It's Spring Vacation. We're heading to Tokyo tomorrow for a visit with Akari's parents. Tomorrow also happens to be my 18th birthday, and because Akari's birthday is only about two weeks away, she and I are having a joint birthday party at her parents' house tomorrow night. My mom is coming too. She really gets along with the Yoshidas and she could really use a little vacation. We have to get up bright and early to catch a train, so Akari and I are staying with my mom tonight to streamline things.
We're waiting at the gate for her to pick us up, but something isn't right. My mom is late.
I get out my phone and start fidgeting with it. Akari can tell I'm uneasy.
"Sh-she's only a few minutes late."
"Yeah…but she's never late to pick us up. And if she is, she texts."
"You're worried s-something happened?"
"Yeah. I have a bad feeling."
She loops her arm around mine and looks very worried now. Maybe too worried. I didn't mean to upset her with my hunch.
Five more minutes is all I can take. Just as I'm about to hit the call button, my phone vibrates in my hand. My mom's calling. I answer and tilt my head a little so Akari can listen.
"Hey mom, everything okay?"
"Hey sweetie. I'm at the hospital, your grandma fell and hurt her hip. It might be broken, don't know yet. She's doing okay."
Akari hugs me around my waist, and I stroke her hair.
"Okay. Can Akari and I come?"
"Sure. Call me when you get here."
After I hang up, I realize something. "I…shouldn't have volunteered you to go. Sorry about that."
She shakes her head, "I want to. I love your grandma."
"Okay…even though it's the hospital? And even though it's her hip?"
"Yes. I'll b-be fine."
I smile at her, "Okay. Let's get a cab."
…
We're at the hospital now, riding up in the elevator with my mom who is updating us.
"They just got her X-rays back. She didn't break anything, but she has a bone bruise and a bad contusion. She just needs lots of rest and pain management. She'll be here for a few days, but no surgery or anything."
I feel a sense of relief. "That's really good. Well, as good as being in the hospital can be, I guess."
The elevator opens and my mom leads us to my grandma's room. I'm surprised to see my grandma wide awake. She smiles at us as we walk in. My grandpa has dozed off in a chair. It certainly doesn't look like the situation is dire.
"Kayo-chan and A-Chan came to see me! I'm a lucky grandma."
I laugh and go over to her with Akari in tow, "How are you feeling?"
"I'm annoyed that I need stay here for a few days…but I was happy to get the news I did. It put me in a very good mood to hear I would heal on my own. Did your mother update you?"
I nod.
Akari says, "Y-your hip doesn't hurt?"
She grimaces a little, "Oh…it does, but it's not so bad if I stay still and get my pain medication. You know a little something about hip pain, don't you, A-chan?"
Akari nods, "Yeah. B-but I've never had a bone bruise or contusion."
My grandma smiles, "Well, let's keep it that way." She crosses her arms playfully and looks at each of us. "Are you two really going to make an old lady in the hospital ask for a hug?"
I laugh, "I wasn't sure if you were cleared for that." I glance over at my mom, who nods. Then I give my grandma a gentle hug. Akari does the same.
Just then there's a knock on the door and my aunt comes into the room, she looks incredibly worried and on the verge of tears. You'd think my grandma's life was in danger. Clearly, she's working off incomplete information. Someone needs to update her. Just as I'm about to, my grandma does it herself.
My grandma takes it upon herself to do so, "Chisato, no need for a long face. I'm okay. No surgery. I just have to sit in this bed for a few days."
My aunt's face relaxes, and she comes and holds her hand. "I'm glad to hear that, Mrs. Nakai." She looks at my grandpa. "It looks like your husband is very relaxed. That should have clued me in."
My grandma laughs at looks at my grandfather who is now audibly snoring "He always says he's 'just resting his eyes' when he does that, even when he's very clearly asleep. It's somehow both frustrating and cute."
My aunt laughs, "Sounds like a man, doesn't it?" This makes the three adult women in the room laugh.
Akari and I just look at each other. I know she is thinking the same thing as I am. It isn't just a 'man' thing, it's a 'significant other' thing. After all, there's plenty Akari does that I find both cute and frustrating and vice versa. But I suppose this isn't the time for me to point out that they made us feel a little left out.
My grandma says, "Kayoko, it's almost your birthday! Are you three excited for your trip?"
Oh yeah, our trip!
My mom intercepts and answers for me, "They are excited, and they'll be going. But I won't be anymore, I want to stay here and take care of you."
Just when I'm about to object that I'm not so sure we'll be going either now, my grandma frowns at my mom, "You should go too, Emi. I'll be fine. It's not that bad. I have my husband and Chisato." My aunt nods and adds, "Mitsuru will help too."
"No. I want to be here for you." She smiles at my grandma, "So stop trying to get rid of me."
My aunt sighs and says, "Emi…can I talk to you in the hall?"
My mom frowns but follows her. My aunt invites Akari and I out too, so we follow.
My aunt hugs my mom and says, "Emi, please go on this trip. You haven't really had a break at all since they moved here. You need one. It will be best for everybody if you get it."
"No. I…I have to stay here. I have to take care of her. It has to be me."
"Why, though? Why can't it be me for a few days?"
