Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 6/8
Jun. 8th, 2010 03:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkera.k.a. everyone gets into the act
Aiko, the new baby, was sleeping in her small futon in a corner of the ktichen. Fumie was reading the baby book. "Huh. Feed the baby every three hours?" She heated a baby bottle in water, and dripped a little on her arm, then held the bottle to her cheek. "It said as warm as a person? But how warm is that?"
She shrugged, and picked up Aiko. Fumie tried to get Aiko to drink, but while she chewed on the nipple of the bottle, she didn't reallly drink. "Now why aren't you interested? Are you all right? The book said you should be hungry." Fumie thought it was really too bad that her sister had hurt her back two weeks ago. She didn't know who to ask all these questions.
Shigeru was busy in his workroom, drawing a thriller manga and other assignments.
Fumie looked at Aiko, asleep in her futon again. "It's going to be feeding time again soon, but you're asleep. I hope you wake up." Then she looked closer. "Wait, are you just asleep? Are you breathing?" Fumie got down on the floor, and peered at Aiko.
The door to the workroom screeched open beside her, and she jumped. Shigeru looked down at her and said, "What are you doing?" She said, "You scared me. It's almost feeding time, but Aiko is still asleep." Shigeru said, "When her stomach is hungry, she'll wake up." Fumie said, "But the book says to feed the baby every three hours."
Just then, Aiko woke up. She looked around, and started to cry. Fumie started to reach for her, then crossed her arms. "No, no. The doctor said don't pick them up right away when they cry, and the book said that too." Shigeru said, "What are you waiting for?" Fumie said, "You don't want her to cry all the time, so you don't pick them up right away." Aiko cried a little louder. Fumie looked at her. Shigeru moved closer. "Oh..." Fumie picked up Aiko and patted her. Fumie looked at Shigeru. "The doctor trained in the latest American ways to raise babies, and it's important to do things the right way. Don't do too much, and follow the schedule." Shigeru chuckled. "Babies sleep and eat, they don't worry about schedules."
Sometimes, Aiko didn't burp the way the book said she would after eating. And other times, when Shigeru was working, Fumie would take her upstairs and try to keep her quiet. The first weeks were hard.
One time, Fumie was asleep on the floor beside the baby futon. She stretched, and suddenly her eyes opened. Aiko was not in the futon. Fumie got up, and looked around the kitchen. No Aiko. She slid the doors to the workroom open, but Shigeru wasn't there. Fumie ran out the front door, and looked around. She looked up the street.
From around the side of the house, there was a strange "pop. pop. pop." sound. Fumie looked, and there was Shigeru, sitting in the sunshine with Aiko in his lap, making popping sounds with his mouth. "There you are! Oh, I was scared." Shigeru smiled at the baby, then looked at Fumie. "But you were sleeping so well. And it's such good weather." Fumie nodded, "Yes, but I can take her now." Shigeru looked up. "Did you get a good sleep? Babies can teach us all, you know?" Fumie looked puzzled. Shigeru looked at Aiko. "She eats and sleeps. That's her work, and she does it very well. We need to do those, too." Then he smiled. "Look, she's laughing." Fumie said, "She can't be, the book said they don't laugh yet." Shigeru bounced Aiko a little. "Well, she is." Fumie looked, and said, "She is, isn't she?" Shigeru said, "They're amazing. They can't do anything yet, but they watch everything."
There was a call from the front of the house. "Murai? Package for you?" Fumie went and accepted it. The delivery man had a wrapped package. "From Iida." Fumie unwrapped it, and found a new folding baby buggy.
Later, Michiko and the wives all clustered in the kitchen, looking at Aiko sleeping. Michiko said, "She's got lovely plump cheeks, just like her father." One of the wives said, "Aiko -- good name. But the kanji is difficult." One of the other wives said, "Oh, she can write it with kana for a while." Another wife said, "But then the other kids will tease her about janken." (In janken, the scissors-paper-rock game played in Japan, the second line of the chant often starts with aiko -- different meaning, same sound). Fumie said, "Oh, my, we didn't even think of that."
One of the wives picked up the baby book. "Oh, you've got this. Don't believe everything that it says. Ask us, we can tell you." The wife who had become a cosmetics saleslady said, "We certainly can." Another wife laughed, "But be careful, she'll tell you all the old stuff." "Well, sometimes the old stuff works really well."
Michiko put a large bundle on the table, and unwrapped it. "We brought a few more things. Here's a baby jacket. And toys. And a piano. Just small things from us, okay?" One of the wive said, "We were talking about getting you a baby buggy, but I saw one outside. A folding one, right?" Another wife said, "Really? I want to see that." They went outside, leaving Michiko and Fumie with Aiko.
