“Kuronomiya.” A female colleague of mine named Futaba Megumi approached me at my desk.
“Yes?”
“Hamada-san is looking for you.”
“Ah. Thank you for telling me. I’ll go now.” I said, saved the document that I was working on and got up from my chair. Hamada Tetsuo-san was my immediate supervisor. We had a very cordial superior-subordinate relationship and so, it wasn’t odd that he would ask for me often. Being a bit of a workaholic helps me get my work done, at least, and so I had earned my place.
I knocked on Hamada-san’s glass door. He waved me in immediately. “Ah, Kuronomiya-kun. I have to say, you’ve done quick and good work on your previous project.”
“Thank you, Hamada-san.” I bowed. “It was thanks to your timely guidance.”
“Mm. Well, I called you here for another reason though. I know that you have just finished a few major projects, both with your team and individually, but I would like to assign you something.”
He would always speak so gently and politely but that did not mean that his assignments were any less than orders. I could not refuse. “What would that be?”
“You know that the company is planning expansions, right? As part of that, we’re opening a few new outlets spread across Tokyo. The sales model that you had come up with in your previous project seems like it can be adapted to fit our needs. I will mail you the details so that you can work on it. If this sales model works at one of the new outlets, we can look into its further applicability too.”
My sales model? “I’d be happy to work on it, Hamada-san, I’ll involve the team as well. I’m sure that they have a lot that they can do to contribute too.”
“Okay.” He nodded and asked after a pause. “Are you leaving now?”
“I’m almost done with today’s work. I’ll be leaving within the hour.” I replied.
Hamada-san was thirty-five years old. He had made his way up to the post of Division Manager through effort and perseverance. While his strong brown pupils held a youthful vigour, his stray grey hair was testimony to his tireless work and the pressure. It was no wonder that he was up for another promotion soon.
“Do send me the details of the sales for the 2-chome branch too before you leave.”
“I shall do that.” I bowed, excused myself and returned to my work. It had not even been a week since I finished my previous project.
So much for taking a break…
Once I was done with my immediate work, I packed up and left for home. When I was waiting at the bus stop, I received a call from my brother. When I reported that I had just left work, he let out a huge sigh of relief.
“I’m a little tied up with work. I was expecting to finish in an hour but it doesn’t seem likely. I was supposed to pick Aki up from the daycare but... Oh, am I glad that you’re done! Could you go pick her up? Kaori’s home. She’s not feeling too well. It’s that time of the month so… I’ll send you a text message. Buy her that medicine for the pain too, okay?”
At the pause that I had gotten from him there, I spoke up. “Hikaru-nii, breathe.”
“S-Sorry. I have a meeting now so…” He responded sheepishly.
“Mm. I understand. Leave it to me.” I said. He was a family man to the core and it was very rare for his planning to go wrong. When it did, like this, he would panic, if not ever-so-slightly.
“Thanks a lot, Kakeru. You’re a good little brother.” I could almost picture him grinning ear-to-ear as he said that. “Then, please take care of my womenfolk.”
I chuckled. “Yes. I’ll see you then.” I hung up and waited for the bus. The daycare was rather close to our house. It was just a ten-minute walk. There was a medical store on the way too. Kaori-nee had always had these bad spells so we had all adjusted to it. She was the one who would usually pick Aki-chan up on her way back from the library where she worked.
On occasions like this, I couldn’t help but feel compelled not to move out. I hadn’t really talked about it to anyone either. If anything, Hikaru-nii would be upset. Even though I am just his younger brother, to him, it would be akin to letting Aki-chan go.
I smiled at that thought. After all, Hikaru-nii was also a good elder brother.
The daycare was practically swarming with little ones in their play-clothes when I arrived. It looked like they were getting their share of the outdoors. Although it wasn’t my first time at the place, I was not very familiar with the way around. One of the teachers in the place approached me on seeing my confusion.
“Good evening. Are you here to pick someone up?” She smiled the kind of smile that would have made her popular among the children.
