The morning of Kimika's 7
th
birthday was a rush of
excitement. Miwa hired a company to come in and
decorate the main area with pink and gold balloons, a
banner that read happy 7
th
birthday. They were there at
8am in the morning. Akemi and Masa were the ones to
greet them at the door. The Ladies who came in could be
whispering about the number of attractive men walking
around and wondering who the birthday girls' parents were
amongst the adults that lived in the space.
Mio had come home from a run; she walked into the
kitchen with her zipper jacket unzipped showing how fit she
had become while overseas. Riku asked the previous
morning when she had come in around the same time as
her morning run, when she started to run. She told the family
that she started to run after she moved to England to help
get her used to the time difference there.
"Mio, when did dad say the cake would be delivered?"
Emma asked coming around the corner.
"I believe just before the guest begin to arrive, so about
1pm." Mio told her before finishing the bottle of water.
"Ok, I believe Riku and Kaname are taking Wataru and Kimi
out until 12:30 so that they are out of the way of the
decorators." Emma sat at the bar of the kitchen.
"I can imagine how excited she is for her birthday." Mio
nodded.
They chatted about the last year, finding out that Emma
started to look into skin care and makeup. Mio had begun
to go out on dates and try to continue a work life balance.
She explained that it was something that one of the curators
that she had worked with strongly suggested. That is the
ability to manage your work and personal responsibilities to
be successful in both areas. Emma asked what her daily
schedule looked like.
"Since the museum doesn't open until 9:30, I get up about 6
and go for a 30min run, Then I plan accordingly with the
day's needs."
"I see, it makes sense."
"Yeah, I don't want to miss anything in my families lives." Mio
sighed.
Emma knew that Mio was always a little angry at their
father in regard to his job and the absence that it caused.
That if he was home more than he may have seen the
symptoms that their mum was experiencing. Mio was 17
when their mum passed away from cancer, and she was
the one who found their mum collapsed in the living room
of the house. Emma herself was 10 at the time and the
triplets were 8. Not only was Mio a bit angry with their father,
Riku and Akemi at times are too. Get them drunk enough
and their thoughts come out a bit. The three of them, at the
ages of 22, 20 and 17 had to take care of 5 children while
they all were suffering from the loss of their mum. It made
them all want to be available as adults for any of them.
Emma knew that her older siblings' experience from that
time is the reason why they make time for birthdays, travel
and take time off from work to be there is any of them were
sick. Akemi changed from taking classes in-person to taking
classes remotely. Riku went from being a delinquent to
working to take over a tattoo shop.
Emma had seen the way her older siblings have relaxed a
bit since they now had a community to help with the
youngers. Their Father had been in contact more since
Miwa came into his life. They met her when he came home
for the re-opening of Riku's shop a year and a half ago.
Miwa was the one that was so happy for the shop re-
opening and happy to meet them.
Their father was around more often which made the littles
happy.
That afternoon before the guest arrived, Mio watched from
next to the older twins as her father and stepmother
appeared and Kimi ran to hug them. Kimika ran around and
had fun with her friends and family. Their father had his
camera out taking photographs of the event. Miwa spoke
to every adult there and all the children to see how they
were settling in. The party was a success and the littles were
exhausted.
"Mio." A voice called from her doorway.
"Hi Miwa." She looked up from her computer screen.
"How are you?"
"I'm doing well, getting used to Japan again is going to be
interesting." She answered as Miwa sat on the end of her
bed.
"I can imagine it will be." She laughed.
"How have you been?" Mio asked turning her chair to look
at her stepmother.
"I've been great, excited for today and next weekend."
She smiled.
"I bet, though I don't know how 21 children don't keep you
on your toes." Mio smirked.
"Well, it is easy when they all help each other out honestly."
Miwa once witnessed an argument between Mio and her
father just before she headed to England. It was one were
her father told her that she was selfish for wanting to go
abroad to work for a year. Leaving Akemi and Riku to
handle to younger kids. She was the person that stopped
the fight and explained that Mio had to create her own
path and that he needed to see that. It came out that
Rintaro saw so much of her mother in her that he didn't
want her to go too far from the family. But Mio found that
she was cooped up by his request of helping with the
younger kids. Emma was in high school the twin were
becoming Idols, so why was she needed there in person
now.
Miwa and Mio's conversation drew on long until it was close
to midnight. Thats how their conversations went, talking
about Mio's dating life, making plans to go shopping, Mio's
next step Collage wise. Miwa asking if any of her son's
caught her eye. So many parts of life being discussed. Mio
knew that their stepmother has conversations like this with
Akemi and Emma as well.
Over the next week, the excitement of the wedding, circled
around the house. The brothers have all been wrapping up
work that week so that the night before and the day of the
wedding was completely clear. Akemi, Mio, Emma and
Kimika joined Miwa on luncheons , her dress fitting, and
meeting with the coordinator to make sure everything was
ready.
The day before found Mio entering into a tailor and repair
shop. It was the one that all the brothers and her father got
their suits at for the wedding. They also fix rips, which while
Mio was looking over the veil that she was letting Miwa
barrow, she found a rip in the lace. She had taken it to the
tailor to be fixed. The owner knew her from the multiple trips
she had taken the last week with the brothers and her told
her that it was small enough he would have it the day
before the wedding.
When she walked in, the owner was with a gentleman,
looking like he was fixing last minute things.
"Aw Dr. Hinata! I'm so glad that you came by today." He
called out to her.
"I'm not a doctor yet." She laughed at him.
"Oh nonsense, you will be soon enough. I finished the veil
repair this morning." He told her.
"I'm glad, I do not mind waiting while you finish." Mio
chuckled as she eyed the man the tailor was working with.
He was a ginger haired man with lavender eyes, tall and
looked to be focused on his phone while the tailor worked
his magic. She couldn't figure out why he looked familiar.
"You know staring is rude." The man called out.
"And being so engrossed in your phone that you are not
even making sure that your suit is correctly tailored isn't?"
She questioned him, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Well not everyone can take off time to plan a wedding as
I'm sure you have done." He shot back.
"Oh, your assuming that I'm just a soon to be housewife
don't you?" she asked with an eye roll.
"Well if the shoe fits." He said looking back at his phone
"Ugg you must be one to judge a book by its cover." Mio
was getting irritated by this guy.
Mio knew that her attire wasn't what she would usually wear
for running errands. She had just stopped by the Museum to
drop off some paperwork. She had on a pair of dark denim
skinny jeans, a white blouse, a black blazer, and her pink
pumps that Miwa bought her as a gift back in London.
"Here you are Dr. Hinata, the veil." The tailor spoke
interrupting their irritating banter.
"Thank you, would it be alright to bring in a dress I'll need in
in a few months?" Mio asked completely ignoring the guys.
"Of course, bring it here and I'll see what I can do for you."
"Thank you so much! This looks amazing and you can't even
see where the rip was."
She left thinking that she won't see the irritating man ever
again. She was in for a surprise at the wedding and she had
no clue.
E