"B-because if Hisao were here, he wouldn't leave her. So, I'm not either. Just, stop Chisato! You don't get to tell me what to do." She wriggles out of her arms.
My aunt puts her hands on her hips. "She isn't having surgery or even any sort of procedure. If she were, I'd be right there with you. But she's just here so they can take care of her pain and they can keep her off her feet."
My mom scoffs, "I don't care, Chisato. I'm staying here with her. Hisao would."
My aunt sighs, "Do you really think so? Because I think if he had a short trip planned with Kayoko and her girlfriend in this situation, he would go. I'll be here. Mitsuru will be here. Mr. Nakai is here too. That's more than enough. We'll take good care of her."
I'm about to jump in and help my aunt, but when I look at my mom, I see her defiant expression is starting to show some cracks. "I don't know…maybe he'd go."
"He would, Emi. Have a little faith in me."
My mom sighs. "Fine. I'll go. But I'm only going for one night. The birthday party. I'll be back the next day." My mom looks at me, making sure this is fine with me, and I nod.
I sort of wish she would come for longer, but I also understand not wanting to leave grandma. I was considering staying before my aunt's little speech.
My aunt nods and then sighs, "Okay…I can see that's the best I'm going to do. But you three are going home. Now. You need to rest before you travel."
My mom frowns, "Fine. Jeez, you sure are bossy today. Just let me and the girls say goodbye, and we'll be on our way."
When my mom goes back inside, I hug my aunt, "Thanks for making her go. You're right…she needs this, even if only for a day."
…
We just got home from the hospital. My mom was uncharacteristically quiet on the drive home. It usually isn't a good thing when that's the case. It usually means she is ruminating about something.
When we get home, my suspicions are confirmed. No sooner than we walk through the door, she starts crying.
I put an arm around her and say, "Let's get to the couch, okay?"
She nods and I guide her there. Then we sit and I hug her. Her head is resting on my shoulder as she continues to cry.
I notice Akari is still standing awkwardly in the doorway. She's never seen my mom like this. I can see she wants to help but isn't sure she should. I'm also not sure if my mom wants her to help. I'm trying to figure out what to tell her to do and then my mom sniffles, pats on the couch behind her and says, "C-come over here Akari, there's room for you."
Even when my mom is this upset, she's making sure my girlfriend feels included.
Akari smiles and approaches us. She sits on the couch behind my mom and hugs her while resting her head on her back.
After she cries a little longer, my mom says, "I…d-didn't want to tell you on the phone but…broken hips are really bad for the elderly. They need surgery and r-recovery is hard…lots don't make it. S-s-so…I was thinking the worst…" She wipes her tears. "Some of these are tears of relief."
That explains the look on my aunt's face. And the unusually good mood my grandmother was in. They both knew what was at stake when we didn't. They went from thinking she was going to have to do something that would risk her life to finding out she wasn't going to need anything beyond pain medication and rest.
"I'm really glad she didn't break it, then."
My mom nods. "I always miss your father…b-but I really do at times like these. It's hard sometimes, taking care of his parents and knowing…he would probably do a better job."
I scoff, "What makes you say he would do a better job?"
She shrugs, "I don't know. They're his parents. I…know they wish he was here to help them and not just me…I don't blame them."
Akari says, "Emi…I'm sure they d-do wish their son was here, but it isn't b-because you don't do a good job with them."
I add, "Yeah, they really love you mom, and you're amazing with them. I know they appreciate everything you've done for them."
She sighs and starts to calm down, "I just know it would be easier for everyone if your dad was here too, and it makes me miss him extra." She sits up and wipes away her remaining tears. "But…I'm doing a good job." She looks at me. "I think it's getting close to the time to move them into this house. I thought we could wait until you went to university, but…this was sort of a wake-up call."
I smile at her, "That's fine. I rarely use my room anyway. You can always ask us for help with them too, you know that, right?"
My mom puts a hand on my cheek, "You're very sweet." Then she puts a hand on Akari's hand, which is resting on her abdomen. "Both of you are…thank you."
"Of c-course Emi."
My mom turns to Akari and smiles at her, "Forgive me for being all sappy right now, but obviously I'm in the mood." She takes Akari's hand. "I…really wish Hisao had known you. He would be so happy you're with Kayoko. Just like I am. You're a wonderful girl."
Now Akari is the one who breaks down crying. My mom puts her arms around her and holds her head to her chest.
"I w-wish I could meet him too, all the t-t-time."
Now I join Akari in her tears and my mom sighs and laughs softly. "The three of us are a mess, aren't we?"
I laugh which helps me pull myself together, "A little bit. We certainly aren't afraid of crying in front of each other."
Akari sits up and sniffles, "Kayoko d-definitely is the biggest crybaby of the three of us, though."
My mom laughs, "That's true."
I cross my arms and pout at them, "I know it's the truth, but did you have to say it?"
This just makes my mom and girlfriend giggle at my expense.
Well, at least we aren't crying now.
My mom, Akari, and I are on a train speeding towards Tokyo. My mom fell asleep as soon as we left the station in Sendai. It is early, and while I'm sure she's extra tired given recent events, this is fairly typical train behavior for her. I remember her falling asleep on my dad a lot while he read.
