[CH8] 誰かの願いが叶う頃 Dareka no negai ga kanau koro

Chapter 8 : Our Framed Past

 

“Kikuchi-san, let’s get back to your room, uhm?” Azumi stood up behind, ready to push the wheelchair for her. And as they were just out from the elevator heading to Kikuchi’s room, someone stopped in front of them.

 

“I thought you were still on your suspension for a week? What are you doing with my patient?” Dr. Fukada burned in his anger. Azumi halted for a moment and then continued pushing the wheelchair forward. And Dr. Fukada continues his words…

 

“Please be well reminded that you are just a medical assistant boy! Don’t act so arrogant in front of we doctors which hold much higher position than you…” he lowered his voice but his descending tone ascended Azumi’s temper instead. He released his grips on the wheelchair handles, moved in closer to Mr. Fukada and is about to break a punch on his face but,

 

“Azumi! Yamete…” she came out of nowhere and stopped him.

 

* * *

 

“Gomen. I don’t know what would’ve happened if you weren’t there at the right time” Azumi lowered his head.

 

“Ii wa. Chotto mattete kureru? I’ve finished my work for today. Let’s go back together, uhm?” she smiled before she left into the nurse room and back few minutes later.

 

“Are you free now? Will you drop by at my house? For some coffee, maybe?” she invited and he didn’t say no.

 

They arrived at one small, white wooden apartment in a few while later. It is a modern Japanese apartment, but somehow Rin has her dining room decorated and arranged as washitsu. Azumi that entered in first sat on the zabuton, with his knees gathered close to each other while he’s facing the low table which placed in the heart of the room. The 4 tatami sized room is obviously small, but looked spacious as it doesn’t have much furniture lined up in it.

 

Azumi didn’t talk much since on their way here and he is now sitting with his eyes downcast, looking at the clean blank tatami. Meanwhile Rin entered and sat in front of him and asks,

 

“Nani ga ii? Coffee? Tea?”

 

“Ahah. Both are fine with me… but then, tea please” no smiles uttered from his face.

 

“Wakatta. I’m going to have my shower first… so, go-jiyuu ni ne?”

 

As she left the room, Azumi raised his sight, looking around inside the room. There’s nothing much to see, but the portrait of Rin with a girl hung steadily on the wall caught his eyes. The girl is seemed to be a little older than her and the two seemed to be close as their pure smiles told it well. He pulled one of the sliding windows and threw his eyes outside. It was raining… so they just made their journey here right before it. He returned to his zabuton, tend to sit quietly as he did before but he can’t take off his eyes from the portrait.

 

“Kora! Where you have your eyes now?” Rin already in her apron showed up at the door suddenly spoke up as she noticed him seeing the portrait. He has confused face towards her and she added,

 

“She’s my adopted sister… or the correct way to say is; I’m an adopted child to her parents, so that she is my sister”

 

“Ah, sou nan da”

 

“Uhm, Azumi to onaji. I am an orphan since I was small. Aaa~h hora! Lend me your hand!” she said as she is pulling his arm.

 

“Wh…where or what to?” Azumi is again confused.

 

“Help me preparing some nabe. I’ll borrow your hand today, ok?” she smiled as they are already in the tiny kitchen which is kept tidy and arranged neatly.

 

“But why nabe? Isn’t it for winter?” and now he’s confused with the menu selection or maybe just, curious to know the fact.

 

“You know why we cook nabe during winter? … It is to warm your body up. And I guess someone being so COLD today. He needs something to warm up” she halted to see his face expression before they burst into laughter. They never do this kind of collaboration work in the kitchen, but somehow they worked out on the dish smoothly – perhaps to work on dish and patients are two same things?

 

“But then,…” Azumi spoke up as soon as he finished cutting the ingredients.

 

“Uhm? Nani?”

 

“Iya… just… what did you mean we’re the same just now?” she sighed once and remained silent for the whole time they’re in the kitchen, which definitely caused him with thousand questions marked arose in his mind. Soon, as the dashi is boiled, she quickly poured in the cut vegetables and other ingredients into the pot. Leaving the dish for a while, she searched for 2 small bowls and 2 tea glasses. When she returned,

 

“Help me carry this into the dining room, please” she asked him to carry the hotpot while she got the bowls and glasses in her hands, and now picking 2 wooden chopsticks. She dropped herself at her bedroom to pick up something from her drawer and rushed into the dining room.

 

“Kore, mite mi” she asked as she showed something to him.

 

“Nani? Kazoku shashin?” he just guessing. While she just nodded, right after he finished his sentence. He is in deep interest with the piece of paper printed with 4 faces on it – Rin’s family portrait.

 

 

 

“As you may guess, the male standing at the back is my dad & female sitting on the chair is my mom. The baby boy my mom holds is my younger brother and yeah… the one held by my dad is me” she explained.

 

She was cute… and she is.

 

“Younger brother?”

 

“Uhm. My adopted sister now told me about that. He is my twin actually. We are at the same age, just me was born a week before him so that I’m sister. But… all of that were just what I heard. I never met any of them in real” she added, but his eyes still on the photo. Perhaps he’s imagining to have his own family portrait by the moment he saw it.

 

“Nan da~ I just got what you meant before now. Me too… never knew who are my parents. I was raised up in orphanage until I’m 7 before Yumie’s parents came and I’ve began my new life with adopted family and sister to be. All I knew from the Mama of the orphanage is; I was handed in by mom with a photo of herself, but for some reason Mama kept the photo from me until the day I left the orphanage. And later news came telling me mom has passed away, the mom that I never got a chance to see her face even. I heard my dad left us right after I was born, and I don’t have any slightest idea about my dad now”

 

“So that you’re not an orphan actually, uhm? she asked as she already picked some slice of cabbage wrapping with some meat with her chopstick, ready to feed the one in front of her now.

 

“Ahah. Yeah… but it seems we’re living the way much similar since past years, uhm?” he just has his eyeballs rolling to glance at her once before switching them back to the portrait. She smiled when she asked,

 

“Azumi! Look at me!” and as soon as he turned,

 

“Open your mouth… here we go!”

 

 

 

“Atttttsui!~~” he said while covering his mouth with his palm but she laughed before she continues,

 

“You surely a very good actor, I held it for few minutes, it won’t be that hot!” before the two burst into laughter again…

 

****************

 

Word List

 

1.      Yamate! = Stop it!

2.      Gomen = (I’m) Sorry.

3.      Ii wa = No, it’s ok.

4.      Chotto mattete kureru? = Will you wait for me a while?

5.      Washitsu = Japanese-style room

6.      zabuton = (Japanese) cushion, used when you have to sit on the floor.

7.      tatami = mat

8.      nani ga ii? = What’s better?

9.      wakatta = ok/understood/got you.

10.  go-jiyuu ni = please make yourself at home

11.  kora! = hey!/naughty!

12.  sou nan da = so that it was

13.  ~ to onaji = same with ~

14.  hora! = Look!/Come on!

15.  nabe = pot

16.  dashi = stock

17.  kore, mite mi = look at this

18.  nan da~ = whatta

19.  atsui = (it’s) hot

 

to be continued…