Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 6/2
Jun. 2nd, 2010 06:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkera.k.a. bananas and playgrounds
Fumie was looking at pictures on the stereo in her sister's living room. Her sister came in and said, "I'm sorry. Even with a washing machine, washing clothes takes so much time." Fumie asked, "Did you make the pictures?" Her sister laughed. "They're from our vacation. I just glued sand and shells and stones on the frame."
She walked into the kitchen. "Would you like some tea?" Fumie said, "Let me make it." Her sister said, "OK, but this will help." She opened a metal tin, and pulled up a tea bag. "These are new. Teabags!" Fumie looked at it and said, "Where did you get those?" Her sister said, "At the department store. You should try them." Fumie said, "But going to the department store takes time." Her sister said, "Oh, you can get out of the house. You don't have to stay there all the time. And if Shigeru complains, push him." Fumie said, "Maybe I will."
Meanwhile, a man in a uniform delivered a telegram to Shigeru. He took it into his workroom, and sat down. It said, "I'm going to stay longer. Fumie." He remembered Fumie asking him to go with her, and then telling him that she was pregnant. He tossed the telegram aside, and started drawing again.
Fumie was dusting the stereo. Her sister said, "You don't have to do that. Why don't you watch TV?" Fumie said, "I like to be busy." Her sister shook her head, "Why don't we go out, go shopping?" Fumie glanced at the telephone. Her sister said, "He should've gotten the telegram already. And he could've called." Fumie said, "He really enjoys working. I think he'll like being alone for a while."
Her sister looked at her and said, "Did something happen?" Fumie said, "Why do you ask?" Her sister said, "You looked as if he wanted to push him before, and... I think there must be a reason that you came to visit us alone?" Fumie stammered, "Well... there's... I've been really patient..." Her sister said, "I think maybe you're tired of living like that. Why don't you stay here for a while?"
Fumie said, "Actually..." The telephone rang. Fumie and her sister turned towards it. Her sister picked it up. "Oh. Hi." She shook her head at Fumie, and continued talking to her friend.
The doorbell rang. Fumie's sister put her hand over the telephone, and said, "Fumie? Could you get that?"
Fumie opened the door. She said, "You?" Shigeru stood there. Fumie's sister came up behind her. "Oh, Shigeru! Why don't you come in?" Shigeru said, "Thank you for your kindness to us. I brought these." He held out a bundle of bananas. The sister took them. Then he looked at Fumie and said, "Let's go home." Fumie's sister started to say something, and he said, "We need to go home."
He walked along the street, carrying the bundle. Fumie walked beside him.
In a playground, Fumie and Shigeru sat in the swings. Nearby, boys slid down a grassy slope on sheets of cardboard. Fumie looked at Shigeru. "I'm sorry you came so far. I didn't expect you to come." Then she wondered, "How did you buy bananas? We didn't have any money for them." Shigeru laughed. He fumbled in his shirt pockets, and pulled out a piece of paper. "I got money from the one-sixth bank." (an old term for a pawnshop, apparently due to getting one sixth the value of items?)
Fumie said, "I know it's going to be hard. There may be problems. We got married late, and raising children will be difficult. But... I'm going to have a baby."
Shigeru looked at the sky. Then he glanced at her and said, "Let's go see a movie." She said, "What?" He said, "We're both out, and we don't get out together very often. Actually, with a baby, we won't get out very often. Of course, we haven't gotten out together yet." He chuckled.
Then he looked at the ground and said, "I was surprised. Men don't think about having a baby." He stood up, and said, "There may be problems. But..." He smiled and reached into his pocket. "Here's a banana for you." He pulled a banana out and handed it to her. Then he pulled another one out. "I gave your sister most of them, but I kept some for us." He peeled the banana and took a big bite. "Tastes good." Fumie also ate her banana.
At the movie house, Fumie said, "The other movie house has Audrey Hepburn." Shigeru said, "No, this is good." The poster was for The Guns of Navarone. As they went inside, Fumie grumbled about going to a war movie instead of a romance. Still, in a year and a half, this was the first time they had gone to a movie.
That evening, Fumie served what looked like red bean rice (sekihan). Shigeru was surprised. "Sekihan?" Fumie said, "Tonight is a celebration." Shigeru took a bite and chewed. Then he said, "Regular rice?" Fumie said, "Yes. Sweet rice (mochi rice) is expensive, so I made it this way." Shigeru nodded. "You're right, we need to save money for the baby." He took another bite, and then said, "It's good." He looked across the table and said, "Fumie? Please take care." She smiled back at him.
Shuhei, Shigeru's father, sat in his comfortable chair, reading his newspaper. Kinuyo ran into the room as he was picking his nose. She squawked, "Do you know what's happened while you're sitting here picking your nose?" He shook his paper. "The prime minister has come to visit?" She shook a letter. "NO! It's growing." He laughed. "So you are that excited because the eggplant in the field is growing?" He picked at his nose again. She shook her head. "Stop that! No, Shigeru and Fumie are having a baby." He folded his paper. "Is it a boy or girl?" She said, "Don't be silly. We don't know. The baby won't be born for six months." Then she folded the letter. "I'm going!" Shuhei said, "Where?" "Tokyo, of course. To get ready. Shigeru won't do anything, and Fumie is too easy-going. They need me to take charge!" Shuhei stood up. "Wait, wait. Where would you stay in that tiny house? You don't want to do that." She looked puzzled for a moment, then said, "Okay, I'll write her a letter. Tell her what she needs to do." She pulled a pad of paper out and started writing a letter. "First, you should..."
Miyako, Fumie's mother, sent a long roll of white cloth. Her letter explained that this was a maternity obi (kind of like a wide sash or cummerband), and she should wrap it snugly around her stomach and wear it for the six months of her pregnancy.
