutation, a record considering her impatience, and finally settles on 'Hey, Hamada,')
I heard it's your birthday today, she writes. So Happy Birthday. GoGo pauses and stares at the letter blankly. So far, she has written approximately 5 lines, and most of it are words crossed out or greetings discarded. Grabbing a new piece of writing paper, she sighs heavily and swears Tadashi better appreciate the effort she's going through.
Hey, Hamada,
I heard it's your birthday today, so Happy Birthday.
You, of all people, know this isn't my style. I hate letter-writing, which is why you better appreciate this. I spend a whole morn– hour, on this, a record even if you consider my lecture notes. Anyhow, you're eighteen this year; seen any grey hair yet? You've been moping so much about Hiro lately that I'm surprised you haven't gotten any (new) wrinkles. Same goes for Baymax.
Honey says letters are supposed to represent how much you appreciate someone which frankly, I don't get. But I do know that you are some– I mean, one of the important people in my life. So even when I yell and hit you, I hope you always understand that.
It's been some time since we met – Remember how we ended up wandering around the whole university on our first meeting? I thought you were really annoying back then (don't pat yourself on the back; you still are), but in the long run, you've helped me a lot in my life. So, thanks. For caring and for staying so long. I'm not good at thanking people, so this is all you're gonna get. (It's the only way I can spit it out, so woman up and live with it).
... You're pretty c– You're fine, Hamada. Happy Birthday and good luck on both Baymax and your brother. I know you'll make it. You're Tadashi Hamada.
It takes half an hour, but eventually the letter is complete. GoGo reads through it twice to check for any spelling mistakes or grammar errors (she winces just a little bit when she sees the words she has cut off abruptly, or the ones cancelled to no point of recognition) – and cringes when she contemplates what she has written. But all the words she penned down were true (no matter how cheesy she found them to be. Urgh. She was turning to be such a sap.) Finally satisfied, GoGo folds the letter carefully and prepares to slip it into an envelope. She's not exactly happy, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't satisfied with her accomplishment (She took an entire morning on this, without abandoning it and bolting, and with only mild procrastinating. To her, that's an accomplishment, given her patience.)
For a while, she glances at it and hesitates. She wonders if Tadashi would mind that the only present she was capable of giving him was a measly letter, when Honey Lemon was presenting him a beautiful birthday cake, Wasabi was giving him a book about robots (Like he actually needed anymore, GoGo mutters under her breath) and Fred was giving him a monster figurine.
Then she realises she's out of envelopes.
GoGo vaguely recalls given the stack of them to Honey Lemon some time ago (during Christmas, to be exact, so she could write her 'thank you' letters) and hadn't bothered to replenish them. Groaning, she pulls on her leather jacket, shoves some money into her pockets and stalks out of her apartment. She's starting to think baking a cake for Tadashi would have been a lot less troublesome than this (even if it would end up in a burning kitchen and a mountain of dirty dishes.)
Despite her irritation, GoGo supposes that taking a stroll in the streets isn't bad. She breathes in the fresh, rainy smell (San Fransyoko has been facing wet weather for some time now) of the city, intermingled with pungent car engines, and the throbbing pulse of the bustling city life. Her headache about Tadashi's birthday present (or lack thereof) lessens considerably as she purchases a modest stack of envelopes (she bought more than one - just in case) from the post office. It's only when she turns a corner of the street to pass by the park does she see a clothing store tucked in the middle of two flashy cafes.
It's the grey cardigan she sees in the store window that draws her in. The store is done in a range of pastel colours, and GoGo wrinkles her nose slightly, if only because she has never been a fan of Honey Lemon's colour scheme (which consisted of varying shades of yellow and pale, soft colours in general). She has always preferred darker colours - ones that could hide her face and emotions. But no matter. The grey cardigan reminds her of the birthday boy for some reason. Maybe it's the resemblance to the blazers he commonly wore (which were becoming more common due to the ever lingering rain).
"Miss? May I help you?" The salesperson greets her promptly, a distinguished looking man who towers over GoGo by a head and a half (Not unlike Tadashi, GoGo thinks for a while).
"Cardigan," GoGo clears her throat awkwardly. "I want to take a look at that grey cardigan."
"Oh," the salesperson falters slightly. "I'm afraid we don't have any in your size-"
"It's for a friend," GoGo cuts in, feeling slightly embarrassed. The salespersons' furrowed brows clear momentarily and he gestures towards the article of clothing.
"Well then, what size is your friend?"
GoGo hesitates. How the hell would she know what size Tadashi Hamada wore? Why was she even getting him clothes anyway (Wasn't that usually what girlfriends did)? He probably had plenty of them already.
"Miss?"
"Er, Medium." She finally decides. Large seems more befitting of Wasabi anyway. GoGo briefly wonders if it's impulsive of her to purchase the cardigan as a birthday gift – but the soft and warm vibe it gives persistently reminds her of Tadashi.
She swears she's losing it.
But true enough, when the salesperson hands her the cardigan for inspection, GoGo runs her hand across the soft and smooth material and decides to take it. It will prove useful in San Fransokyo's recent cold spell anyway. Despite herself, GoGo gives a small smile before asking to pay for the cardigan.
"Your friend is a very lucky man," The salesperson comments.
"He's a nice guy, I guess," she coughs, feeling slightly embarrassed. The salesperson smiles and asks her if she wants the cardigan wrapped. GoGo nods curtly (and, feeling a little foolish, she asks him to secure the gift with a ribbon as well. The salesperson simply smiles before agreeing to her request.)
"One last thing, Miss," Just before GoGo is prepared to leave the store, the salesperson stops her to share a tidbit of information. GoGo wish he didn't – the words couldn't get out of her head.
"That cardigan you purchased is called a 'boyfriend cardigan', it's quite popular with girlfriends who are getting their significant others gifts-"
GoGo Tomago has never been so glad to get out of a store.
"GoGo!"
GoGo turns, preparing to open her umbrella and brave the howling rain home. Tadashi is standing behind her, panting slightly, his fingers wrapped tightly around the package she left on his table. The paper is crinkled and the ribbon, gone. He's already opened it.
"Yea?" She averts his eyes. He wasn't supposed to see the gift until she left, or preferably, was safe at home. His birthday was tomorrow, and they would be celebrating it then. But she hadn't wanted him to open her gift in front of Honey Lemon - what if she recognised the brand label? (GoGo has an inkling that she'd reveal it aloud. Not on purpose, of course; it's just how Honey Lemon is.)
"Thanks."
"You're welcome," she finally mumbles, her eyes rising to rivet his gaze. But Tadashi has directed his attention to the missing label of the cardigan. GoGo gives a relieved sigh that could have passed off as disappointment (it isn't). She feels embarrassed when she realises he's staring at one of the cardigan sleeves, which holds signs of a crudely chopped off label.
"What did you cut off? The label? Why?" Tadashi sounds puzzled.
Well, it was too obvious, GoGo thinks. But she ends up clamping her mouth shut and bolting into the rain, ignoring Tadashi's start. When she has finally put (a safe) distance between them, GoGo pauses, turns, and shouts.
"Happy Birthday in advance, Hamada!"
She runs all the way home, her cheeks faintly tinged. Later, Honey Lemon sends her a text, curious as to why Tadashi was smiling ('He's even smilier than usual' were her exact words) for the entire day before the celebration. She seems to think GoGo has or had something to do with it. GoGo denies everything with an impressively straight face.