Akari and I are playing chess on the tiny board she bought back when I had my surgery. We didn't get seats with a table, so it's very handy. It has magnetic pieces, so we're playing on an empty seat in between us. She is the one who suggested we play, which made me happy.
"You know…after I played Ms. Ikezawa couple weeks ago, you sure didn't seem like you were that interested in playing more chess with me."
She laughs, "I was joking. Just had a p-panic attack before I could s-say so. Seeing you p-playing with her was amazing."
"Amazing?"
She sits back and smiles, "Yeah. It w-was a different side of you. You w-were really competitive and intense." She looks around, double checks that my mom is asleep and whispers. "It was s-sexy."
I laugh, "So you want to bring that out of me?"
She blushes a little. "That's a perk. B-but more seriously…I just want to play because you like to, and I know it's special to you."
I smile at her, "That's sweet. I'm really happy you want to."
…
We just got out of a cab in front of Akari's family home. It isn't even noon, and I'm glad for that, because I'll be needing a nap if I'm going to be in party shape later.
Akari and my mom get the luggage out of the cab. Akari gives me her keys, and I unlock the front door and hold it for them.
When we get inside, we are greeted by Mrs. Yoshida. There's a break at the university right now too, so she'll be home more during this visit.
"Welcome, you three. I am happy you all made it." She smiles softly at me. "Happy birthday, Kayoko."
I smile back and thank her. Then, to my surprise, she gives my mom a hug. It is her usual stiff, uncomfortable hug. But it is a hug, nonetheless.
"I'm sorry about your mother-in-law, but I'm glad you'll be with us tonight, at least."
My mom nods, "Me too. It wouldn't be a party without me!"
Mrs. Yoshida laughs softly, "I think there's some truth to that."
Then she gives her daughter a hug, and says "Akari, you and Kayoko can put your things down in your room."
She didn't mean to say that, right?
Akari nods, "Yes, ma'am." She takes a few steps before freezing in her tracks and turning around. "M-my room? Kayoko?"
Her mom smirks slightly, "Yes, that's what I said."
I smile at Mrs. Yoshida, "Thank you."
"Thank your mother. She convinced me."
My mom winks at me and I thank her with my eyes.
I think the two of them are closer than I know if my mom managed to convince her to let us share a bed here.
Mrs. Yoshida crosses her arms, "I will expect you two to be on your best behavior. Don't make me regret this."
"Best behavior" is an interesting way to say, "Don't have sex." But I suppose it is less awkward.
We both nod and head off to Akari's room. As we do, Mrs. Yoshida shows my mom to the guest room.
When we get there, we put our things down and Akari hugs me and says, "I'm so happy about this. I w-was really sad about not sleeping with you on your birthday."
I laugh, "You mean that in the wholesome way, right?"
She giggles, "Yes, although…I am a little sad about the…not so wholesome way, but we've made it a week before. We c-can do it again.""
I nod, "I'm sure we will."
After that we have a light lunch, and Akari and I take a nap afterward while my mom goes for her run.
…
When I wake up, I realize we only have an hour before our party. I gently wake up Akari, who is still conked out next to me. I shake her shoulder a little and give her a kiss on the cheek.
"Mmnn? D-don't wanna get up. Stay in b-bed." She wraps her arms around and pulls me close. She starts kissing my neck while she's still half asleep and her hands are starting to wander. I wonder if she realizes where we are.
As I do my best to suppress any sounds of pleasure that would encourage her behavior, I whisper, "Akari…we are at your parents' house, remember?"
Her eyes open wide, and she releases me and then smiles bashfully. "Sorry…I thought we were at school for a second. I guess that wasn't the 'best b-behavior' my mom was talking about."
I laugh, "Probably not. We should probably get up and get ready for our little birthday party."
She sits up and yawns. "Yeah, g-good idea."
…
When we leave Akari's room, I immediately smell some delicious scents wafting from the kitchen. Akari and I try to make our way in there. I'm in there long enough to see that both my mom and Akari's dad are cooking, but my mom makes us leave before I can really see what they are cooking. Apparently it's a birthday surprise.
We go out to the living room and have a seat on the couch. Akari is still very sleepy and gets very cozy with me. As I look around the room, I spot what I was looking for. It's the photograph that her mother took of us during our last visit. The one she gave us as a gift at Christmas. It's on the mantle, right under their wall-mounted television. They told me it was on display but…it's in one of the most central locations in the entire house. I never would have imagined that. Just as I'm about to say something about it to Akari, the doorbell rings.
My mom says, "Kayoko, dear, would you get that?" Akari playfully clings to my arm, but I pat her on the head and that prompts her to let me go. I think I know who this is going to be…and I am very excited. My mom told me they were coming, and I was overjoyed because I've missed them so much.
When I open the door, I see the two people I expected, Daisuke and Kaito. Before Daisuke can come in or say anything, I wrap him up in a hug.
He laughs and Kaito joins him. After our hug goes on for a while Daisuke says, "Happy birthday, Kayoko. Do you think we can go inside or are we just hugging in front of the door all day?"
I nod and lead them inside, and then warn Kaito I'm going to hug him before I do. I notice he is holding a container of some kind. I'm sure he brought something tasty.
Daisuke looks around and says, "So this is what a Tokyo professor's house looks like, huh? Pretty nice." Then he describes what he's seeing to Kaito.
