jazz
12-10-2008, 03:32 AM
Here's my entry for the OMSWC 5. This is the first time I'm trying out a contest like this, considering that I usually stick to fan fiction (and assignments, but that doesn't count). Comments and criticism are appreciated, of course, since I don't know whether it suits the themes.
A memory may be a paradise from which we cannot be driven; it may also be a hell from which we cannot escape.
-----
The pattering sound of the rain outside the window blended almost seamlessly with the constant beeping sounds from the machines in the corner. Eyes that were crinkled with age but still retained a touch of humor and intelligence fell upon a frayed black and white picture, slightly discolored with age.
A picture of a once happy and content family. With a strict but successful businessman father, a kind and loving mother, and three beautiful children who were groomed to carry on the dreams and expectations of their parents. Satoshi, was the eldest, followed by Akemi and finally Kenji.
How many years had it been since the family had last been together? Three? Five? Ten? The large family home in one of the best neighborhoods , with two stories of open floor plan, polished glass, natural light and contemporary furniture, not to mention the dark bottomed pool in the backyard, should have been filled with the laughter and voices of its occupants. However, it is now silent.
The family has reunited at last. One member less, but reunited at least. But it is in depressing circumstances, to be together again in a place with so much death and sadness, with its white walls and antiseptic smell. White is purity and innocence, but it is also the color of mourning and funerals, as is common in the East.
-----
“Look at this Father,” Satoshi said excitedly. “I got an offer to be a trainee chef at Akina’s”.
“It’s in another state,” Father said disapprovingly as he scanned the contents of the letter.
“He can always come back and visit us during the holidays,” Akemi replied. “Congrats, brother, you deserved it after all your hard work”.
“And for such a low position too. Trainee chef. It’s not worth it,” Father said, as he threw the letter on the table.
“Dear, he can always go up in rank in the future. Everyone usually starts from the bottom of the ladder. Why don’t you let him try it out?” Mother said.
“Mother’s right. You can’t expect me to be the head chef there when I’ve just started. I don’t even have any good paper qualifications to begin with. Akina’s is a very established restaurant. I’m sure the employees will have good prospects,” Satoshi explained.
“That’s because you dropped out of college,” Father sneered. “After all the money I spent on you. You are not taking up this offer and that’s that”.
-----
He could hear the obnoxious sound of the phone ringing above the sound of the shower. Hurriedly scrubbing the remaining bubbles out of his hair, he rushed out of the bathroom and lunged for the receiver.
“Satoshi?”
“Mother? How are you?” he smiled. It had been a while since he had heard from his mother.
“I’m fine,” she replied. “But your father isn’t”.
The smile slipped off his face to be replaced by a frown. When he didn’t reply, she continued talking.
“The sickness is getting to him. He’s grumpier and angrier nowadays. I think he misses you all”.
“Oh, really,” he replied, unable to keep the unsympathetic tone out of his voice. “Well, get Kenji to visit him. I’m busy. Anyway, aren’t Akemi and I failures in his eyes?”
“But I miss you too. You really should drop by the old house once in a while”.
His heart twinged slightly at the sad note in the old lady’s voice but he held firm in his decision. “I don’t have much free time, Mother. I work ridiculous hours and I’m only the assistant chef. Don’t let him ill treat you. Good night, Mother”.
-----
“Have a drink,” Mother smiled as she handed a cup of tea to everyone sitting in the living room. The grand chandelier threw an unnatural light on everyone’s faces, but most eyes were on one person.
“Father, this is Yoshiro Sasaki,” Akemi said, exchanging a smile with the good looking man beside her. “We’ve been dating for nearly a year already”.
“Hello, Mr. Sato,” Yoshiro bowed politely. “I’m here today to ask for Akemi’s hand in marriage”.
“What do you work as?” Mother smiled, as Akemi blushed.
“I own a book store in town”.
“And your parents?” Father cut in.
“My father died when I was young. My mother brought me up but she too, passed away three years ago,” Yoshiro replied.
“I see. Well, I’m afraid I’ll have to decline your request,” Father said monotonously.
“What?” Akemi shouted and stood up. Everyone else exchanged shocked looks but didn’t interrupt.
“Father, they obviously love each other very much. You can’t stand in the way of true love,” Satoshi reasoned, trying to help his distraught sister.
“I have already promised an old friend that I will marry off my daughter to his son. We grew up together. He is from a family with good pedigree. I will not allow my daughter, a member of the well respected Sato clan to marry a man who doesn’t even know his own ancestors and roots,” Father said.
