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Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 5/26
a.k.a. running away from home
Shigeru was drawing, slowly. He stopped, laid the pen down, and laid back on the floor of his workroom. He remembered Fukuzawa, the publisher, coughing blood in the street. And he remembered the publisher's office being closed, his books being thrown out.
He sat back up. He picked up his pen and remembered the other publisher pushing his draft sketches away, and saying show me a thriller.
Fumie was in the kitchen darning a sock. Shigeru called from inside the workroom. She looked up, and said, "Good, I can help him."
Fumie opened the door to the workroom and looked in with a smile. "Can I help with the manga?" Shigeru frowned and tapped the light on his desk. "The bulb burned out. Change it tomorrow." Fumie said, "OK. But can I help with the manga?" He shook his head. "Not now." Fumie started to slide the door shut, then stopped. "Are your shoulders sore? I could..." Shigeru looked up. "I'm not going to take a break. Quit being noisy. Wait out there."
Fumie slid the door shut. She sat down and looked at the doors to the workroom. "I'm just worried..."
Later, Fumie collected the cards and letters from the mailbox outside. She came back in reading a post card from her father. Shigeru walked out of the workroom, yawning. He shoved the doors to the workroom shut behind himself. She showed him the card. "Genbee got the clipping I sent him from the newspaper." Shigeru shrugged, then said, "Oh, yes. We should stop the newspaper subscription. Just another expense." He drank a glass of water, then stumbled towards the doorway. Fumie asked, "Are you going out?" He nodded. "I could clean the workroom while you're..." Shigeru barked, "No! Don't... I need the air to be like it is now." He went out. Fumie started to open the doors. Then she paused. "He's acting strange. But... maybe I better not."
In the coffee shop, the pawnshop owner was using an apple and an orange to explain to the coffee shop man how a bad economy influenced the pawnshop. Then he looked around and said, "Oh, I see a friend." He got up and walked over to where Shigeru was sitting in a booth looking at magazines. The pawnshop owner said, "I don't think I've ever seen you here before. You should come visit the store, there's lots of new stuff." Shigeru looked up and said, "Who are you?" The pawnshop owner said, "Kameda! I'm the pawnshop owner." Shigeru blinked at him. "Oh. When you're not in the store, you look different." Then Shigeru turned back to his magazines.
The pawnshop owner went back to the coffee shop man. "He's an odd guy." The coffee shop man said, "He's been here five hours. One cup of coffee. Then he asked me for all the old magazines. But we don't have any customers to bother, so I guess it's OK."
They watched as Shigeru leafed through the magazines. He looked closely at one page, then lifted it, and tore it out. Both of the other men exclaimed. Then the coffee shop man said, "It's just an old magazine from the trash."
Back at the house, Fumie heard someone call from outside, and answered. When she walked into the entryway, a young woman in a loud checked jacket with a bright red hat stood there. She held a small suitcase in her hands. The young woman said, "Is Mizuki-sensei here?" Fumie said, "No, he's gone right now." The woman said, "Oh, no. He can't be gone. What am I going to do?" Fumie said, "But who are you?" "I'm Kawai Haruko. I left my home." Fumie said, "What?"
Just then, Shigeru came in. He had a wad of pictures in his hand, torn from the magazines at the coffee shop. The young woman turned, saw him, and grabbed him in a hug. "Mizuki-sensei!" Shigeru stepped back. "Haruko? What are you doing here?" "I left home." "Again?" "I'm never going back. I've come to Tokyo to study manga. But I need help." Shigeru shook his head. "It's not really a good time." Haruko crumpled to the floor in the entry way. She looked up at him. "What can I do? I'll do anything." Shigeru looked thoughtful. Then he grabbed her hand. "Get up, and come here." He dragged her into the workroom. Fumie followed. "What... eh, what can I do?" At the doors, Shigeru pushed Haruko inside, and told Fumie. "Make tea." He slipped inside, and shut the doors. Then he opened them. "Oh, and she'll be here for dinner, too."
Inside the workroom, Haruko said, "What about Sankei Publications? I thought I should ask them, too." Shigeru said, "Oh. Fukuzawa is in the hospital. The company is bankrupt. But there are other publishers." He went over to his desk, and picked up a stack of drawings. "Here's what I want you to look at." Haruko started to look at the drawings. "Are these yours? I read all the Kitaro books after we met last, but these are really different." Shigeru nodded. "Yes. Look, sit here, and copy this into the background." He patted the cushion where Fumie worked, and handed Haruko a picture torn from a magazine. She sat down, took off her red hat, and picked up a pen. She bent over the table and started working.