I laugh, "Yep. It is quite nice. Let's go in the living room to see the other birthday girl."
I lead them in there and Akari smiles and stands up to give them both hugs before we all take a seat, and they wish her a happy birthday too.
After a moment Kaito says, "I am picking up an interesting fusion of flavors coming from the kitchen. What are we having, exactly?"
I laugh, "I don't really know. They wouldn't tell us."
He nods, "Ah, it's a surprise then? I won't spoil it."
Akari laughs, "You can t-tell what it is?"
He smiles, "More or less."
"How is culinary school going, by the way?"
He smiles, "Quite well. I'll actually be finished later this year."
"That's great! Do you know what you'll do after?"
He frowns a little. So does Daisuke. Daisuke takes Kaito's hand and puts an arm around him to comfort him. I guess that was something I shouldn't have asked.
"I don't know yet. Opportunities haven't been…great for someone like me. Normally in the culinary world you start very low in the hierarchy in a restaurant kitchen. That means driving and running errands, like going to the market and picking up ingredients…stuff like that. I'm simply not capable of a lot of that sort of grunt work. I think a lot of employers are also concerned that I can't cook as quickly as most people and things like that, even though it turns out I can, provided I know my kitchen well." He sighs and looks dejected. "In short, my path is unclear."
Daisuke adds, "He's doing amazingly though. Top of his class now that he's mastered Japanese cooking along with everything else. I think you'll find someone willing to be flexible for your skills."
Akari and I agree with the sentiment.
Kaito smiles at his boyfriend lovingly. "Why don't you tell them how you're doing Mr. Big Shot?"
He laughs, "Is that what we're calling me now? I'm doing pretty well too. I'm the only second year student working in a professor's lab, and it's been a great experience. I love science even more now."
"That's great! What kind of lab is it?"
"Astronomy, so we look at data from satellites and telescopes."
"That's awesome."
"It is. You should study science too. And be awesome like me."
I laugh, "I might. I'm still not sure. I think my main things are still teaching science or doing music like Akari. But I like scientific research too." I sigh. "I need to figure it out."
Daisuke says, "You still have plenty of time."
My mom arrives in the living room and is about as excited to see Daisuke and Kaito as I was, giving them both very enthusiastic hugs.
The Yoshidas soon follow, and Akari gets up and in a very formal voice says,
"Mom, dad…these are my friends Daisuke and Kaito. Daisuke has known Kayoko her whole life, and Kaito is his boyfriend."
Probably a good idea to make sure Daisuke and Kaito know to be very polite here. They don't need to be this formal all evening, but it will make a good impression on Mrs. Yoshida.
Daisuke and Kaito pick up on the formality. They stand up and Daisuke says, "Thank you for inviting us to your home. Your daughter is a good friend of ours, and it is lovely to meet her parents."
Mrs. Yoshida responds with a soft smile, "We're very glad to have you. Dinner is ready now, so we can make our way to the dining room."
We all get seated, and I notice Kaito hands his container to my mom. Then, she and Mr. Yoshida go to the kitchen and come back with enormous platters of the food they've prepared. When I see what Mr. Yoshida brought, I can't believe my eyes. I put a hand on each side of the platter as if I need to hold it in place or it might run away from me.
"Th-this is…"
Mr. Yoshida smiles, "Pasta Carbonara. Your mother told me it was your favorite dish that your father made, so I thought you might like it for your birthday."
Don't cry, Nakai. This is just food. The Yoshidas will be very uncomfortable if I cry about this.
I smile broadly. "Thank you so much. I am…really excited."
Mrs. Yoshida laughs softly, "You can let go of the platter, Kayoko. It isn't going anywhere."
I blush and apologize for my bad manners.
In my excitement about what Mr. Yoshida made, I forgot my mom made something too.
"Because I enlisted your dad to make something for Kayoko, I made something for you Akari. Your favorite dish that I make."
I swear I see a tiny bit of drool leave her mouth when she says "Curry fried r-rice. Thank you E-...Mrs. Nakai."
Kaito laughs softly to himself, prompting my mom to say, "Something funny?"
He laughs, "A little. I identified the flavors when I came in and thought we were having some sort of fusion of these two dishes. I was a little wary."
As each of us start to serve ourselves, Mr. Yoshida says, "That's right, you're studying to be a chef, aren't you?"
Kaito nods and Mr. Yoshida says, "Try not to be too harsh on us amateurs."
Kaito laughs, "You both have been cooking far longer than I have. I'm sure it's excellent."
Daisuke laughs as he plates some of the carbonara for himself. "So, do I have it right Kaito? You want me to mix these together for you so you can taste them at the same time?"
Kaito chuckles, "That would be really cruel of you. I will be trying them both, but separately."
Daisuke serves him and says, "Okay, you're starting with the carbonara."
"Thank you."
Once we are all eating there is briefly some silence, but then I notice it isn't because we are all eating. Everyone is staring at my mom. When I look at her myself, I feel incredibly embarrassed. She is shoveling pasta into her face in her more instinctive way of eating. It's like she no longer needs to breathe or blink or do anything other than consume food. She normally only does this around me. I clear my throat and she looks at me and notices everyone is watching her. She turns bright red, swallows, and puts her utensils down.
