Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 6/24
Jun. 24th, 2010 01:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkera.k.a. you don't know
[edited 6/25 I got the sisters confused. Yukie is the older sister who wanted to go to Morocco. Izumi is the younger sister. Names fixed here.]
In the coffee shop, Takashi, Fumie's brother, stirred a cup of coffee, sitting across the table from Fumie. He seemed completely absorbed in the difficult task of stirring the coffee. Fumie said, "Um, that woman?" He looked up. "I guess you heard." Fumie said, "Well, part. I know she was crying." Takashi said, "Well, I told her about the new store and..."
Fumie said, "Don't you like her?" He looked up with a shy smile. "Yes." Fumie asked, "What about Genbee?" Takashi frowned. "Father doesn't know." Fumie said, "But if you... couldn't you marry her?" Takashi shook his head. "No. Her house... they do knitting. They're not very well off. She's the only daughter, so if I married her, I'd have to move into their house. Father would never agree." Fumie said, "But..." Takashi halfheartedly smiled. "Father has big plans for a new store, and..." He raised his hands and shaped a box in the air, showing the plans that Genbee had.
[Traditionally, the family business got passed on to someone -- Takashi in this case. But a family with a single child would "adopt" the spouse, making them part of that clan/family.]
Meanwhile, in Tokyo, Haruko slipped off her shoes in the entryway and stepped into Shigeru's kitchen. She carried a paper bag, and called out, "Hello? Is anyone home?" She looked around the kitchen, with bowls piled on the table, cushions scattered, and papers on the floor.
Shigeru came in from the hallway. "What?" Haruko jumped, and dropped the bag. Cans rolled.
Haruko piled the cans on the table. Shigeru sat in his work room and rubbed his leg. "Sorry, I didn't hear you. I was in the bathroom. My leg fell asleep!" He got up and walked back into the kitchen. "What is all that?" Haruko smiled. "Prizes from pachinko again." He laughed. "You are very lucky."
She said, "I talked with Fukuzawa. He explained about the ninja comics, and said you're working on them?" Shigeru said, "That's what I'm drawing right now." She said, "I showed him my work, but he said he really doesn't have anything for me right now." Shigeru said, "Let him know what you can do. He listens very well, and he's got a lot of energy." Haruko nodded, with a smile.
Haruko looked around the kitchen. "Where's Fumie? Is she shopping with Aiko?" Shigeru said, "No, they're not here. They're gone." Haruko said, "What? Is there some problem? You can't..." Shigeru said, "No, they're just visiting home." Haruko said, "Oh, visiting home. That's good."
Later, Shigeru was drawing in his work room. In the kitchen, Haruko made tea, and carried a cup on a tray over to the doors to the work room. She said, "Excuse me?" There was no answer. She slid the door open a little, and said, "Excuse me? Tea." There was no answer. She stepped into the room and said, "Sensei? Tea?"
Shigeru looked around, blinking. "What? Are you still here?" She smiled and said, "I just made tea." She handed him the cup. He took it, and said, "Good timing. I was just thinking my throat was dry." He drank thirstily. Then he set the cup on his drawing table.
He looked at Haruko and said, "Do you have work today? You should go." She laughed. "Today is my day off. It's OK. I'll just clean up a little." He said, "What? You can't do that." She said, "Why not? That's what an assistant does. So that the master can draw." She waved at the drawing table. Shigeru turned back to his work. "Oh. Well..." He started to draw. Haruko smiled at him hunched over the table. Then she quietly went into the kitchen and slid the door shut. She stood there for a moment, listening to the scratching of his pen, smiling with a dimple.
Later, Uraki stepped in the gate of Shigeru's house. He suddenly knelt, and peered around the corner of the house. He looked at the legs beside the bamboo clothesline. "Those legs... I'd know them anywhere." He stood up and stepped around the corner. "Haruko, what are you doing?" She pulled the sleeve of a shirt out along the bamboo. "Hanging up the wash. What does it look like? But what are you doing here?" Uraki said, "Well, I went to the pachinko parlor, and they said it was your day off. So I came here to talk to Gege." Haruko said, "Well, Sensei is working, so you can't talk to him now."
Uraki said, "Well, if he's working, you don't need to do this. I mean, hanging up...his underwear?" He fingered the long white underwear hanging on the line. Haruko said, "Oh, don't be silly." She whacked his shoulder.