“You’re cruel, Father,” Akemi said. “How could you force me to marry a man I have never met, whose personality I don’t even know”.
Yoshiro stood up as well. “I may not have good pedigree as you put it, Mr. Sato but I promise to provide for Akemi both materially and emotionally”.
“You never told me you were dating, Akemi,” Father said, ignoring Yoshiro. “I am a businessman. Everyone knows me. If I just let you marry some random man, people would talk. You are going to get married to the only son of the Suzuki family. His father owns supermarket chains everywhere. He won’t embarrass me”.
“Come on, Akemi. Calm down. I think you should listen to Father. You need to uphold the family name after all,” Kenji said.
Akemi turned to him, her eyes burning with unshed tears. “Shut up you stupid bootlicker. Am I the one getting married or you?”
“That’s enough,” Father shouted. ”Everyone’s dismissed”.
-----
The house was quiet as she let herself in. Too quiet. You know what people always say about the calm before a storm.
“There you are,” a loud voice boomed. “It’s about time you got home. The baby was crying again”.
“He’s probably hungry,” she replied, as she hurried to the baby’s room. Picking up her son, she turned to her husband. “You could have fed him. The milk powder and hot water is in the kitchen”.
“You’ve got to be kidding. Taking care of babies is a woman’s job. I don’t have the time to be running after a whiny crying baby when all you do is shop with your girlfriends all day,” he replied.
“Of course you have the time, Kenichi. All you do is leech off your father’s money. You don’t even go and help out at the company. I’m the one who has to work here”.
“Shut up, *****,” he shouted, slapping her even though she held their son in her arms. “It is because of my father’s money that you are living in this big house, drive a big car and have the money to buy whatever you want. Do you really like getting hit so often? People would talk if they see the marks”.
Akemi kept quiet as she put her son down before testing the temperature of the milk. She didn’t feel the need to enlighten her dear husband that he was the one who inflicted those injuries for people to see, causing her to invest a fair amount of money in make up and concealers, just in case her in-laws and colleagues at the company asked.
“I’ve had enough of you,” Kenichi sighed. “I’m going out. Don’t expect me back for dinner”.
“Going to see one of your mistresses?” Akemi sneered in a near perfect imitation of her father. She realized too late that her mouth had ran away without her brain when she felt rough fingers grab her hair.
“What did you say, woman?” Kenichi’s voice had a note of danger in it, so she clamped her mouth shut. He didn’t seem bothered by her lack of response this time, though. He just gave her slight push which managed to rip out quite a few strands of her hair, patted his son’s head and walked out of the kitchen.
She waited until the sound of his car’s engine faded into the distance before she dropped to her knees and watched her son play with a toy truck. Look what you got me into, Father. You got me married to an abusive womanizer.
-------
The old man walked wheeled his wheelchair slowly into the dining room and stopped at the head of the table. The room had been decorated to impress, with its chandelier, framed landscapes and silver tableware. Once upon a time, the whole family grouped together in this room for meals. Once upon a time, friends had been invited over every other weekend for pot luck dinners.
The man glanced at the table with fruits, cereal and coffee. He picked up the cup in front of him, took a sip and promptly spit it back out again.
“What the hell is this?” He shouted at the old woman who appeared at the doorway.
“You need to change your eating habits. With your heart disease, you should eat healthier food,” she replied while taking a cloth and bending down to wipe the coffee on the floor.
“I have heart disease, not diabetes,” he complained.
“You already went through an angioplasty. I just want you to be in good shape so we can prevent anything bad from happening again. Akemi was the one who suggested the change in your diet”.
“Akemi? I didn’t know she cared. Why doesn’t she ever come to visit us? And that Satoshi as well. Thank god I still have Kenji. He’s the only one who is loyal to me,” he replied.
The woman averted her eyes and concentrated on the slice of watermelon on her plate. “Give them time, they will come”.
--------
“What’s the matter, Satoshi? Exactly what is so important that you had to drag me from a long distance call with one of my clients?” Father grumbled as Satoshi led him to the living room.
“Trust me, father. I have a very good reason for this,” Satoshi replied.
Father didn’t say anything but he stopped short at the doorway to the living room. A teenage girl sat on the sofa, looking around curiously.
“You wanted me to meet your underage girlfriend?” Father asked, surveying the girl’s heavy makeup and short skirt in distaste.
“She’s not mine, Father,” Satoshi replied easily. “But she does have something interesting to tell you”.
Before anyone could say anything, they were interrupted by loud complaints from the direction of the hallway.
