"Look at you,

Wiping your own tears

With the same hands

That long to be held"

-Ayesha Zahra


The first time Paul Kuromiya ever saw his father cry was when his mother got into a vehicle accident when he was ten years old.

His mother, Daphne Kuromiya, had left early in the morning for a ladies' day out and a ladies' night out with her best friends, but by the middle of noon, there was a phone call sent to the home by the ambulance. His older brother by eight years, Reggie Kuromiya, was the one to have answered the phone and shouted the news to the rest of the house. Paul was in the living room while his father, Brandon Kuromiya, was outside on their front porch. Once everyone was gathered in the dining room where Reggie was, he explained what occurred. The friend group was on the bus, and the vehicle rolled over, injuring everyone inside.

Fortunately, much to everyone's relief, there were no deaths. However, Daphne required critical treatment. Once visitors were permitted to see the patient, Brandon was quick to visit Daphne while Reggie and Paul waited outside in the hallway.

"Come in, boys," called out Brandon from inside.

Opening the door, Reggie sat on the chair closest to their mother while Paul sat on the remaining chair. Brandon was on the bed with Daphne sitting on his lap, tears pouring down from his face as he repeatedly kissed the back of Daphne's head. He held her tight by the middle with one hand, and the other had its fingers running through her long dark purple hair.

"I know that you are husband and wife, but you seriously need to let go of her. The last thing we need to experience is having our father injure our mother for holding onto her too tightly that it harms her. Isn't that right, Paul?" Reggie turned to his younger brother, his question still left answered.

However, Paul was quiet. Since the morning, he had remained quiet during the entirety of the day.

"As I was saying," Reggie continued, gesturing to the positions his parents were in, "I don't think you should be doing this."

"Reggie, my boy…," Brandon began, "When you have a wife of your own, which you will in some years' time since I already know for a fact that Maylene Alarie will be my daughter-in-law, you will do nothing more than to be with her at all times. I would trade the whole entire population of Sinnoh save for us in exchange for one more day with your mother. Sometimes, it is best not to question our sanity when it comes to matters regarding the heart. Love makes us do crazy things, and explanations are not needed at times…This is one of them."

For the first time today, Paul spoke, "I hope that I never get married then. Women and marriage are troublesome. If I get a wife, I will be married to her, and that means that I have to deal with two troublesome things: my wife and my marriage to her."

Daphne chuckled upon hearing her younger son's response. "Paul, are you saying that I am troublesome, then?"

Pondering for a minute, Paul answered meekly, "No, Ma'am. I did not mean you."

"He's not wrong," Reggie agreed, "You really are a troublesome wife to our father. But, we wouldn't trade it for the world."

"Reggie's right." Brandon nodded his head in agreement before planting a kiss on the back of Daphne's hands. "You are my troublesome wife, and we would never trade it for the world. Reggie's the troublesome one, so our poor Maylene, she'll have to deal with that..." Glancing at Paul, he added, "Now, as for our Paul, I suppose he takes after his old man here, so he'll be having the most troublesome of wives if there is anything to do about it."

"I suppose that would be the case. I am very much looking forward to meeting our second daughter-in-law since it's already practically written in the books and set in stone that Maylene's ours," Daphne teased before chuckling once more. Turning to Brandon, who was wiping his tears in haste, she told him, "Look at you, wiping your tears with the same hands that long to be held." Taking one hand and entwining her fingers with his, she used the other one to wipe his tears.

"I hope I never fall in love if it means having to be stressed all the time. Women, especially the wives, are no good," Paul declared, rolling his eyes at what he had to witness.

Secretly, he was grateful that all was well and things were back to normal.

This time, it was Reggie's turn to chuckle. "You're only ten years old, Paul. Give it time…You'll be saying the opposite soon enough."

"Sure…Yeah, right, like that would ever happen!"

Perhaps Brandon and Reggie were right after all because twenty-five years later, he was in the exact same situation as his father. His wife, Dawn Hiranchai, got into a rollover accident when she and her best friends, May, Misty, Leaf, Serena, and Iris, were on the bus for an overnight trip.

Once again, it was fortunate that nobody died, but every passenger and the driver sustained injuries. All five best friends were visited by their husbands and children, resulting in Brandon, Daphne, Reggie, and Maylene coming to the hospital as support for the couples, tending to the children while their fathers saw their mothers.

