I was more tired than I expected but I want to tell my son because he deserves to know. And who knows what will come next? If I even still live in this house.
I wake my son up who seems even more groggier than I am. I motion to him to be quiet and we go down to the formal room. A room that doesn’t lend itself to leisure but I suppose that’s fine.
“Why’d you wake me?” He squints and rubs his eyes a bit.
“I wanted to talk to you before I leave for Aizu.” I tell him. Immediately I want to reach for my cigarette but I decide not to. I need him to listen and try to understand rather than be distracted by my smoking.
“Yes I heard from Yagi-san that you were going to Aizu.” He yawns a bit, “I’d ask to go but Midori is here.”
I raise an eyebrow at that. So the girl finally came and it’s very obvious my son likes her – otherwise he’d be cross he’s being left behind. In a way it leaves me pleased that a friend of his is here, but in another way it leaves me distraught that another has entered this house without much of my knowing. But I remind myself, this wasn’t really my home. This isn’t the Fujita house. At one time I’d have borrowed my brother’s… or rather my father’s house but that too is no longer an option.
“So what it is?” He tilts his head, still half awake. “You wake me up and now you’re the one distracted.”
“Sorry.” I shake my head, “Tomu you know you’re my precious son.”
He rolls his eyes.
“So what I’ve decided to do is not a reflection on you nor your brother. I hoped it would’ve ended up differently.” In truth I did wish that, Hide was right to have been upset that I said I wished she was Tokio because I hoped for my marriage to have worked out. And that today, I had hoped that the breakup of that marriage to be amicable, peaceful even. And after that, a peaceful settlement that we can take a step forward. But it seems none of that is in the cards.
“Well?” I’m taken back to the present, Tsutomu’s arms crossed obviously getting impatient. He’s right. I should get a move on.
“First your two sisters, Makoto and Ai. Currently they are registered in the Yagi house because they are shiseishi, Hide and I obviously never married.” I look to the side, I know we never will be. “But Makoto and Ai, I’ve written an acknowlegment and submitted it to the registry so that when they’re of age they can be allowed to join the house if they choose.”
He smiles a bit, “That’s good. I was wondering how that would work and when it will happen. But isn’t that a little too long, “when the’re of “age”?”
“They’re young, they don’t really know what joining a house means or if they’d even want to join their father’s house. It’s easy to get excited about an idea but another to actually think about it thoroughly.”
“I understand.” He nods. “I’ll remind Makoto that she has to think about it when she’s much older.” Suddenly he grins a little and I wonder is he already imagining the discourse he and my daughter will have? But it’s a good sign.
“Another thing and this is the real purpose of my going to Aizu and why I called you here.”
“What is it?” He tilts his head as he sits seiza across from me.
“I’ve made the divorce with your mother official. I’m going to Aizu to deliver to her the notification papers from the registry. I want to hand it myself.”
Suddenly his face turns stormy and I worry that he might start shouting and wake up the rest of the house. He looks down for a moment. “Mother wanted you back. -I- didn’t.” He clicks his tongue, “I never understood why she wanted you back and I didn’t understand why you kept coming home to us. Well until Yoshi left and you didn’t come home anymore.”
“Look Tomu. It’s complicated with us adults. Sometimes you keep holding on to hope or you keep clinging to what you’re used to.” And it strikes me again how similar Hide and I ended up, like my former marriage. “It’s not easy facing the truth.” And that’s why I need to put an end to this. Hide may have taken it back but it was probably the most honest we’ve been in a long time.
He lets out a deep breath, “I didn’t want you back. It was better when -you- were away. Mother was better.” His gaze now bore holes on the tatami mat. “Then you show up with Yagi-san and suddenly Mother wants you back even more. -You- were no good for her. For all your talk of us fulfilling our filiel piety, you were insincere towards my mother. You’d come home but would think of someone else, whether that was Yagi-san or some other woman. Mother said you had many and she hated your fake wife.”
I take a moment to just listen to him. I know he’d never understand my side and I can never tell him the story of my first wife, nor of Hide. It’s my turn to lower my head slightly, “That’s why this is for the best. I’m sorry it took so long for me to fulfill the divorce. But now that it’s done maybe your mother can find some peace, maybe even someone else to start over with.”
“Well lucky you. You’ve already had a headstart with Yagi-san.” He snorts a little.
I swallow. “I don’t intend to marry Hide. Not anymore.”
“Oh?” He leans in, “And I thought you were securing a divorce for that purpose? The rest about my mother finding a new start was just for lip service.”
I shake my head, “The divorce is for what’s right. What I should’ve done years ago. I held on to your mother afraid to lose the Fujita house, no just the family after Hide left me.” I finally succumb and light a cigarette, “I suppose one can say I hid behind the excuse that I wanted a peaceful resolution between your mother and I. A mutual divorce. I even thought I was being the better man for it, that I didn’t force your mother and I was giving her a choice and ensuring that Hide wouldn’t be troubled if the divorce was mutual.”
“Why aren’t you marrying Yagi-san? Makoto and Ai won’t have a father.”
“Hide and I had decided to part ways. We’ve discovered that we’re… We’re too far apart.” I look at him for a moment and I ask whats on my mind. “As for Makoto and Ai-chan, would you have me as their father?”
He blinks momentarily confused but then his eyes settle, “You’re right. I wouldn’t.” He shrugs, “But if one day they want to join the Fujita house I’ll help them.”
“Thank you Tomu.” I want to reach out to him but do men really do that? “And you’ll be able to do that definitely because next year on your birthday, you’ll be inheriting the house.” I pull out a copy of the Fujita ie, “In fact, you already are when you’re of age, I will be the guardian until then.”