“Come on, sis. I’m sleeping. Get someone else to be your slave,” Kenji whined as they both appeared a few seconds later. On catching sight of the girl on the sofa, Kenji’s looked shocked for a moment before shifting into a neutral expression.
“Go on,” Satoshi urged. “Tell Father what you told me”.
“Well, my name is Yuki,” the girl began brightly. “I’m Kenji’s junior in school. Uh, Kenji is one of the drug dealers in school. Most of us get our supply from him”.
“What? What the hell are you talking about, girl?” Father said, his voice getting louder with each word.
“But it’s true,” Yuki said, her eyes widening, obviously intimidated by Father’s imposing figure.
“Oh please, Father. You have to be crazy to believe this girl,” Kenji finally said. “Satoshi and Akemi must have paid her to do this. You know they don’t like me. I’m your favorite after all”.
As Father turned to question his two elder children, Kenji leaned down towards Yuki and muttered “Help me out here, honey. I’ll give you a good discount on your next purchase. And I’ll throw in a date too. How bout that? You and me. Your place, of course”.
“Yuki, say something,” Akemi ordered as Satoshi tried to deflect Father’s accusations.
“Kenji’s right,” Yuki sighed. “They paid me five thousand yen to tell you this story”.
“Such cheapskates, too,” Kenji smiled regretfully.
Father turned red in anger but before he could say anything, Akemi threw a small plastic packet filled with some white powdery substance onto the table.
“Try to explain that, Kenji. I found it in your school bag. You can guess what it is right? Look at what your favorite child is doing to get extra money, Father,” she said.
“Cocaine?” Father said in a dangerous voice.
“Of course not,” Kenji said, snatching the packet off the table and stuffing it into his pocket. “I don’t know how Akemi found it, but it’s only something from one of my science experiments in school. Really Father, I would never do anything to bring the family name down”.
Father seemed to consider the statement for a moment while Akemi and Satoshi looked livid. “Fine then, take the girl out of the house. I don’t want to hear anything about this again”.
------
Kenji smiled as he pulled into the compound of his parents’ house, his childhood home. He hopped out of the car and waved at Father, who was sitting on a chair in the shade of the porch.
“Good evening, Father. How are you feeling today?” Kenji said.
“I’m fine. Even better now that you’re here,” Father replied. “You are the only one that ever comes to visit me anyway”.
“I brought you your favorite food. Prawn tempura and soft shell crabs,” Kenji said.
“That’s great,” Father replied as he took the bag from Kenji and started eating.
“You shouldn’t eat so much though. Seafood is high in cholesterol”.
“Don’t worry. Your father is still as strong and healthy as before,” Father replied before laughing uproariously. Kenji wasn’t sure whether it was because of the food or because he was there to visit.
“I’ll go in to see Mother. It that all right with you?” Kenji asked.
“Of course. She will be happy to see you,” Father replied. “And Kenji, you don’t need to ask for permission to go into the house. It is your house as well”.
Kenji smiled to himself as he headed to his parent’s bedroom. He had spoken to Mother for a while before excusing himself to go to the bathroom. Instead he was going in the opposite direction of the bathroom. He pulled open the drawer where he knew Father kept some extra cash.
There wasn’t much there though, only about ten thousand yen. Father’s retirement caused him to have less money lying around the house. He counted them out carefully before putting the notes into his wallet. His job as a sales executive (and his side job selling drugs to teenagers and yuppies) wasn’t enough to sustain his expensive tastes in cars, women and entertainment. So he had resorted to borrowing money from his parents, albeit without their permission. He would return it… sooner or later.
He confidently walked downstairs, kissed his parents goodbye and zoomed off in his car, ten thousand yen richer.
------
The old woman had been staring at the sparkling water in the swimming pool for ages. On the table in front of her was a half finished floral arrangement.
“What are you doing out here?” asked the old man who appeared behind her. “The flowers are wilting. You should come inside where it’s cooler”.
She smiled and picked up a yellow rose from the table. “Yellow roses signify joy and caring. It’s been a while since this house was filled with noise and happiness”.
He stopped next to her and for a few minutes, there was no sound except for the water lapping against the sides of the pool.
“I miss them,” she finally broke the silence. “Satoshi and Akemi. I only can hear their voices over the phone and that is not the same as seeing them face to face”.
“They only want to avoid me,” he replied. “I don’t understand. I gave them the best of everything. I even planned out their lives for them. And yet, they blame me for where they are now”.
“But I do understand,” she replied. “You forced them to do everything your way. To do exactly what you wanted them to. And they did, even though they weren’t happy about it”.
“They only want to stay close to my money,” he sneered.