<to be continued>
Fumie was looking at pictures on the stereo in her sister's living room. Her sister came in and said, "I'm sorry. Even with a washing machine, washing clothes takes so much time." Fumie asked, "Did you make the pictures?" Her sister laughed. "They're from our vacation. I just glued sand and shells and stones on the frame."
She walked into the kitchen. "Would you like some tea?" Fumie said, "Let me make it." Her sister said, "OK, but this will help." She opened a metal tin, and pulled up a tea bag. "These are new. Teabags!" Fumie looked at it and said, "Where did you get those?" Her sister said, "At the department store. You should try them." Fumie said, "But going to the department store takes time." Her sister said, "Oh, you can get out of the house. You don't have to stay there all the time. And if Shigeru complains, push him." Fumie said, "Maybe I will."
Meanwhile, a man in a uniform delivered a telegram to Shigeru. He took it into his workroom, and sat down. It said, "I'm going to stay longer. Fumie." He remembered Fumie asking him to go with her, and then telling him that she was pregnant. He tossed the telegram aside, and started drawing again.
Fumie was dusting the stereo. Her sister said, "You don't have to do that. Why don't you watch TV?" Fumie said, "I like to be busy." Her sister shook her head, "Why don't we go out, go shopping?" Fumie glanced at the telephone. Her sister said, "He should've gotten the telegram already. And he could've called." Fumie said, "He really enjoys working. I think he'll like being alone for a while."
Her sister looked at her and said, "Did something happen?" Fumie said, "Why do you ask?" Her sister said, "You looked as if he wanted to push him before, and... I think there must be a reason that you came to visit us alone?" Fumie stammered, "Well... there's... I've been really patient..." Her sister said, "I think maybe you're tired of living like that. Why don't you stay here for a while?"
Fumie said, "Actually..." The telephone rang. Fumie and her sister turned towards it. Her sister picked it up. "Oh. Hi." She shook her head at Fumie, and continued talking to her friend.
The doorbell rang. Fumie's sister put her hand over the telephone, and said, "Fumie? Could you get that?"
Fumie opened the door. She said, "You?" Shigeru stood there. Fumie's sister came up behind her. "Oh, Shigeru! Why don't you come in?" Shigeru said, "Thank you for your kindness to us. I brought these." He held out a bundle of bananas. The sister took them. Then he looked at Fumie and said, "Let's go home." Fumie's sister started to say something, and he said, "We need to go home."
He walked along the street, carrying the bundle. Fumie walked beside him.
In a playground, Fumie and Shigeru sat in the swings. Nearby, boys slid down a grassy slope on sheets of cardboard. Fumie looked at Shigeru. "I'm sorry you came so far. I didn't expect you to come." Then she wondered, "How did you buy bananas? We didn't have any money for them." Shigeru laughed. He fumbled in his shirt pockets, and pulled out a piece of paper. "I got money from the one-sixth bank." (an old term for a pawnshop, apparently due to getting one sixth the value of items?)
Fumie said, "I know it's going to be hard. There may be problems. We got married late, and raising children will be difficult. But... I'm going to have a baby."
Shigeru looked at the sky. Then he glanced at her and said, "Let's go see a movie." She said, "What?" He said, "We're both out, and we don't get out together very often. Actually, with a baby, we won't get out very often. Of course, we haven't gotten out together yet." He chuckled.
Then he looked at the ground and said, "I was surprised. Men don't think about having a baby." He stood up, and said, "There may be problems. But..." He smiled and reached into his pocket. "Here's a banana for you." He pulled a banana out and handed it to her. Then he pulled another one out. "I gave your sister most of them, but I kept some for us." He peeled the banana and took a big bite. "Tastes good." Fumie also ate her banana.
At the movie house, Fumie said, "The other movie house has Audrey Hepburn." Shigeru said, "No, this is good." The poster was for The Guns of Navarone. As they went inside, Fumie grumbled about going to a war movie instead of a romance. Still, in a year and a half, this was the first time they had gone to a movie.
That evening, Fumie served what looked like red bean rice (sekihan). Shigeru was surprised. "Sekihan?" Fumie said, "Tonight is a celebration." Shigeru took a bite and chewed. Then he said, "Regular rice?" Fumie said, "Yes. Sweet rice (mochi rice) is expensive, so I made it this way." Shigeru nodded. "You're right, we need to save money for the baby." He took another bite, and then said, "It's good." He looked across the table and said, "Fumie? Please take care." She smiled back at him.
Shuhei, Shigeru's father, sat in his comfortable chair, reading his newspaper. Kinuyo ran into the room as he was picking his nose. She squawked, "Do you know what's happened while you're sitting here picking your nose?" He shook his paper. "The prime minister has come to visit?" She shook a letter. "NO! It's growing." He laughed. "So you are that excited because the eggplant in the field is growing?" He picked at his nose again. She shook her head. "Stop that! No, Shigeru and Fumie are having a baby." He folded his paper. "Is it a boy or girl?" She said, "Don't be silly. We don't know. The baby won't be born for six months." Then she folded the letter. "I'm going!" Shuhei said, "Where?" "Tokyo, of course. To get ready. Shigeru won't do anything, and Fumie is too easy-going. They need me to take charge!" Shuhei stood up. "Wait, wait. Where would you stay in that tiny house? You don't want to do that." She looked puzzled for a moment, then said, "Okay, I'll write her a letter. Tell her what she needs to do." She pulled a pad of paper out and started writing a letter. "First, you should..."
Miyako, Fumie's mother, sent a long roll of white cloth. Her letter explained that this was a maternity obi (kind of like a wide sash or cummerband), and she should wrap it snugly around her stomach and wear it for the six months of her pregnancy.
<to be continued>