He looks it over. I’m sure he sees the name of his brother that has exited the house, the name of my first wife noted as divorced & deceased. The name of his mother that can no longer inherit the house as we’re divorced and at the bottom his two sisters as acknowledged.
“So that’s it.” I stand up. “Keep the document safe and go back to sleep.”
“So when you stop being the “guardian”. How will your name be updated here?”
I grin at him, “I’ll exit the house now that I know one who’ll take good care of it.” With that I go retire to the tatami room for a much needed rest and leave him to his devices.
(OOC Saitou exits to the tatami room. Tsutomu now wide awake will stay in the room for a bit)
(OOC – someone will post tomorrow)
(Midori)
I’m glad that Makoto-chan doesn’t snore, but she does toss and turn. Stepping over her (as she insisted on having the spot closer to the door so that I wouldn’t sneak out), I silently make my way downstairs. After all of those years of living in the dorm I’m good at moving around quietly – besides Yamaji-sensei, there were some other spinster or widowed schoolteachers who lived in, and were charged with minding us.
Like those nights, I just want a drink of water. After getting one from the kitchen, I notice a light still on in the front room. I was surprised to see electricity and running water in this house – Futaba only has it in the administration building! But this house has many surprises, so far. Makoto-chan showed me a place to hide, a secret panel in her closet, should “bad guys” ever break in.
But as I understand, electricity is expensive, and feeding all of these people – well, Yagi-san seems sensible. So I go in to turn the light off and I see –
“Oh, Tsutomu-kun – I didn’t expect to see you up this late. I thought someone left this light on.” I push my hair out of my face, I usually have it in a ponytail or at least the top pulled back, so I must look wild. Then I wonder, why does that matter? “Is everything alright?” Although Makoto-chan told me that in the summer, sometimes he sleeps on the roof! It’s too cold for that now.
Oh, Tsutomu-kun – I didn’t expect to see you up this late. I thought someone left this light on.”
“Oh.” I look up and see Midori fixing her hair? I’ve not seen her hair down it looks good on her. “Yeah my uhh… “He” wanted to speak with me before he and Yagi-san leaves for Aizu today.” I guess it’s today since it should be past midnight. It would be good if there was a way to tell time around here.
I stand up and go to her, “Is everything alright? Can’t sleep with Makoto’s snoring?” I grin. Maybe she’s one of those people who can’t sleep in other peoples houses? Certainly was the case with me here before.
Yeah my uhh… “He” wanted to speak with me before he and Yagi-san leaves for Aizu today.
“Oh.” It’s strange that they’re leaving just as I got here, but I suppose taking in another person must not be that much of a burden if they can do that and leave us with Yamaguchi-san and Mishima-san to handle the house – including that baby! “Himura-san said he had been in the hospital – is he better?” Not that I’ve seen Fujita-san since I came here…
Is everything alright? Can’t sleep with Makoto’s snoring?
I smile and shake my head. “She -talks- in her sleep, and flops around – but Yamaguchi-san warned me about that so I was able to set my futon far enough away to hopefully not get whacked. I had my own room at Futaba the last few years, but at first it was a big open room with all of the girls – so I learned to sleep through a lot,” I shrug. Some girls cried over being homesick. “Noise, and all that – not roommates who can’t be still, even at night.” I grin a bit. Even when sewing, her legs are swinging and kicking from the edge of the chair.
Tomu:
“Himura-san said he had been in the hospital – is he better?”
Why is it that this girl seems to always ask about him? Does she have a thing for older men? “I don’t know.” I shrug, “he made me get up in the middle of the night to give me instructions, so I guess he must be fine.”
“She -talks- in her sleep, and flops around – but Yamaguchi-san warned me about that
“Oh I guess Makoto does sleep much like my younger brother.” I laugh a little. “You’ll get used to it. Besides like you say, you’ve slept through a lot.”
I go ahead and step out of the formal room.
“Well shall we go upstairs? Here I’ll help you up.” I take her hand, “My eyesight is pretty good in the dark.”
I don’t know. he made me get up in the middle of the night to give me instructions, so I guess he must be fine.
Tsutomu-kun seems annoyed that I asked, and I had thought something must be wrong as Yagi-san seems very withdrawn and… nervous? compared to my earlier encounters with her. And he seems different, from the one I saw picking up Tsutomu-kun and his brother… well, people do change, even when they’re older, I guess.
But he compares Makoto-chan to his brother… I try to remember his name. Tsu-something. He was younger and I, and as boys outnumbered girls by a wide margin, I don’t know if I would have noticed them without Fujita-sensei. “Yamaguchi-san also said that sometime Makoto-chan has bad dreams,” I tell him, but he’s a good brother, he probably knows.
Well shall we go upstairs? Here I’ll help you up. My eyesight is pretty good in the dark.
He takes my hand and I blush, he’s warm. “Alright, since this is a new house…” I’m not afraid of the dark or anything silly like that, but these old houses can have uneven steps and sloping surfaces. It’s good to have help. “Thank you.”
(OOC – you may close)
Yamaguchi-san also said that sometime Makoto-chan has bad dreams,”
“Her name is Yagi-san, not Yamaguchi. That’s -his- brother’s family name.” I sigh a little. “Sorry it’s confusing because it’s so -messed- up.”
Then I remember Makoto does have bad dreams. But they’re probably not the same as mine is it? “When she has bad dreams just wake her up slowly and it’s ok to hold her.”
She agrees for me to help her up the stairs. I make sure to go more slowly as she’s not adjusted to these sqeaky staircase yet but at least the steps are even. We get to the top of the stairs and her room is just opposite mine.
“Well good night Nishino-san.” Oh I didn’t mean to be so formal.
(Ooc close)