“I was wrong, too. I knew that what you were doing was wrong. I knew they would grow to hate you in the future. But I never stopped you. Do you want to know why?” she asked.
He cleared his throat uncomfortably before replying. “Why?”
“Our marriage was an arranged marriage. I come from a poor family and the fact that I got into your family, my father was very pleased. I knew you don’t love me, not really. We were just being the devoted children that we were. But I was determined to please you, to listen to your every word and never defy you. Because you are my husband,” she said.
“But…”
“And so,” she continued, as if she didn’t hear him. “When you stopped Satoshi from taking up the job at Akina’s, when you forbade Akemi to marry her chosen loved one, when you always took Kenji’s side against his siblings, I never stopped you, even though I knew you were making a mistake. In a way, we deserved the treatment we get from our children”.
“I do love you,” he sighed. “You are my wife. As the head of the family, I had to fulfill my responsibility to you and to our children. Why are Satoshi and Akemi even unhappy with me? I’ve been told that Satoshi owns a famous restaurant in town. And Akemi, her father-in-law tells me that she’s a brilliant worker at his company. She has a big house, a car, a husband and a lovely son. What are they unhappy about?”
She shook her head. “Where do you get your news from?’
“You think just because I’m confined to the wheelchair, I don’t know what’s going on in the outside world? I’ve got the telephone, and I’ve got Kenji. Our children are all successful in life, we’re happy and as healthy as can be, and our family is still held in high regard”.
They were interrupted by the sound of the door opening and the clacking of someone’s shoes on the stone floor.
“Mother, Father, both of you need to come with me. Kenji’s been arrested,” Satoshi said, looking unusually grave.
-------
“Your son, Kenji Sato has been arrested on charges for drug dealing. If found guilty, that would carry a minimum sentence of five years,” the police officer said. He was a big man, but in his blue uniform, looked a bit like a teddy bear instead.
“Impossible,” Father roared. “He must have been framed”.
“I’m afraid you are wrong, sir,” the officer replied. “He was caught red handed trying to sell his products to one of our undercover officers. We have been trying to bust this gang for years and I’m happy to say we finally managed it today”.
“Happy? Happy? Who’s happy?” Father said, as Mother began to cry.
“That’s enough, Father,” Akemi said. “Calm down”.
“How can I calm down at a time like this? I have just been told that my son is going to jail”.
“We tried to tell you, Father,” Satoshi said. “All those years ago. But you decided to believe Kenji’s lies instead. If you had believed us, maybe things wouldn’t have ended up like this”.
“You caused this, Father,” Akemi said softly. “There’s no one to blame but yourself”.
“I did my best for all of you,” Father shouted. “And this is how you repay me?”
“Your best? Do you know what I work as now? I’m only an assistant chef. If you had let me work for Akina’s, I could have been the head chef by now, or managing one of their branches,” Satoshi said, losing his cool demeanor.
“We’re in a police station. It’s a public place. Please stop arguing,” Mother said.
“No, Mother,” Akemi said, pulling up the sleeve of her blouse so they could see the bruises on her arm. “He needs to know. Just for your information, I’m getting a divorce, Father. I can’t stand the abuse from Kenichi any more. Frankly, I don’t care about the family name or money or anything else”.
“Im… Impossible. You’re lying. Both of you. You knew about this?” Father said, staring at Mother.
His face fell at Mother’s slight nod before he suddenly clutched a hand to his chest. He turned pale and he suddenly seemed out of breathe.
“Heart attack?” Satoshi gasped.
“Get him to the hospital,” Mother shouted, before starting to cry again.
-------
“Mother, you look hungry. Should I get you some coffee? Maybe a sandwich?” Akemi said, as she watched Mother smile almost wistfully at an old family photo.
“I’m fine, Akemi. You got the flowers?” Mother asked.
“Yes. We had to go to three different shops before we found them,” Satoshi replied as Akemi handed her the neatly wrapped blue roses.
“Do you know what blue roses mean?” Mother said.
“No, I’ve never even seen a blue rose before. Lavender maybe, but not blue,” said Akemi.
“They mean devotion,” Mother explained, lightly fingering the petals of the roses she was holding. “These are not very good, though. It’s like they are only pretending to be blue. Frost blue. The color of the sky in winter. They’re a bit too pale, too sickly, half dead”.
Like Father, Satoshi thinks as he stared at him lying unresponsively on the bed.
“I asked you to buy these because I want to show that I am devoted to your father, my husband. That I am devoted to you three, Akemi and Satoshi and Kenji. Forget the past, children. We can all start anew,” Mother said.