"I'm really sorry. I kind of got in the zone there, didn't I?"
Mrs. Yoshida laughs. "Kayoko…given that you grew up watching your mother eat like that, it is quite remarkable you are as reserved as you are." This makes everyone but me and my mom laugh hysterically. Even Kaito. I guess he can hear how we eat. Somehow that's even more embarrassing.
My mom crosses her arms and pouts, "This might be Kayoko's favorite dish of her father's…but it's mine too. It was…actually the first thing he ever cooked for me, even before we started dating." She smiles, "We had a little lunch club together, and we'd alternate who was responsible for lunch each day. Anyway, I really missed it. So, I got a little carried away."
Now everyone looks guilty for laughing at her expense. Especially Akari, who knows better than everyone else just how much my mom misses my dad. I nudge her under the table with my foot and smile at her to tell her it isn't a big deal. Excuses or not, the way my mom eats is ridiculous.
Mr. Yoshida squeezes my mom's shoulder and smiles, "Eat however you like, Emi. I'm glad you're enjoying it."
We all go back to enjoying our meal, but my mom doesn't return to her natural way of eating. Instead, she controls herself.
…
Once we've all eaten our fill and plates are starting to be taken back to the kitchen, Kaito says, "Those were both amazing. I will be needing the recipe for both." This makes both chefs smile broadly. They simultaneously realize their smiles aren't doing any good, though before thanking him verbally.
Then he smiles and says, "Now then, I believe it is time for dessert?"
My mom asks, "Should I go get them, Kaito?"
He nods and my mom goes back to the kitchen before returning with a platter with little pastries on it. I recognize them from Kaito and Daisuke's graduation party. It's as if he took all the best qualities from a chocolate croissant and a cinnamon bun and made them into a single delicious pastry.
When he hears my mom put the platter down, he says, "I seem to remember you both liking these a lot. If I'm not mistaken, Kayoko ate more of them than anyone else at our graduation party."
Akari and her mom giggle at me and I blush and look down.
He's not wrong. I was sad about Hideki though! They made me feel better.
Oh, who am I kidding…I would have probably eaten more than anyone else either way. I'm more like my mother in that way than I care to admit.
Kaito continues, "So, when Mrs. Nakai called me about making dessert tonight, this is what I went with. Please accept them as our gift to both of you."
Akari says, "Th-these were amazing. What are they called again?"
"Rugelach."
I laugh, "None of us can even say that." Everyone at the table agrees with me apart from Mrs. Yoshida, who looks at me like I challenged her, and then she says the word almost exactly as Kaito did, prompting him to raise his eyebrows.
"Do you know Hebrew, Mrs. Yoshida?"
She laughs, "No. But I'm an English professor. So, I don't have any problem with the 'l' sound. My husband can say it too after all our time in England." He nods. "Still, I don't think I got the last sound right. I don't have much experience with gutturals, since there really aren't any in Japanese or English."
He nods, "I didn't know it was called a guttural…but that makes sense. There are lots of Hebrew sounds that use the back of your throat. Either way, you said it amazingly well for someone who just heard the word."
She nods and smiles softly, "Thank you."
We all enjoy eating the ruge…whatever and then Akari says, "Th-this meal was amazing. I don't know if we need any other gifts."
I'm sitting with my eyes closed in a partial food coma, but I open one eye to look at my girlfriend and I say, "Speak for yourself" prompting everyone to laugh.
My mom gets up and says, "Does anyone mind if I go first?"
There are no objections, so my mom goes off to the guest room and returns with two gifts. They are both rectangular boxes that look to be the right size for clothing. I really hope she didn't get us both bras like last year. That may not go over so well with our current audience.
I just realized that Akari and I regularly take those bras off one another now. Funny how things can change in a year.
When she hands me the box, I can tell it is far too heavy to be bras. I look at Akari who, despite her earlier selflessness now looks as excited as a 5-year-old on their birthday.
She looks at my mom, "Who sh-should go first?"
She smiles, "Open them at the same time. They go together."
We do as instructed, and when my gift is revealed I find a soft purple garment of some kind. I look over at Akari, and she has a pink one. We both pull them out of the box, and we see that they are identical bath robes, save for the color and size. We smile at each other and then at my mom.
"I thought it might be nice having those in the dorms, especially during colder months. I remember it being freezing going from the shower back to my room."
I hear Daisuke quietly say, "They got bathrobes." to Kaito.
I guess it was rude not to announce what we got. Woops.
Akari smiles, "Th-thank you…they are really comfy, and I like that they are the same. Will be really c-cute when we both wear them." I notice Mrs. Yoshida's face twitch slightly. She's trying her best, but hearing about the two of us in nothing but our robes appears to have been a little difficult for her. To her credit, she doesn't say anything and returns a soft smile very quickly.
Akari stands up and smiles, "Okay…let me go get your gift Kayoko."
While she's gone, I say, "I don't want you all to think I'm a bad girlfriend. I didn't bring my gift for her, we decided I would give it to her on her birthday."
Mr. Yoshida laughs, "No one thinks that. It will be good to save a present for the actual day."
