Part 30: Dahlia

Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture

9:00am

The scent of cooking food pulled Dahlia, kicking and screaming, back into the living world after a rather restless sleep. She forced her tired body out of bed, throat dry and hair a mess. The events of the night were still fresh in her foggy mind, and as she pulled her shorts on, she contemplated how the morning would play out.

"Mom isn't too crazy a traditionalist. What could possibly go wrong?"

She collected her towel and stripped the bed, before leaving the room, detouring to the bathroom to heed the call of nature. The girl collected handfuls of water and drank greedily from them, before running her fingers through her bird's nest of a hairdo. Eventually, she arrived in the kitchen, where her mother was already awake and making breakfast. Kim looked up at the sight of movement, and found her daughter wandering down the short hallway.

"Good morning, sleepy head." She teased. "I was about to come and get you."

"Morning." Dahlia replied with a yawn, retrieving a coffee mug and moving towards the maker itself.

"You still like pancakes, right?"

Hachimiya blinked for a moment. "Is that even a question?" Kim smiled and pointed her spatula at her.

"Thought I'd ask. I don't know what they feed kids in Ibaraki. Friends at work call people from there 'Country Bumpkins'."

"You can take the girl out of the city..." The Carpenter finished assembling her coffee and left the kitchen again, heading towards the balcony sliding door. Christmas day had brought with it a wintery mixture that continued to drift from the clouds and blanket the town with wet, heavy snow. Across Ōmura Bay, the city of Nagasaki was shrouded with clouds, completely invisible. Sipping from her mug, her mind was a jumbled mess. The conversation with Kay last night had helped, but Hachimiya was still unsure of herself, especially when it came to explaining herself to her mother. Kimberly had already picked up on her daughter's preoccupied disposition the previous day, and the morning brought that back ten fold.

"So… anything on the agenda today?" Kim asked. Dahlia jumped and turned her head.

"Huh?"

"I asked what you would like to do today."

"Oh. Uh… well, it is Christmas, right?"

"Yes, and as you might guess, most of the things under the tree are for you. After breakfast, maybe you'd like to open them? I didn't peek at the ones you sent. I promise."

Dahlia nodded slowly. "Yeah… yeah, okay."

Kimberly glanced up, moving her pan off of its burner and stepping away from the stove. "Hey, are you alright, honey?"

"Hmm? Oh. Yeah… I'm… I'm fine."

"You seem distant this morning. More so than last night." Yep. Called it. "Does it have anything to do with what you said yesterday?"

Dahlia turned her head. "What did I say?"

"That you might have something going on with someone at school, and that you might talk about it another time." Kim said. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Hachimiya took a hesitant sip of her coffee. "I suppose I could use an… adult opinion."

Her mother smiled. "Okay. Let me finish making your breakfast, and then we can talk."

Dahlia nodded as the smaller woman turned around, still pulling her thoughts together. How would she explain it? "Me and my friend got drunk, and then we banged at her place in a one night stand?... No, that makes us both sound like whores with no standards, and Mom might get the wrong impression. Maybe… we did all that after she seduced me?... No, no. That's worse. Makes it sound like Nack is a rapist, or something."

Her mind was still churning when she sat down at the table, and she and her mother ate in an uncomfortable silence. Eventually, halfway through her meal, Dahlia broke the ice.

"So, uh… Mom? Remember when I told you about the girls from Leopon team?"

Kim blinked, thinking for a moment. "I think so. The girls who like cars?"

"Like is the understatement of the century, but… yeah. Them. Their… 'leader' I guess is Nakajima."

"Oh, I remember her. You said she liked to help you work on your truck, and you got her into the Operating Engineers."

"Right. Well…" Dahlia hesitated, fidgeting in her seat and taking a long sip of orange juice. "I don't know how else to say this, so I'm just going to." The girl took a breath and closed her eyes. "The other night, the Sensha-do team had a party, and a bunch of us got kinda drunk. Myself and Nack included. When I brought her home, she invited me in. I went along, we hung out, talking and drinking more. She put on some music, we danced, she kissed me, and then we had sex."

When Dahlia opened her eyes, she found her mother staring at her with a surprised expression. After a few moments, Kim set her utensils down and turned herself to face her daughter directly, her eyes becoming hard and serious.