Blue is the color of tranquility. It can be strong and steadfast, but it can also be sad and depressing. And it is here, with white walls and blue flowers and uncertainty and hope about the future, that a family finally reconnects with each other.
A memory may be a paradise from which we cannot be driven; it may also be a hell from which we cannot escape.
-----
The pattering sound of the rain outside the window blended almost seamlessly with the constant beeping sounds from the machines in the corner. Eyes that were crinkled with age but still retained a touch of humor and intelligence fell upon a frayed black and white picture, slightly discolored with age.
A picture of a once happy and content family. With a strict but successful businessman father, a kind and loving mother, and three beautiful children who were groomed to carry on the dreams and expectations of their parents. Satoshi, was the eldest, followed by Akemi and finally Kenji.
How many years had it been since the family had last been together? Three? Five? Ten? The large family home in one of the best neighborhoods , with two stories of open floor plan, polished glass, natural light and contemporary furniture, not to mention the dark bottomed pool in the backyard, should have been filled with the laughter and voices of its occupants. However, it is now silent.
The family has reunited at last. One member less, but reunited at least. But it is in depressing circumstances, to be together again in a place with so much death and sadness, with its white walls and antiseptic smell. White is purity and innocence, but it is also the color of mourning and funerals, as is common in the East.
-----
“Look at this Father,” Satoshi said excitedly. “I got an offer to be a trainee chef at Akina’s”.
“It’s in another state,” Father said disapprovingly as he scanned the contents of the letter.
“He can always come back and visit us during the holidays,” Akemi replied. “Congrats, brother, you deserved it after all your hard work”.
“And for such a low position too. Trainee chef. It’s not worth it,” Father said, as he threw the letter on the table.
“Dear, he can always go up in rank in the future. Everyone usually starts from the bottom of the ladder. Why don’t you let him try it out?” Mother said.
“Mother’s right. You can’t expect me to be the head chef there when I’ve just started. I don’t even have any good paper qualifications to begin with. Akina’s is a very established restaurant. I’m sure the employees will have good prospects,” Satoshi explained.
“That’s because you dropped out of college,” Father sneered. “After all the money I spent on you. You are not taking up this offer and that’s that”.
-----
He could hear the obnoxious sound of the phone ringing above the sound of the shower. Hurriedly scrubbing the remaining bubbles out of his hair, he rushed out of the bathroom and lunged for the receiver.
“Satoshi?”
“Mother? How are you?” he smiled. It had been a while since he had heard from his mother.
“I’m fine,” she replied. “But your father isn’t”.
The smile slipped off his face to be replaced by a frown. When he didn’t reply, she continued talking.
“The sickness is getting to him. He’s grumpier and angrier nowadays. I think he misses you all”.
“Oh, really,” he replied, unable to keep the unsympathetic tone out of his voice. “Well, get Kenji to visit him. I’m busy. Anyway, aren’t Akemi and I failures in his eyes?”
“But I miss you too. You really should drop by the old house once in a while”.
His heart twinged slightly at the sad note in the old lady’s voice but he held firm in his decision. “I don’t have much free time, Mother. I work ridiculous hours and I’m only the assistant chef. Don’t let him ill treat you. Good night, Mother”.
-----
“Have a drink,” Mother smiled as she handed a cup of tea to everyone sitting in the living room. The grand chandelier threw an unnatural light on everyone’s faces, but most eyes were on one person.
“Father, this is Yoshiro Sasaki,” Akemi said, exchanging a smile with the good looking man beside her. “We’ve been dating for nearly a year already”.
“Hello, Mr. Sato,” Yoshiro bowed politely. “I’m here today to ask for Akemi’s hand in marriage”.
“What do you work as?” Mother smiled, as Akemi blushed.
“I own a book store in town”.
“And your parents?” Father cut in.
“My father died when I was young. My mother brought me up but she too, passed away three years ago,” Yoshiro replied.
“I see. Well, I’m afraid I’ll have to decline your request,” Father said monotonously.
“What?” Akemi shouted and stood up. Everyone else exchanged shocked looks but didn’t interrupt.
“Father, they obviously love each other very much. You can’t stand in the way of true love,” Satoshi reasoned, trying to help his distraught sister.
“I have already promised an old friend that I will marry off my daughter to his son. We grew up together. He is from a family with good pedigree. I will not allow my daughter, a member of the well respected Sato clan to marry a man who doesn’t even know his own ancestors and roots,” Father said.
“You’re cruel, Father,” Akemi said. “How could you force me to marry a man I have never met, whose personality I don’t even know”.