Akari returns with my gift and a big smile on her face. It's in a cute gift bag that has flowers on it. She hands it to me, and I take out the tissue paper to find the Blu-ray of Bloom Into You. I told her I wanted to watch the anime with her, and now we can. It is something we can enjoy together too, which is fitting for our joint birthday party.
I smile at her, "Thank you, this is really sweet. I can't wait to watch it." I give her a quick kiss that I wish wasn't so quick, but I don't think everyone wants to see us making out. I announce to everyone, "She got me the Blu-Ray of an anime that is really special for both of us. Called Bloom into You."
Kaito smiles, "I know the manga. It's very good."
"Really? Yeah, we love it. Akari has loved it since she was 13, while I'm a more recent convert."
I almost shared more, but I'm not sure Akari wants her parents to know that this manga made her realize she was attracted to girls. At this point I don't think they would be offended, but Akari should be the one to bring that up.
Kaito nods, "My older sister loves manga, and she had a habit of reading it to me since I was little. She loved it so much and I think she felt bad for me that I couldn't really enjoy it. When I told her I was gay, she started exclusively reading same-sex romance manga to me. That was one she had already read. She hadn't shared it before because she didn't think I'd be interested, so she was very excited to share it with me."
Akari smiles, "Y-your sister sounds amazing."
He smiles, "She is. She was the only person in my family who knew for a long time, and she really helped me discover myself, I suppose you could say."
Mrs. Yoshida smiles and says, "I remember you reading that one a lot. That's when we started to think you might like girls."
Akari blushes and whips her head around to look at her parents, "Y-you knew?!"
Her mom responds with a face that screams 'Of course we did.'
"We didn't know for sure, but you started reading so much girls' love manga that we thought it was pretty likely. We bought it for you at the store and brought it to you in the hospital, so of course we noticed the subject matter."
That makes sense. How would they not notice so much of her manga was about two girls falling in love?
Akari is very flustered by this revelation. "W-well…yeah, but…I didn't even know for sure until I fell in love with Kayoko. B-but…you're right, I did read manga like this because I wasn't sure about things…and I had crushes on the girls." She pauses for a second and thinks something over.
I am very tempted to point out that her first manga crush was a girl who looks a bit like me, but this is neither the time nor place.
She continues. "You two were more surprised when I told you I had a b-boyfriend than you were when I told you about me and Kayoko. I thought with Michi it was because I'd never had one…b-but it wasn't, was it?
Mr. Yoshida laughs, "Well...we did think it was more likely for you to have a girlfriend than a boyfriend."
All of this has me really wanting to know something. "If you knew…did you two…think we might end up together all along?"
Her parents exchange a look, and her mom says, "We didn't know for sure. Back when Akari first told us about you, and told us that we'd be meeting you for lunch, we did wonder if you were her girlfriend. You weren't at the time, of course, but...we thought it might end up that way, yes. We didn't know for sure…but let's just say when Akari told us you two were together, it didn't come as a big surprise."
My mom laughs, "I can see why you two have those PhDs. It completely surprised me."
Daisuke laughs and adds, "Me too. And they say other LGBTQ people are supposed to have an instinct for that kind of thing."
I laugh, "Well, I wasn't reading this kind of manga." I take Akari's hand "Plus…I didn't even have a crush on any girls before Akari. Not as many clues."
Akari laughs and smiles at me and then turns to her parents, " …th-thank you, mom and dad."
Her mom looks surprised. "Whatever for?"
"Just…helping me figure that part of m-me out. Bringing me all that manga in the hospital. You…were basically encouraging m-me all along, and I didn't know. I r-really appreciate it, now that I do."
Kaito adds, "I agree, it sounds like very good parenting."
They are definitely 'actions speak louder than words' people. If my mom thought I liked girls she would have just talked to me about it and told me she supported me.
Her father smiles, "You're very welcome Akari. I'm glad we could help. So…would you two like your gifts from us?"
Clearly, they want to change the subject. Too much real talk, I think.
We both nod excitedly. Her father hands us two wrapped gifts that are very clearly something in a frame. We look at each other and nod before ripping the paper off the gifts. What I find is a framed page of some kind with something that looks vaguely like music notes, along with western writing underneath the music. I see Akari has the same sort of thing, but our pages aren't identical.
Hideki has something like this. What was it called again?
I look up at the Yoshidas and confidently say, "It's a medieval manuscript page with musical notation, right?"
Mrs. Yoshida raises her eyebrows, "I'm impressed, Kayoko. How did you know all that?"
Praise from her feels amazing. Is this what it's like to be Koji?
"Oh, I've read about the history of music a little bit."
I lied a little to make it sound more impressive that I know this. It just being a coincidence would not get me as much praise.
Mr. Yoshida nods, "That's great. Do you happen to know this song?"
I laugh, "Nope. I don't know Latin. Although…I do know most of the music was religious."
He winks at me, "You have impressive knowledge about medieval music." He chuckles "While you're right about most medieval music being religious, by later in the period there was also secular music, usually written in spoken languages like French and English instead of in Latin, which your typical person didn't know at the time. That way, more people could enjoy them. That's what this is. It's a troubadour song. You each have half of it."
"Troubawhat?"
He laughs, "It is basically a hit song from the time. Troubadours were famous singers and songwriters. They traveled throughout Europe and performed songs. Many of them are about love, like this one."