"There you are," Paul whispered, wiping his tears, which were brought forward upon the sight of his wife, whom he had not seen in person since two days ago,

"Where are the boys," Dawn asked Paul, noticing that it was only him in her room.

Paul shook his head from side to side, the last of his tears pouring down on his face. "Forget about that, you troublesome woman! I just want to know how you are doing."

"I'm fine. Really, I am!" Pouting, she repeated her question, "Where are the boys?"

He answered, "They're with my parents and my brother and sister. The four of them are watching all our children since we, the husbands, rushed to see you as soon as we got the phone call that we could."

Sighing in relief, she grinned. "That's a relief to hear. I don't think the little one could handle seeing me in such a state. You know how he is…After all, he is your carbon copy in looks and personality."

"Oh, don't I know it? My parents, brother, sister, and wife have to remind me of this fact on the daily."

"Come here to me, won't you?"

She scooted back so that he could join her on the bed.

"You really should be resting, Troublesome."

She waved him off with her hand. "I know. I know." Now that he was sitting on the bed next to her, she dried his tears with tissues. "Look at you, wiping your own tears with the same hands that long to be held."

Finally, his tears were dried. She allowed him to run his fingers through her long dark blue hair with one hand while she entwined her fingers with his other.

"I really am pathetic, huh? When I was ten, my mother got into a bus accident with her friends like you did, and my father was crying…I never saw him cry in my life until that time. Yes, he cried at Reggie and Maylene's wedding and ours and when all of his grandchildren were born, but before that car accident, I never thought he could do so. I thought he was indestructible. He could never cry because he can't cry….I was wrong, though."

"That doesn't make you pathetic."

"Wait, Troublesome, let me finish what I am going to say because I haven't told you the important part yet!"

"My bad."

"No, don't apologize." He kissed both of her knuckles. "As I was saying, I was wrong, in more ways than one…I was only ten years old at the time, and kids say dumb things all the time! I said, 'I hope I never fall in love if it means having to be stressed all the time. Women, especially the wives, are no good.' I was wrong in that statement because, as you can see and experience, you are my wife, and I have fallen in love with you, and I still am in love with you. Yes, I am stressed all the time by you, but you are the goodness in my life that I have lacked…So, if anything, I am no good. Every single day, I am grateful that the life I share with you is the life that I am living…Sometimes, I wonder if perhaps you are better off without me, but my own selfishness would much rather have me change myself for the better so that you will have me than see you have anyone else as yours."

"Oh, Paul," sighed Dawn, who tilted her to the side so that Paul could cup her cheek even more, "I just might have to get myself into more danger and injure myself even more than I am right now if it means getting to hear such words from you again."

"Don't you dare even think about it! I will not have my wife and the mother of my children in this situation ever again. I will tie you down to our bed and lock you up in our bedroom if I must."

A rather suggestive idea conjured up in her mind but Dawn decided not to voice it. Today was not the day for that. However, she could save it for another time in which she and her husband were more than willing to act out that particular idea but now was not the right time.

"I am just messing with you," Dawn confessed, "I am really touched by your words, though! That's all…I know you're not one to be sentimental, but I really do appreciate moments like this when I get to see you in your most raw and vulnerable state."

"You do?"

"Yes." She nodded in confirmation.

Kissing her forward, he told her, "Maybe I ought to work on that more if it really means so much to you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

As they were about to lean in for a kiss on the lips, the romantic action was put to a halt when they were interrupted by the door opening, revealing a shocked and scandalized Brandon and an embarrassed and proud Daphne. Attached to Brandon's leg was a five-year-old boy, and in Daphne's arms was a three-year-old boy.

"Oh my, we didn't interrupt you two and ruin the moment, did we?" Daphne asked.

"Oh, we definitely did," Brandon stated, chuckling at the blushing pair who looked at anywhere but each other.

"My princes! Oh, am I sure glad to see you two," Dawn cried out.

Paul stepped out of bed so that their two sons could be on the bed with their mother whom they hadn't seen in the last three days.

"I know this is wrong of me to say this," Brandon whispered into Paul's ears. "But, I believe you owe Reggie and me an apology. We were right twenty-five years ago."

"I know," Paul acknowledged, whispering back, "I owe my mother an apology too. She and Dawn are the most troublesome of wives but I wouldn't trade it for the world."

"Agreed, we wouldn't have it any other way."

The End.