Yoshiro stood up as well. “I may not have good pedigree as you put it, Mr. Sato but I promise to provide for Akemi both materially and emotionally”.
“You never told me you were dating, Akemi,” Father said, ignoring Yoshiro. “I am a businessman. Everyone knows me. If I just let you marry some random man, people would talk. You are going to get married to the only son of the Suzuki family. His father owns supermarket chains everywhere. He won’t embarrass me”.
“Come on, Akemi. Calm down. I think you should listen to Father. You need to uphold the family name after all,” Kenji said.
Akemi turned to him, her eyes burning with unshed tears. “Shut up you stupid bootlicker. Am I the one getting married or you?”
“That’s enough,” Father shouted. ”Everyone’s dismissed”.
-----
The house was quiet as she let herself in. Too quiet. You know what people always say about the calm before a storm.
“There you are,” a loud voice boomed. “It’s about time you got home. The baby was crying again”.
“He’s probably hungry,” she replied, as she hurried to the baby’s room. Picking up her son, she turned to her husband. “You could have fed him. The milk powder and hot water is in the kitchen”.
“You’ve got to be kidding. Taking care of babies is a woman’s job. I don’t have the time to be running after a whiny crying baby when all you do is shop with your girlfriends all day,” he replied.
“Of course you have the time, Kenichi. All you do is leech off your father’s money. You don’t even go and help out at the company. I’m the one who has to work here”.
“Shut up, *****,” he shouted, slapping her even though she held their son in her arms. “It is because of my father’s money that you are living in this big house, drive a big car and have the money to buy whatever you want. Do you really like getting hit so often? People would talk if they see the marks”.
Akemi kept quiet as she put her son down before testing the temperature of the milk. She didn’t feel the need to enlighten her dear husband that he was the one who inflicted those injuries for people to see, causing her to invest a fair amount of money in make up and concealers, just in case her in-laws and colleagues at the company asked.
“I’ve had enough of you,” Kenichi sighed. “I’m going out. Don’t expect me back for dinner”.
“Going to see one of your mistresses?” Akemi sneered in a near perfect imitation of her father. She realized too late that her mouth had ran away without her brain when she felt rough fingers grab her hair.
“What did you say, woman?” Kenichi’s voice had a note of danger in it, so she clamped her mouth shut. He didn’t seem bothered by her lack of response this time, though. He just gave her slight push which managed to rip out quite a few strands of her hair, patted his son’s head and walked out of the kitchen.
She waited until the sound of his car’s engine faded into the distance before she dropped to her knees and watched her son play with a toy truck. Look what you got me into, Father. You got me married to an abusive womanizer.
-------
The old man walked wheeled his wheelchair slowly into the dining room and stopped at the head of the table. The room had been decorated to impress, with its chandelier, framed landscapes and silver tableware. Once upon a time, the whole family grouped together in this room for meals. Once upon a time, friends had been invited over every other weekend for pot luck dinners.
The man glanced at the table with fruits, cereal and coffee. He picked up the cup in front of him, took a sip and promptly spit it back out again.
“What the hell is this?” He shouted at the old woman who appeared at the doorway.
“You need to change your eating habits. With your heart disease, you should eat healthier food,” she replied while taking a cloth and bending down to wipe the coffee on the floor.
“I have heart disease, not diabetes,” he complained.
“You already went through an angioplasty. I just want you to be in good shape so we can prevent anything bad from happening again. Akemi was the one who suggested the change in your diet”.
“Akemi? I didn’t know she cared. Why doesn’t she ever come to visit us? And that Satoshi as well. Thank god I still have Kenji. He’s the only one who is loyal to me,” he replied.
The woman averted her eyes and concentrated on the slice of watermelon on her plate. “Give them time, they will come”.
--------
“What’s the matter, Satoshi? Exactly what is so important that you had to drag me from a long distance call with one of my clients?” Father grumbled as Satoshi led him to the living room.
“Trust me, father. I have a very good reason for this,” Satoshi replied.
Father didn’t say anything but he stopped short at the doorway to the living room. A teenage girl sat on the sofa, looking around curiously.
“You wanted me to meet your underage girlfriend?” Father asked, surveying the girl’s heavy makeup and short skirt in distaste.
“She’s not mine, Father,” Satoshi replied easily. “But she does have something interesting to tell you”.
Before anyone could say anything, they were interrupted by loud complaints from the direction of the hallway.
“Come on, sis. I’m sleeping. Get someone else to be your slave,” Kenji whined as they both appeared a few seconds later. On catching sight of the girl on the sofa, Kenji’s looked shocked for a moment before shifting into a neutral expression.