I smile and look at Akari, who is studying her page closely, "And we each have half of this love song?"
He nods, "This one is by a 14th-century Frenchman named Guillaume de Machaut."
Yep, never going to be able to pronounce that.
He continues, "We think it's one of the best love songs ever written. It is a bit melodramatic of course, but it defines love beautifully. I've included the translation on the back of each of the frames. You two should read it together later."
Akari and I smile at each other.
Not only are these manuscript pages beautiful, and a neat thing for a musician to own, but the gift has real meaning. This is another 'actions speak louder than words' thing. Her parents rarely say nice things about our relationship, or outright tell us that we are a great couple like my mom always does. But through their actions, and especially their gifts, they keep showing us that they feel the same way my mom does.
"Thank you so much, Mr. and Mrs. Yoshida. I really, really love this."
I get up and give them each a brief hug. I want to hug them longer, but I don't think either of them would be comfortable with that. Akari gets up and thanks them the same way.
My mom gets up and stands behind us to look at the pages. "Those are really pretty. They will look nice on your walls. Way better than bathrobes."
She is kind of right, but the Yoshidas express their emotions through gifts, my mom does it in lots of other ways.
I laugh, "We like those a lot too, mom!"
"Y-yeah…love them, even!"
Oops, I did only say like.
My mom laughs, "Well…either way, you two got very nice gifts tonight."
I nod, "We did…and you all made us really good food on top of that. Thank you, everyone." Akari repeats my sentiment.
After that, Daisuke and Mrs. Yoshida clean up, refusing offers of help from everyone else either because it's their birthday or they did the cooking. Then we say our farewells to Daisuke and Kaito, and we all head to our bedrooms after a fun night.
...
At the end of the night, we climb into bed together and look at our manuscript pages. We can't wait any longer to read what they say.
Once we figure out Akari has the first half, she sings the translation aloud, doing her best to follow the musical notation, even though it only kind of resembles our own. (Author's Note: You can listen to the song here.)
"I will stay faithful, guard your honor, seek peace, obey, fear, serve and honor you until death, peerless Lady.
For I love you so much, truly, that one could sooner dry up the deep sea and hold back its waves than I could constrain myself from loving you. Without falsehood, for my thoughts, my memories, my pleasure, and my desires are perpetually of you, whom I cannot leave or even briefly forget."
Akari smiles, "Th-that's the end of mine. It is f-fun reading how people 600 years ago thought about love. N-not too different from today." She looks at me seductively. "My desires are p-perpetually of you.'"
I kiss her softly, "Right back at you. Should I read mine now?" She nods and smiles and then I do my best to sing my portion while reading the translation.
"There is no joy or pleasure or any other good that one could feel or imagine which does not seem worthless to me whenever your sweetness sweetens my bitterness. Therefore, I want to praise and adore and fear you. Suffer everything with you. Experience everything with you. Endure everything with you. I want this more than I desire any treasure. I will stay faithful.
"You are the true sapphire that can heal and end all my sufferings, the emerald which brings rejoicing, the ruby to brighten and comfort the heart. Your speech, your look, your bearing, make one flee and hate and detest all vice and cherish all that is good. I will stay faithful."
Once I finish, I smile at Akari and say, "Well…your dad was right. This is an amazing love song."
Akari nods and takes my hand, "I l-like the part about you sweetening my bitterness. You do that all the t-time for me. When you help m-me during flares or panic attacks."
I smile at her and squeeze her hand. "You do it for me too when I get hurt or have surgery." I look at the translation. "My favorite part is how similar some of this is to the Bloom into You theme." I giggle. "Who would have thought a 21st anime theme song and a 14th-century French love song would describe love in a similar way?"
She raises an eyebrow, "Which part?"
I look back at the translation on the back of my frame and trace my finger along as I read, "I want to suffer everything with you. Experience everything with you. Endure everything with you."
Akari smiles and nods and sings the line from the theme that I was thinking about, "Your show of courage, your weakness, your everything. I'll embrace it all."
I smile at her, "Yep. It isn't the same word for word…but the meaning is similar. Love is being there for each other during the good and the bad. They say love is universal. I guess it's true." I tear up a little and hug my frame to my chest. "It really means a lot that your parents got this for us."
Akari smiles, "It really does. They k-keep surprising me. I can't believe they knew I liked girls for so long. And thought we m-might end up together!"
I laugh, "Me neither. I realized tonight…your parents don't often say kind things. But they do them all the time. From everything with your health, to encouraging you to explore your sexuality, to visiting my family at the holidays, to getting us really sweet gifts."
Akari nods, "Y-you're right." She laughs. "So, you do think they are nice?"
I nod, "Very nice. They aren't comfortable with physical contact or expressing emotion…and that was hard for me at first. But now I get them. And I love them." I laugh. "But I'm afraid to tell them that and make them uncomfortable."
Akari giggles, "Well…I'm glad you love them. I think they love you too…they'll t-tell you some day."
Now we put the frames aside and get very snuggly. I give Akari a long kiss as I think about the words from that medieval love song. Then, there's a knock on the door. We break our kiss and jump a little. Even though her mom said this is okay, I don't think she wants to walk in on us kissing and snuggling. We separate and Akari says, "C-come in."