“Yes. Good evening.” I bowed. “I’m here for Kuronomiya Akiko.”
“Your name?”
“Ah, sorry. I’m Kuronomiya Kakeru.” I replied.
“Okay. I had heard from Kuronomiya Hikaru-san. Wait a moment, please.” She nodded and looked around. Soon, she raised one hand, cupped the other around her mouth and called out. “Akiko-chan!”
I followed her line of sight to find my beloved little niece sitting in the sandpit with a few other girls and a boy. She sprang to her feet and dashed for me immediately on seeing me. “Kake-jii!”
I crouched and took her into my arms when she threw herself onto me. “Good evening, Aki-chan!”
“Why did Kake-jii come? What about Otou-san?” She enquired after snuggling up to me a little.
“Otou-san’s busy. He said that he’s sorry for not being able to come.” I answered. “Shall we go home? Kaa-chan’s waiting.”
“Yes!” She nodded vigorously.
“I’ll get her ready to leave.” The teacher who was with us offered and took Aki-chan back into the building to change her out of her play clothes and into her regular clothes. I waited outside for those few minutes and watched the other children. I couldn’t help but feel a little bad for them, really. They were all so young, oblivious and carefree. They had their entire lives ahead of them.
They had adulthood ahead of them.
Notes:
Otou-san: Father
Kaa-chan: Mother
Kaori-nee did not look too good but she had been eagerly awaiting our return by the time we had gotten home. Aki-chan and I had stopped by the medical store on our way home and I had bought her her medicine as well. Kaori-nee was more than ready to make me tea as usual too but I drove her out of the kitchen and tasked Aki-chan with keeping her company while I made tea for her and myself and an omelette for Aki-chan knowing that she would be hungry. It made me stop and think, really. Life was really peaceful as it was. I really did not want to move out… However, the fact that I was thinking so much about it was proof enough for me that I actually needed to move. I would be close-by anyway. I could still visit them, at least as regularly as our other “extended family member” did. Said “extended family member” showed up as usual for dinner that night too, just as we were finishing with our tea. “Where’s Hikaru?” Hiro-san enquired as he changed into the indoor sl
He had definitely been surprised to hear of it- my brother. It was two days after the chat with Hiro-san in the kitchen that I finally told Hikaru-nii and Kaori-nee about my decision to move. I had even told them about starting to look for my own place. Initially, the both of them had just heard me out and asked me to think about it more seriously. A day later, Hikaru-nii brought the both of us drinks and came into my room after Aki-chan had gone to sleep in her own room. We had a long brother-to-brother talk about a lot of things, starting from the issues we had had to face when we were still staying with our folks to after we had moved out and all that had happened after Kaori-nee too entered our lives. I figured that the point that he had wanted to make clear to me was that we had been by each other's side through a lot of the important things in our lives. He was sentimental. "We're family." It had taken me some time to work my way through the words t
“Kake-jii!” A shrill cry went up the moment that I opened the door to the house with my key. Even before I could announce that I was home, I had a pair of arms thrown around my legs and sobbing filled the entryway. While this shocked both Hiro-san and I into freezing up, my brother just stood there and shook his head in exasperation. Even Kaori-nee peeked around the kitchen doorway, greeted us and disappeared back inside. The little one, however, was practically pouring her heart out to me. “What happened? How come you’re crying?” I pat her head as soothingly as I could in my confusion. Hiro-san too crouched beside me and looked at her closely. “Hey, Aki-chan. What happened? Did your father get angry at you?” “Why is this my fault?” Hikaru-nii asked, coming over and trying to pull Aki-chan off my legs but to no avail. “Aki, you’re getting Kake-jii’s pants dirty. Give him some space. He just got home.” “I don’t want to! I don’t want to let Kake-jii go!