“Go on,” Satoshi urged. “Tell Father what you told me”.
“Well, my name is Yuki,” the girl began brightly. “I’m Kenji’s junior in school. Uh, Kenji is one of the drug dealers in school. Most of us get our supply from him”.
“What? What the hell are you talking about, girl?” Father said, his voice getting louder with each word.
“But it’s true,” Yuki said, her eyes widening, obviously intimidated by Father’s imposing figure.
“Oh please, Father. You have to be crazy to believe this girl,” Kenji finally said. “Satoshi and Akemi must have paid her to do this. You know they don’t like me. I’m your favorite after all”.
As Father turned to question his two elder children, Kenji leaned down towards Yuki and muttered “Help me out here, honey. I’ll give you a good discount on your next purchase. And I’ll throw in a date too. How bout that? You and me. Your place, of course”.
“Yuki, say something,” Akemi ordered as Satoshi tried to deflect Father’s accusations.
“Kenji’s right,” Yuki sighed. “They paid me five thousand yen to tell you this story”.
“Such cheapskates, too,” Kenji smiled regretfully.
Father turned red in anger but before he could say anything, Akemi threw a small plastic packet filled with some white powdery substance onto the table.
“Try to explain that, Kenji. I found it in your school bag. You can guess what it is right? Look at what your favorite child is doing to get extra money, Father,” she said.
“Cocaine?” Father said in a dangerous voice.
“Of course not,” Kenji said, snatching the packet off the table and stuffing it into his pocket. “I don’t know how Akemi found it, but it’s only something from one of my science experiments in school. Really Father, I would never do anything to bring the family name down”.
Father seemed to consider the statement for a moment while Akemi and Satoshi looked livid. “Fine then, take the girl out of the house. I don’t want to hear anything about this again”.
------
Kenji smiled as he pulled into the compound of his parents’ house, his childhood home. He hopped out of the car and waved at Father, who was sitting on a chair in the shade of the porch.
“Good evening, Father. How are you feeling today?” Kenji said.
“I’m fine. Even better now that you’re here,” Father replied. “You are the only one that ever comes to visit me anyway”.
“I brought you your favorite food. Prawn tempura and soft shell crabs,” Kenji said.
“That’s great,” Father replied as he took the bag from Kenji and started eating.
“You shouldn’t eat so much though. Seafood is high in cholesterol”.
“Don’t worry. Your father is still as strong and healthy as before,” Father replied before laughing uproariously. Kenji wasn’t sure whether it was because of the food or because he was there to visit.
“I’ll go in to see Mother. It that all right with you?” Kenji asked.
“Of course. She will be happy to see you,” Father replied. “And Kenji, you don’t need to ask for permission to go into the house. It is your house as well”.
Kenji smiled to himself as he headed to his parent’s bedroom. He had spoken to Mother for a while before excusing himself to go to the bathroom. Instead he was going in the opposite direction of the bathroom. He pulled open the drawer where he knew Father kept some extra cash.
There wasn’t much there though, only about ten thousand yen. Father’s retirement caused him to have less money lying around the house. He counted them out carefully before putting the notes into his wallet. His job as a sales executive (and his side job selling drugs to teenagers and yuppies) wasn’t enough to sustain his expensive tastes in cars, women and entertainment. So he had resorted to borrowing money from his parents, albeit without their permission. He would return it… sooner or later.
He confidently walked downstairs, kissed his parents goodbye and zoomed off in his car, ten thousand yen richer.
------
The old woman had been staring at the sparkling water in the swimming pool for ages. On the table in front of her was a half finished floral arrangement.
“What are you doing out here?” asked the old man who appeared behind her. “The flowers are wilting. You should come inside where it’s cooler”.
She smiled and picked up a yellow rose from the table. “Yellow roses signify joy and caring. It’s been a while since this house was filled with noise and happiness”.
He stopped next to her and for a few minutes, there was no sound except for the water lapping against the sides of the pool.
“I miss them,” she finally broke the silence. “Satoshi and Akemi. I only can hear their voices over the phone and that is not the same as seeing them face to face”.
“They only want to avoid me,” he replied. “I don’t understand. I gave them the best of everything. I even planned out their lives for them. And yet, they blame me for where they are now”.
“But I do understand,” she replied. “You forced them to do everything your way. To do exactly what you wanted them to. And they did, even though they weren’t happy about it”.
“They only want to stay close to my money,” he sneered.
“I was wrong, too. I knew that what you were doing was wrong. I knew they would grow to hate you in the future. But I never stopped you. Do you want to know why?” she asked.
He cleared his throat uncomfortably before replying. “Why?”