Michiko looked at Aiko, and asked, "Can I pick her up?" Fumie said, "Certainly." Michiko picked Aiko up, and rocked her. "This is a hard time, but it's really a happy time, too." She looked at Fumie. "Gambatte." (fight on!)
Another day, Uraki tried to get Shigeru, Fumie, and Aiko to pose in the street in front of their house while he took pictures. Shigeru grumbled. Uraki said, "Now, smile. I mean, I got this camera and film just to take pictures for you. So you should look happy!" Shigeru said, "I don't know how, but you're doing this for your own benefit." Uraki said, "Me? Never! It's all for you!"
Haruko walked up with a large box. She greeted everyone. Uraki said, "Oh, what a surprise running into you here." Haruko said, "What do you mean a surprise? I told you yesterday I was coming to see the baby today." He winced. "Well, yes. But why don't we have Shigeru take a picture of you and I?" Uraki tried to move Shigeru, Fumie, and the baby away from the gate, and get Haruko to stand beside him. He held the camera out to Shigeru. "It's easy, just press the shutter." Shigeru refused to take the camera. Haruko said, "No, why don't you take my picture with Mizuki-sensei, Fumie, and Aiko? That would be better." Uraki said to himself, "But that makes getting this camera meaningless."
Later, in the house, Haruko set a large red doll on the table. Shigeru and Fumie looked at it, and said, "Oh, that's great. Aiko will enjoy that." Uraki said, "You weren't as enthusiastic about my presents." Shigeru said, "What, the books you gave us? For a baby?" He held up one. Uraki said, "But I produced them. And Haruko illustrated that one for me." Then Shigeru lifted the other. "And this? Battleship diagrams? For a boy, maybe, but they're wrong!" He flipped to a page, and pointed at it. "That's just wrong!" Uraki said, "What do you mean, wrong? What do you know about it?" Shigeru said, "I was there. And... wait!"
Shigeru went into his workroom, and rummaged in the closet. He brought back a small tin box, set it on the table, and opened it. Haruko, Fumie, and Uraki peered in. Shigeru said, "See! That's a good model of the battleship, and your diagram is wrong." Inside, a small wooden model complete with guns and other details sat.
<to be continued>
Aiko, the new baby, was sleeping in her small futon in a corner of the ktichen. Fumie was reading the baby book. "Huh. Feed the baby every three hours?" She heated a baby bottle in water, and dripped a little on her arm, then held the bottle to her cheek. "It said as warm as a person? But how warm is that?"
She shrugged, and picked up Aiko. Fumie tried to get Aiko to drink, but while she chewed on the nipple of the bottle, she didn't reallly drink. "Now why aren't you interested? Are you all right? The book said you should be hungry." Fumie thought it was really too bad that her sister had hurt her back two weeks ago. She didn't know who to ask all these questions.
Shigeru was busy in his workroom, drawing a thriller manga and other assignments.
Fumie looked at Aiko, asleep in her futon again. "It's going to be feeding time again soon, but you're asleep. I hope you wake up." Then she looked closer. "Wait, are you just asleep? Are you breathing?" Fumie got down on the floor, and peered at Aiko.
The door to the workroom screeched open beside her, and she jumped. Shigeru looked down at her and said, "What are you doing?" She said, "You scared me. It's almost feeding time, but Aiko is still asleep." Shigeru said, "When her stomach is hungry, she'll wake up." Fumie said, "But the book says to feed the baby every three hours."
Just then, Aiko woke up. She looked around, and started to cry. Fumie started to reach for her, then crossed her arms. "No, no. The doctor said don't pick them up right away when they cry, and the book said that too." Shigeru said, "What are you waiting for?" Fumie said, "You don't want her to cry all the time, so you don't pick them up right away." Aiko cried a little louder. Fumie looked at her. Shigeru moved closer. "Oh..." Fumie picked up Aiko and patted her. Fumie looked at Shigeru. "The doctor trained in the latest American ways to raise babies, and it's important to do things the right way. Don't do too much, and follow the schedule." Shigeru chuckled. "Babies sleep and eat, they don't worry about schedules."
Sometimes, Aiko didn't burp the way the book said she would after eating. And other times, when Shigeru was working, Fumie would take her upstairs and try to keep her quiet. The first weeks were hard.
One time, Fumie was asleep on the floor beside the baby futon. She stretched, and suddenly her eyes opened. Aiko was not in the futon. Fumie got up, and looked around the kitchen. No Aiko. She slid the doors to the workroom open, but Shigeru wasn't there. Fumie ran out the front door, and looked around. She looked up the street.