We both heave a sigh of relief when my mother walks through the door.
She laughs at us, "You two look scared. Expecting someone else?"
I laugh, "Definitely. Everything okay with grandma?"
She nods. "Yes, she's great. But….there's…something important I wanted to talk to you about tonight, related to you being 18 now…if you're willing. I was going to wait a few days…but since I'm going home early tomorrow, I want to talk to you about it now."
I smirk at her, "Okay, but if it's the sex talk, you're a little late. Plus, we don't really need to use protection. One of the perks, I guess, right Akari?" She laughs and playfully pokes me in the ribs and my mom smiles gleefully about it before she sits down in a chair in the corner of the room.
Then she drops a question on me I really didn't see coming. Akari's parents aren't the only ones surprising me tonight.
"Do you ever think about your birth parents?"
Akari grabs my hand and smiles at me. I smile back. Did they talk about this ahead of time or something? This feels like a concerted effort.
I turn back to my mom. "Nope. Literally never. You didn't meet them, right?"
She shakes her head, "It was a closed adoption. We don't even know who they were other than some vague details that you already know: Your mother was young and single and couldn't afford to keep you. I guess she lives in the Tokyo area too, or at least she did back then."
"Right." I pause for a moment. "Wait, what does turning 18 have to do with this?"
"When we adopted you, they told us the only way to see the records was for you to have them unsealed when you were legally an adult. There's no guarantee that your birth mother left any information, but if she did, that's where it would be."
"But…if she did leave information…I could find my birth parents?"
"Well…she was a single mother…so it may be harder to find your father since we can assume they aren't together. But…yes, if she left contact information, you might be able to find her."
I look at Akari and then at my mom. I feel very uneasy talking about this. I have a horrible feeling in my stomach. I cross my arms and say, "I don't think I care about any of this. I don't need to meet her."
My mom and Akari both look at me in confusion. My mom says, "That's fine…of course. But do you mind telling me why?"
I shrug, "I don't know. She isn't someone who has mattered at all to me in my life so far. Why meet her now?"
"Are you…angry at her? It sounds like it." Akari nods. This really is a two-pronged attack.
"I'm not angry at her for giving me up. I wouldn't have this life I love so much if she hadn't. But I don't need her. I have you."
Akari says, "B-but wouldn't it be nice to see where you came from?"
I sigh, "Is that where I came from though? Sure…in a physical sense that is obviously the case. But who I am has nothing to do with this woman. She's just a stranger."
My mom and Akari respond by staring at me with frowns on their faces.
I sigh. "You both really seem to want me to do this, huh?"
"I'm not going to make you…I don't think either of us are." Akari nods in agreement. "But I don't see how it could hurt. At a minimum, it will be interesting. Maybe you'll even connect with her."
I snap, surprising everyone, even myself, "I don't want to connect with her, mom!"
Akari squeezes my hand and looks at me with concern and my mom frowns and comes to sit on the end of the bed. "Sweetie…are you worried about hurting my feelings?"
I look down, "I dunno. I have had a horrible feeling in my stomach since this conversation began. I guess that's what it is. A little bit. It feels…kind of wrong for me to go and meet her, and definitely wrong to connect with her and have her in my life."
"Y-you would feel like you're…cheating on your mom?"
I laugh, "It sounds silly when you say it but…yeah, I guess that's the closest thing to what I'm feeling. I feel guilty."
My mom smiles and puts a hand on my shoulder, "I understand feeling that way. But I'm not going to be hurt by it. I know I'm your mother. I don't think you're going to run away with a younger mother and divorce me." This gives us all a laughing fit. My mom is so good at using humor in these situations.
Once I've recovered from the laughter I say, "Okay. Well, you two mean more to me than anyone in the world, and you want me to do this. So, I will."
Akari frowns, "D-don't do it if you don't want to."
"Well…I want to, now. You both have my best interest in mind, so it must be worth doing. We're even in Tokyo. Seems like a good time to visit my first home."
My mom smiles, "That's true." She frowns. "I kind of wish I could go with you."
"Oh. Well, I can wait."
She waves a hand at me, "No, no. You're a big girl, and who knows when we'll both be in Tokyo again."
I hug my mom. "Thanks for coming, mom. I know it probably wasn't easy with all the stress about grandma."
She hugs me back, "I'm glad I came. Happy birthday to both of you."
After she leaves, I ask Akari, "Did you two plan that?"
She looks at me with wide eyes, "No. D-did it seem that way?"
"A little. You definitely helped her."
"W-well…I agreed with her, but it was an impromptu thing." She looks down and frowns. "Sh-should I have stayed out of it?"
I use my hand to angle her head back up and I give her a kiss. One that goes on a little longer than I intended. Before I know it, we have our bodies pressed together too. I really want to go even farther but…
This is not our best behavior!
I break the kiss and find myself a little out of breath. Akari's face and chest are very flushed. I'm sure the same is true of me.
She giggles and gives me a squeeze "So…that's a n-no, then?"
I laugh, "Yes." I put my forehead to hers. "I love you. So…I want you to help me make tough decisions. Like that song over there says, 'I want to suffer everything with you. Endure everything with you. Experience everything with you.' Making tough decisions is definitely part of that."