“Our marriage was an arranged marriage. I come from a poor family and the fact that I got into your family, my father was very pleased. I knew you don’t love me, not really. We were just being the devoted children that we were. But I was determined to please you, to listen to your every word and never defy you. Because you are my husband,” she said.
“But…”
“And so,” she continued, as if she didn’t hear him. “When you stopped Satoshi from taking up the job at Akina’s, when you forbade Akemi to marry her chosen loved one, when you always took Kenji’s side against his siblings, I never stopped you, even though I knew you were making a mistake. In a way, we deserved the treatment we get from our children”.
“I do love you,” he sighed. “You are my wife. As the head of the family, I had to fulfill my responsibility to you and to our children. Why are Satoshi and Akemi even unhappy with me? I’ve been told that Satoshi owns a famous restaurant in town. And Akemi, her father-in-law tells me that she’s a brilliant worker at his company. She has a big house, a car, a husband and a lovely son. What are they unhappy about?”
She shook her head. “Where do you get your news from?’
“You think just because I’m confined to the wheelchair, I don’t know what’s going on in the outside world? I’ve got the telephone, and I’ve got Kenji. Our children are all successful in life, we’re happy and as healthy as can be, and our family is still held in high regard”.
They were interrupted by the sound of the door opening and the clacking of someone’s shoes on the stone floor.
“Mother, Father, both of you need to come with me. Kenji’s been arrested,” Satoshi said, looking unusually grave.
-------
“Your son, Kenji Sato has been arrested on charges for drug dealing. If found guilty, that would carry a minimum sentence of five years,” the police officer said. He was a big man, but in his blue uniform, looked a bit like a teddy bear instead.
“Impossible,” Father roared. “He must have been framed”.
“I’m afraid you are wrong, sir,” the officer replied. “He was caught red handed trying to sell his products to one of our undercover officers. We have been trying to bust this gang for years and I’m happy to say we finally managed it today”.
“Happy? Happy? Who’s happy?” Father said, as Mother began to cry.
“That’s enough, Father,” Akemi said. “Calm down”.
“How can I calm down at a time like this? I have just been told that my son is going to jail”.
“We tried to tell you, Father,” Satoshi said. “All those years ago. But you decided to believe Kenji’s lies instead. If you had believed us, maybe things wouldn’t have ended up like this”.
“You caused this, Father,” Akemi said softly. “There’s no one to blame but yourself”.
“I did my best for all of you,” Father shouted. “And this is how you repay me?”
“Your best? Do you know what I work as now? I’m only an assistant chef. If you had let me work for Akina’s, I could have been the head chef by now, or managing one of their branches,” Satoshi said, losing his cool demeanor.
“We’re in a police station. It’s a public place. Please stop arguing,” Mother said.
“No, Mother,” Akemi said, pulling up the sleeve of her blouse so they could see the bruises on her arm. “He needs to know. Just for your information, I’m getting a divorce, Father. I can’t stand the abuse from Kenichi any more. Frankly, I don’t care about the family name or money or anything else”.
“Im… Impossible. You’re lying. Both of you. You knew about this?” Father said, staring at Mother.
His face fell at Mother’s slight nod before he suddenly clutched a hand to his chest. He turned pale and he suddenly seemed out of breathe.
“Heart attack?” Satoshi gasped.
“Get him to the hospital,” Mother shouted, before starting to cry again.
-------
“Mother, you look hungry. Should I get you some coffee? Maybe a sandwich?” Akemi said, as she watched Mother smile almost wistfully at an old family photo.
“I’m fine, Akemi. You got the flowers?” Mother asked.
“Yes. We had to go to three different shops before we found them,” Satoshi replied as Akemi handed her the neatly wrapped blue roses.
“Do you know what blue roses mean?” Mother said.
“No, I’ve never even seen a blue rose before. Lavender maybe, but not blue,” said Akemi.
“They mean devotion,” Mother explained, lightly fingering the petals of the roses she was holding. “These are not very good, though. It’s like they are only pretending to be blue. Frost blue. The color of the sky in winter. They’re a bit too pale, too sickly, half dead”.
Like Father, Satoshi thinks as he stared at him lying unresponsively on the bed.
“I asked you to buy these because I want to show that I am devoted to your father, my husband. That I am devoted to you three, Akemi and Satoshi and Kenji. Forget the past, children. We can all start anew,” Mother said.
Blue is the color of tranquility. It can be strong and steadfast, but it can also be sad and depressing. And it is here, with white walls and blue flowers and uncertainty and hope about the future, that a family finally reconnects with each other.