“Kakeru.” Hikaru-nii called softly and lightly shook me awake. “Oi. Wake up. It’s morning.” “Mm.” I turned over on my side. “It’s Sunday. Please let me sleep…” “It’s already late. Wake up.” He said, voice still low. That was weird in itself but I couldn’t really be bothered by it in my state of sleep. “Kakeru.” “I heard you.” I groaned and stretched my arm out a bit in trying to shoo him off. That was when I touched skin. I touched someone… small. I raised myself by my elbows, on my stomach and remembered the three-year-old sleeping next to me in her favourite yellow night dress only when I saw her peaceful features. She was still fast asleep. So that’s why Hikaru-nii was speaking so softly. “How many nights has this been now?” Hikaru-nii shook his head in defeat. “I don’t know… Four?” I slowly sat up and rubbed the sand out of my eyes. Aki-chan had woken me up at around 01:30 am saying that she wanted to sleep with me. This nigh
Aki-chan and I were playing with her building blocks when Hiro-san arrived a little over an hour later. Once he came, he was the one playing most of her games with her. I settled for just sitting back and watching, occasionally joining in. It was all so peaceful that I found myself promising to keep my Sundays as free as possible even after moving out. Since breakfast was late, Aki-chan wasn’t exactly hungry at lunch time. I did not want to delay it though because Hiro-san had not had even breakfast. So, eventually, all three of us ended up in the kitchen. Hiro-san was carrying Aki-chan and the both of them were following me around the kitchen, lending a hand whenever they could and keeping up a conversation about the most trivial things. … I owed my brother thanks for letting her stay here with me, although it would have been better had he and Kaori-nee been here as well. “She slept?” Hiro-san asked when I returned to the living room after leaving Aki-chan i
It was from the hospital. My perfect and careless Sunday had shattered with that one phone call. It was horrifying how one moment was all it took to make my previous worries seem insignificant. It was unbelievable. Hiro-san had tried his best to remain calm while relaying the news to us. Well, mostly to me. There had been an accident. A pretty bad one too. A T-junction. Hikaru-nii’s car and a truck. Those were all the points of information that my brain could take in. People on-site had reacted quickly. The two people in the car had been sent to the hospital immediately. The call was from a nurse there. Hikaru-nii had been conscious enough to convey to her that she needed to call me. By the time we had gotten to the hospital, the anxiety and fear had eaten me up alive for we had received no further information about it. Carrying a very confused Aki-chan, when we got there, the attending doctor informed us that Hikaru-nii had been taken in for
Sleep evaded me. The new project was also in full swing and in order to get out of office early enough to pick Aki-chan up from daycare, I was forced to bring some work home. Moreover, I had to cook for us. Not to complain, but I ended up taking over all of those chores that Kaori-nee used to take care of before. It was physically and emotionally taxing on me to try and keep the household together, especially since her earlier indulgent father had suddenly become cold to Aki-chan. Even to me. But there was nothing that I could say or do to ease his pain. Whenever Hiro-san came over, he brought food for us all. Otherwise, he would help me around the house. The visits, however, were nothing like before. He would come, try and fail to talk properly to Hikaru-nii, spend time with Aki-chan, help me out a bit, eat and just leave. From coming here because he was always warmly received, it felt like he was coming over only to check in on us. Save for those random occasions w
I was standing at the window in my room and looking out at the clear night sky that was barely visible through between the surrounding buildings when Hiro-san entered the room. I had been fully aware of the entire hour that had passed us by. Especially after Aki-chan slept off, it had gotten so silent that it as as though I was counting the seconds that mocked how small I had become in the face of loss. I was starting to feel a little too overwhelmed by it all. Hiro-san's voice made me turn to him slowly. “Hikaru is in his room. He didn't really talk to me but... We should probably give him some space. Kakeru, why didn’t you close the front door? Oh. Is she asleep?” He lowered his voice on realising it, looked closer at the girl I was still holding onto closely and sighed. “Looks like she cried a lot.” His grey eyes narrowed in a sort of pained affection when he stepped closer and and ran a thumb tenderly over her tear-stained cheek. Then, he looked at me. “You shoul