Track for this chapter:

Sudden inspiration, by Jim Brickman, from the album By Heart

Les was still on the street corner at dusk as Tsubasa stormed home from work, his tangled hair flying around him. His hair clip was not on the sidewalk anymore; probably it had been stolen.

"Ah take it yer day was'n as nice as you'da hoped, huh."

"I told you so." Tsubasa stomped away from Les, who grabbed the sleeve of his jacket indignantly.

"Hang on a second. Ya better siddown and cool off fer awhile."

"I don't need your help, Les."

With surprising strength, Les swung him around by the sleeve and plopped him down on the sidewalk, leaning over him.

"Lissen, son, if ya don't lissen ta what ah says tanight ya gonna say somethin' ta sombody ya gonna regret. It better be me then anyone else cos' ah won't take it personal and ah ain't gonna have ya runnin' off an' ruinin' yer own life."

Tsubasa shrank under his gaze.

"That's a-better. Tell me what happened."

So he relayed the low-lights of his day, from cold coffee to extended hours to broken elevators and reduced lunch breaks. "Ryo's changed the schedule up in the middle of the night and I can't work on these hours. I'm going to die."

"Sure ye are. Jus' probly not yet. Nah hear me out, son. That girl Hikaru? Wazzat 'er name? Ya better talk te her 'bout gittin' yer boss under control cos ah ain't gonna see ye comin' home like this, yer gonna gitcher temper outta wack onea these days an' say somethin' ya shouldn't an' you's a-gonna regret it."

"Okay."

Les leaned back. "Ya goin' anywhere fer winter vacation?"

"If we get one. Ryo claims he's taking us all to New York."

"That's a good place if ther ever was one. Ye can sure let off some steam in all that snow'n light."

"I hope so." Tsubasa sighed and leaned forward, hugging his knees and watching his breath cloud before him.

"Les, have you ever run away from home?"

"Run'way from home? Whatcha ask me that fer? Ya thinkin' bout it?"

Tsubasa stammered softly at such outright exposure. "I-I...it crosses my mind sometimes. Just to get away."

"Huh. Well every young man oughta run'way from home once'n his life. It helps ya and sometimes yer better off far away then close up cos' ye can't say somethin' ye'll regret."

"Oh. Well I sometimes think it would be nice to just be someone else for awhile."

Les strummed a few chords and said, "No. Ye don't become someone else, son. Yer jus' steppin' inta someone else's shoes for a lil' time, like takin' a vacation. Ya always wanna be able ta have somethin' ta come back to. An identity. An' ah don't think yer talkin' bout runnin' off fer good, are ye?"

"Well..."

"No, no, no, son, yer doin' it all wrong. If yer gonna run 'way ya gotta do it proper. Ya got a lot here ta be thankful fer, even if ya don't realise it yet. Ya got that lil' kid what adores ya so much, ah could see it in 'is eyes. 'E looks up ta ya, son, and what'd he do without ya? No hero no more. And if ya decide ya miss it here and didn't leave ya nothin' ta come back to but ruins, well, yer in a pit thar, ain't ya?"

"I guess I see what you're saying."

"Sure ya do. Jus' not yet." Les stroked his chin and hummed something for a moment.

"Ya gotta take a lil' money out tha bank 'n go somewheres where ya can't end up back here if ya git turned 'round. Then ya go on foot or on bus or as far's yer money'll take ya. Ya look 'round, see where ya ended up, and if yer homesick already, ya call a friend ta come git ya. Ya got friends what cares 'bout ya so ye can git this plan a-workin'. If ya not ready ta go back, ya gotta git a job an' stay put awhile. And if ya decide ya wanna make a new life there, ya got it, but ah don't recommend that."

"Okay. But I don't know about that part where the friend comes and gets me. They're all too busy."

"Don't you go sayin' that! Ah knows they loves ya, ya just don't see. They loves ya in their own way'n they'll grow up'n time. You'll see. An' ya can always call me an' then ah'll send ya ta go live wit Cindy in tha country. It'll be good for ya."

"Do you really think I should make a break for it?"

"Go if ya think ya should, son. If it stops ya from hurtin those round ya, ya gotta do it. That's what they call the agape love. When ya do what's bett'r fer everyone ya cares bout. Ah know you's mad right now, but in yer heart, that's where ah knows it. Ya don't wanna hurt these people, do ya, son?"

"No, sir, I guess not."

"You oughta git ta see the world. Go grow up a lil'. It'll teach ya a lot that ya need ta know. You'll a-see. You'll be glad ya went on this lil' trip of 'nlightenment. An' when ya ready ta come back here, home'll be waitin' fer ya where it always was. Ya know ya got a supporter right here on this street corner."

"It's you, right?"

"NO, it's that guy right over thar." Les pointed to a dead mouse in the gutter. "He agrees wit' everything ya say."

Tsubasa chuckled at Les's joke and stood to go.

"Hold on a second, son. Ah have somethin' fer ya." Les dug through his pockets and pressed something into Tsubasa's palm in the dark, curling his fingers around it. Cold and metal and round. "Ya gonna need this, son. This er a hairbrush."

Tsubasa thanked Les and rounded the corner. In the light of the doorway, he saw that Les had found his hair clip. Smiling to himself, he pulled off his jacket and went to bed. There was one ray of sunlight in his life after all.