From around the side of the house, there was a strange "pop. pop. pop." sound. Fumie looked, and there was Shigeru, sitting in the sunshine with Aiko in his lap, making popping sounds with his mouth. "There you are! Oh, I was scared." Shigeru smiled at the baby, then looked at Fumie. "But you were sleeping so well. And it's such good weather." Fumie nodded, "Yes, but I can take her now." Shigeru looked up. "Did you get a good sleep? Babies can teach us all, you know?" Fumie looked puzzled. Shigeru looked at Aiko. "She eats and sleeps. That's her work, and she does it very well. We need to do those, too." Then he smiled. "Look, she's laughing." Fumie said, "She can't be, the book said they don't laugh yet." Shigeru bounced Aiko a little. "Well, she is." Fumie looked, and said, "She is, isn't she?" Shigeru said, "They're amazing. They can't do anything yet, but they watch everything."
There was a call from the front of the house. "Murai? Package for you?" Fumie went and accepted it. The delivery man had a wrapped package. "From Iida." Fumie unwrapped it, and found a new folding baby buggy.
Later, Michiko and the wives all clustered in the kitchen, looking at Aiko sleeping. Michiko said, "She's got lovely plump cheeks, just like her father." One of the wives said, "Aiko -- good name. But the kanji is difficult." One of the other wives said, "Oh, she can write it with kana for a while." Another wife said, "But then the other kids will tease her about janken." (In janken, the scissors-paper-rock game played in Japan, the second line of the chant often starts with aiko -- different meaning, same sound). Fumie said, "Oh, my, we didn't even think of that."
One of the wives picked up the baby book. "Oh, you've got this. Don't believe everything that it says. Ask us, we can tell you." The wife who had become a cosmetics saleslady said, "We certainly can." Another wife laughed, "But be careful, she'll tell you all the old stuff." "Well, sometimes the old stuff works really well."
Michiko put a large bundle on the table, and unwrapped it. "We brought a few more things. Here's a baby jacket. And toys. And a piano. Just small things from us, okay?" One of the wive said, "We were talking about getting you a baby buggy, but I saw one outside. A folding one, right?" Another wife said, "Really? I want to see that." They went outside, leaving Michiko and Fumie with Aiko.
Michiko looked at Aiko, and asked, "Can I pick her up?" Fumie said, "Certainly." Michiko picked Aiko up, and rocked her. "This is a hard time, but it's really a happy time, too." She looked at Fumie. "Gambatte." (fight on!)
Another day, Uraki tried to get Shigeru, Fumie, and Aiko to pose in the street in front of their house while he took pictures. Shigeru grumbled. Uraki said, "Now, smile. I mean, I got this camera and film just to take pictures for you. So you should look happy!" Shigeru said, "I don't know how, but you're doing this for your own benefit." Uraki said, "Me? Never! It's all for you!"
Haruko walked up with a large box. She greeted everyone. Uraki said, "Oh, what a surprise running into you here." Haruko said, "What do you mean a surprise? I told you yesterday I was coming to see the baby today." He winced. "Well, yes. But why don't we have Shigeru take a picture of you and I?" Uraki tried to move Shigeru, Fumie, and the baby away from the gate, and get Haruko to stand beside him. He held the camera out to Shigeru. "It's easy, just press the shutter." Shigeru refused to take the camera. Haruko said, "No, why don't you take my picture with Mizuki-sensei, Fumie, and Aiko? That would be better." Uraki said to himself, "But that makes getting this camera meaningless."
Later, in the house, Haruko set a large red doll on the table. Shigeru and Fumie looked at it, and said, "Oh, that's great. Aiko will enjoy that." Uraki said, "You weren't as enthusiastic about my presents." Shigeru said, "What, the books you gave us? For a baby?" He held up one. Uraki said, "But I produced them. And Haruko illustrated that one for me." Then Shigeru lifted the other. "And this? Battleship diagrams? For a boy, maybe, but they're wrong!" He flipped to a page, and pointed at it. "That's just wrong!" Uraki said, "What do you mean, wrong? What do you know about it?" Shigeru said, "I was there. And... wait!"
Shigeru went into his workroom, and rummaged in the closet. He brought back a small tin box, set it on the table, and opened it. Haruko, Fumie, and Uraki peered in. Shigeru said, "See! That's a good model of the battleship, and your diagram is wrong." Inside, a small wooden model complete with guns and other details sat.
<to be continued>
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