Fumie stood by the doors with tea on a small serving platter. "I've got tea." There was no answer. "Can I come in?" There was no answer. She slid the door open a little, and saw Haruko working at the place where Fumie usually helped. She slid the door open wider, and Shigeru looked up from his drawing. "What?" Fumie said, "Just tea." He waved. "Oh. Just leave it there, inside the doors." Fumie set the platter on the floor, and slid the doors shut again.
Fumie turned from the workroom. She said to herself, "That desk is my place. Who is she? Well, at least they're both busy. I'll make a good dinner."
Later, Fumie called from the kitchen. "Dinner's ready." Shigeru and Haruko continued drawing. She called again. "Shigeru? Dinner!" Shigeru lifted his head. He put down his pen and stretched his hand. Then he glanced at Haruko, who was still drawing. "Haruko?" She kept drawing. "Hey! Haruko!" She looked up. "You really concentrate, don't you? Dinner's ready, let's take a break." She put her pen down, and stood up.
Shigeru opened the doors into the kitchen and stepped out. Fumie had nabe cooking on the table, with plenty of vegetables and other dishes to eat. He looked at it for a moment, then put his hand on his hip. "Nabe?" Fumie said, "It's cold today, so I thought nabe would be good. I've got lots of good stuff for us to eat." Shigeru said, "We're not finished, we can't spend the time." Fumie said, "But I thought with a guest, we should..." Haruko said, "Look, I'll keep working, you go ahead and eat." Shigeru shook his head. "There's no time to relax yet." Fumie said, "Oh. All right, I'll make something you can eat quickly." Shigeru said, "Yes. Make onigiri (rice balls)." He and Haruko disappeared into the workroom again. Fumie got up, and started to make rice balls.
[Onigiri -- rice balls -- are the peanut butter sandwiches of Japan. Take fresh rice, roll it up in a ball with a bit of pickles or something, and you're done. Add nori -- seaweed -- sheet wrapping for extra flavor.]
In the workroom, Shigeru drew a little. Then he picked up a plate with rice balls, bit off a mouthful, chewed, and picked up his pen again. At the other table, Haruko held her pen in one hand and drew with it, while her other hand held a rice ball. She paused, took a bite, and went back to drawing. She finished, and moved the sheet back to Shigeru's table. "Here, that's finished." He picked up another sheet and gave it to her with another drawing from the magazines.
In the kitchen, Fumie ate nabe. And listened to the sound of their pens drawing, all night.
<to be continued>
Shigeru was drawing, slowly. He stopped, laid the pen down, and laid back on the floor of his workroom. He remembered Fukuzawa, the publisher, coughing blood in the street. And he remembered the publisher's office being closed, his books being thrown out.
He sat back up. He picked up his pen and remembered the other publisher pushing his draft sketches away, and saying show me a thriller.
Fumie was in the kitchen darning a sock. Shigeru called from inside the workroom. She looked up, and said, "Good, I can help him."
Fumie opened the door to the workroom and looked in with a smile. "Can I help with the manga?" Shigeru frowned and tapped the light on his desk. "The bulb burned out. Change it tomorrow." Fumie said, "OK. But can I help with the manga?" He shook his head. "Not now." Fumie started to slide the door shut, then stopped. "Are your shoulders sore? I could..." Shigeru looked up. "I'm not going to take a break. Quit being noisy. Wait out there."
Fumie slid the door shut. She sat down and looked at the doors to the workroom. "I'm just worried..."
Later, Fumie collected the cards and letters from the mailbox outside. She came back in reading a post card from her father. Shigeru walked out of the workroom, yawning. He shoved the doors to the workroom shut behind himself. She showed him the card. "Genbee got the clipping I sent him from the newspaper." Shigeru shrugged, then said, "Oh, yes. We should stop the newspaper subscription. Just another expense." He drank a glass of water, then stumbled towards the doorway. Fumie asked, "Are you going out?" He nodded. "I could clean the workroom while you're..." Shigeru barked, "No! Don't... I need the air to be like it is now." He went out. Fumie started to open the doors. Then she paused. "He's acting strange. But... maybe I better not."
In the coffee shop, the pawnshop owner was using an apple and an orange to explain to the coffee shop man how a bad economy influenced the pawnshop. Then he looked around and said, "Oh, I see a friend." He got up and walked over to where Shigeru was sitting in a booth looking at magazines. The pawnshop owner said, "I don't think I've ever seen you here before. You should come visit the store, there's lots of new stuff." Shigeru looked up and said, "Who are you?" The pawnshop owner said, "Kameda! I'm the pawnshop owner." Shigeru blinked at him. "Oh. When you're not in the store, you look different." Then Shigeru turned back to his magazines.