"Did she force herself on you?" She asked after a few beats. Caught off guard by the abrupt question, Dahlia quickly shook her head.

"No! I-I mean… No. I… At the start, I kissed her back. While we were both a bit sauced, I was able to control myself, at least. She knew I had never done anything with a girl before, so she, like… coached me, I guess you could call it. Nothing was rushed or forced."

Kim nodded, appearing satisfied with the answer. "So… what's the issue?" While she picked her fork back up, Dahlia made a flabbergasted sound.

"Since that night, I've been so confused! I don't know what to do, I don't know what to think! I've never felt like this before. I've never liked girls this way, and now, I can't stop thinking about… her." The troubled girl rested her head in her hands. "I feel like I'm having an identity crisis. A few weeks ago, I was plugging away at my work, not even really thinking about having a relationship. I had an ex who I was still friends with, and we were going about our lives happy and single. Now, all I want is her. What started as a one night stand is turning into an infatuation. And now, I'm terrified of the consequences of pursuing it." When she looked up, her eyes were starting to mist. "What do I do, Mom?"

Kim thought for a long moment, quietly studying her daughter as the girl searched her for an answer. "I would tell her all of this." She said finally. "Though, maybe not as dramatically." Dahlia was taken aback.

"Wait… you're not… upset at all?"

"No. Why? Should I be?"

"I dunno. Maybe because we live in a fairly conservative country, and your daughter just came out of a closet she didn't know she was in?"

"I have to say, I'm not really surprised that you ended up liking one of your classmates." When Dahlia continued to stare blankly at her, Kim elaborated. "In America, there are institutions that very religious people sometimes send their children to if they come out, or their parents think they like the same gender. Touting 'Homosexuality is a Sin!', and 'God hates Gays!', or some such nonsense. Once upon a time, they were all over the place. Then there are gender segregated schools, just like here. Sometimes, things happen. I promise, this isn't the end of the world for you, honey. Sure, it may be jarring for you, but you don't have anything to worry about. In fact, one of your cousins is about to marry his boyfriend. And aren't a few of your friends in relationships with each other? Kay among them?"

Dahlia looked down at her half-eaten breakfast as her mother sipped her coffee, feeling like an utter fool.

"So… for the last week or so, I've been completely overreacting about all this?"

"About fear of reprisal, yes. There's nothing wrong with you feeling the way you do. I'm… sorry if you felt afraid of telling me before now, but know that you can tell me anything. That's part of a mother's unwritten job description." Kimberly reached out and touched Dahlia's hand. "I fully understand why this is troubling you, but there's nothing wrong with it. Love is love, regardless of how it takes form. Who knows? Nakajima may feel similarly. Maybe you should tell her." She let a chuckle slip. "Welcome to being a real teenager."

"But… what about Aunt Kishuma?"

"Hon, while I loved your father, his siblings are idiots. Kishuma could give Baptist priests a run for their money. If you're worried about her finding out, even if she does, there's nothing she can do about it. She'll have to go through me." The woman smirked and sat up straighter, wiggling her shoulders to make a 'tough girl' appearance.

"Hey, speaking of… how is Dad?"

Kim took a moment to refocus. "I haven't heard much from him. He checked in… last month? Asking about you and your sister. He said he's still in Hiroshima. No news is good news, right?"

"I guess…" Despite still feeling like an idiot, a weight felt like it had lifted from Dahlia's chest. While speaking to Kay had helped, her mother's words made her worries vanish. "Kay said the same last night… I will talk to Nack. In person, of course."

"Good." Kim said with a smile. "Just as long as what you say are your own words, and not just what someone else wants to hear. Now, finish your breakfast. It's Christmas."

A/N: Just quickly checking in on everyone's favorite self insert

Dahlia's current situation, navigating the choppy waters of adolescence and self discovery, is somewhat modeled off of my own. I realized, for lack of a better word, that I liked girls around the same time she has. Initially rather confused and worried, having supportive friends and family members really helped

Things are gradually getting resolved, and soon, we'll be in the home stretch. However, this story isn't over. Stay tuned for more updates. War Stories has officially begun, and the first chapters of the Alternate Ending, which I've dubbed 'Contagion', are ready for posting. If anyone's interested, the first chapter can get put up. Let me know!

As always, thanks for reading. And see you next time!