The pawnshop owner went back to the coffee shop man. "He's an odd guy." The coffee shop man said, "He's been here five hours. One cup of coffee. Then he asked me for all the old magazines. But we don't have any customers to bother, so I guess it's OK."
They watched as Shigeru leafed through the magazines. He looked closely at one page, then lifted it, and tore it out. Both of the other men exclaimed. Then the coffee shop man said, "It's just an old magazine from the trash."
Back at the house, Fumie heard someone call from outside, and answered. When she walked into the entryway, a young woman in a loud checked jacket with a bright red hat stood there. She held a small suitcase in her hands. The young woman said, "Is Mizuki-sensei here?" Fumie said, "No, he's gone right now." The woman said, "Oh, no. He can't be gone. What am I going to do?" Fumie said, "But who are you?" "I'm Kawai Haruko. I left my home." Fumie said, "What?"
Just then, Shigeru came in. He had a wad of pictures in his hand, torn from the magazines at the coffee shop. The young woman turned, saw him, and grabbed him in a hug. "Mizuki-sensei!" Shigeru stepped back. "Haruko? What are you doing here?" "I left home." "Again?" "I'm never going back. I've come to Tokyo to study manga. But I need help." Shigeru shook his head. "It's not really a good time." Haruko crumpled to the floor in the entry way. She looked up at him. "What can I do? I'll do anything." Shigeru looked thoughtful. Then he grabbed her hand. "Get up, and come here." He dragged her into the workroom. Fumie followed. "What... eh, what can I do?" At the doors, Shigeru pushed Haruko inside, and told Fumie. "Make tea." He slipped inside, and shut the doors. Then he opened them. "Oh, and she'll be here for dinner, too."
Inside the workroom, Haruko said, "What about Sankei Publications? I thought I should ask them, too." Shigeru said, "Oh. Fukuzawa is in the hospital. The company is bankrupt. But there are other publishers." He went over to his desk, and picked up a stack of drawings. "Here's what I want you to look at." Haruko started to look at the drawings. "Are these yours? I read all the Kitaro books after we met last, but these are really different." Shigeru nodded. "Yes. Look, sit here, and copy this into the background." He patted the cushion where Fumie worked, and handed Haruko a picture torn from a magazine. She sat down, took off her red hat, and picked up a pen. She bent over the table and started working.
Fumie stood by the doors with tea on a small serving platter. "I've got tea." There was no answer. "Can I come in?" There was no answer. She slid the door open a little, and saw Haruko working at the place where Fumie usually helped. She slid the door open wider, and Shigeru looked up from his drawing. "What?" Fumie said, "Just tea." He waved. "Oh. Just leave it there, inside the doors." Fumie set the platter on the floor, and slid the doors shut again.
Fumie turned from the workroom. She said to herself, "That desk is my place. Who is she? Well, at least they're both busy. I'll make a good dinner."
Later, Fumie called from the kitchen. "Dinner's ready." Shigeru and Haruko continued drawing. She called again. "Shigeru? Dinner!" Shigeru lifted his head. He put down his pen and stretched his hand. Then he glanced at Haruko, who was still drawing. "Haruko?" She kept drawing. "Hey! Haruko!" She looked up. "You really concentrate, don't you? Dinner's ready, let's take a break." She put her pen down, and stood up.
Shigeru opened the doors into the kitchen and stepped out. Fumie had nabe cooking on the table, with plenty of vegetables and other dishes to eat. He looked at it for a moment, then put his hand on his hip. "Nabe?" Fumie said, "It's cold today, so I thought nabe would be good. I've got lots of good stuff for us to eat." Shigeru said, "We're not finished, we can't spend the time." Fumie said, "But I thought with a guest, we should..." Haruko said, "Look, I'll keep working, you go ahead and eat." Shigeru shook his head. "There's no time to relax yet." Fumie said, "Oh. All right, I'll make something you can eat quickly." Shigeru said, "Yes. Make onigiri (rice balls)." He and Haruko disappeared into the workroom again. Fumie got up, and started to make rice balls.
[Onigiri -- rice balls -- are the peanut butter sandwiches of Japan. Take fresh rice, roll it up in a ball with a bit of pickles or something, and you're done. Add nori -- seaweed -- sheet wrapping for extra flavor.]
In the workroom, Shigeru drew a little. Then he picked up a plate with rice balls, bit off a mouthful, chewed, and picked up his pen again. At the other table, Haruko held her pen in one hand and drew with it, while her other hand held a rice ball. She paused, took a bite, and went back to drawing. She finished, and moved the sheet back to Shigeru's table. "Here, that's finished." He picked up another sheet and gave it to her with another drawing from the magazines.
In the kitchen, Fumie ate nabe. And listened to the sound of their pens drawing, all night.
<to be continued>