They walked into the kitchen. Haruko put down the wire basket from the washing, and Uraki picked it up. She pulled out a duster, a long pole with strips of cloth fastened to one end, and started dusting the wall. Uraki said, "What are you doing? You look like a maid." Haruko said, "Oh, you're just jealous. I'm cleaning, like any assistant." Uraki said, "But it's your day off. Why don't we go to Tokyo Tower?" She said, "You go by yourself. I've got work to do here." He said, "Well, then I'll help." He grabbed the duster. They started a tug-of-war with the duster.
Shigeru slid the door of the work room open with a crash. "You're both noisy. Get out of here, both of you."
Fumie and Takashi stepped into the store. They could hear Genbee yelling. "You have no right to keep secrets from me! Why didn't you tell me?" With a glance at each other, they hurried into the living room. Genbee glared at Izumi, with Miyako sitting nearby. A letter and envelope sat on the table between them. Izumi said, "You had no right to read..." Miyako said, "Well, that was my mistake. I opened the letter, and saw it was from a company, so I thought it was for your father. I didn't read the envelope."
Another sister motioned Fumie to come around to the kitchen. She scrambled around, and said, "What is going on?" The other sister said, "Oh, it's terrible. Izumi applied to a company in Tokyo to work..." Fumie said, "She's going to Tokyo?" The other sister said, "No, they turned her down. But Genbee read the letter, and now..."
Genbee proclaimed, "There is nothing more to be said. When you graduate, you are going to be a teacher here." Izumi said, "I want to go to Tokyo." Genbee glared. "I said no, that means no." She raised her arm, pointed it at him, and said in English, "Nonsense." Genbee yelled, "What does that mean? I've decided. You are going to be a teacher, and Takashi will take care of the store. That gives each of you a good living." Izumi glanced at Takashi, standing in the doorway. "That's what you think. You don't even know what Takashi wants, he's got other..." Genbee yelled, "What?" He turned, and stepped close to Takashi. "Do you have something to say?" Takashi looked down, then tried to smile. "TAKASHI!"
Later, as the other sister and Fumie were washing dishes, the other sister said, "Well, that was a surprise. But I don't think Genbee will let Takashi be poor." She shook her head.
Takashi was in the store, going through inventory. Genbee sat with Miyako, glaring.
Fumie went into her room upstairs. Izumi was talking to Aiko. "It must be good, Aiko, to live a happy life in Tokyo." Fumie sat down. "You know, Izumi, Tokyo isn't all good. Where we live..." Izumi said, "I know, but... here, Genbee decides everything. Who's going to get married, where someone will work. You escaped." Fumie said, "He's trying to help. He doesn't want to split up the store, it's hard to figure out..." Izumi said, "If it's that good, why didn't you stay here? You've been gone for three and a half years, you don't know how it feels anymore."
<To be continued>
[edited 6/25 I got the sisters confused. Yukie is the older sister who wanted to go to Morocco. Izumi is the younger sister. Names fixed here.]
In the coffee shop, Takashi, Fumie's brother, stirred a cup of coffee, sitting across the table from Fumie. He seemed completely absorbed in the difficult task of stirring the coffee. Fumie said, "Um, that woman?" He looked up. "I guess you heard." Fumie said, "Well, part. I know she was crying." Takashi said, "Well, I told her about the new store and..."
Fumie said, "Don't you like her?" He looked up with a shy smile. "Yes." Fumie asked, "What about Genbee?" Takashi frowned. "Father doesn't know." Fumie said, "But if you... couldn't you marry her?" Takashi shook his head. "No. Her house... they do knitting. They're not very well off. She's the only daughter, so if I married her, I'd have to move into their house. Father would never agree." Fumie said, "But..." Takashi halfheartedly smiled. "Father has big plans for a new store, and..." He raised his hands and shaped a box in the air, showing the plans that Genbee had.
[Traditionally, the family business got passed on to someone -- Takashi in this case. But a family with a single child would "adopt" the spouse, making them part of that clan/family.]
Meanwhile, in Tokyo, Haruko slipped off her shoes in the entryway and stepped into Shigeru's kitchen. She carried a paper bag, and called out, "Hello? Is anyone home?" She looked around the kitchen, with bowls piled on the table, cushions scattered, and papers on the floor.
Shigeru came in from the hallway. "What?" Haruko jumped, and dropped the bag. Cans rolled.
Haruko piled the cans on the table. Shigeru sat in his work room and rubbed his leg. "Sorry, I didn't hear you. I was in the bathroom. My leg fell asleep!" He got up and walked back into the kitchen. "What is all that?" Haruko smiled. "Prizes from pachinko again." He laughed. "You are very lucky."
She said, "I talked with Fukuzawa. He explained about the ninja comics, and said you're working on them?" Shigeru said, "That's what I'm drawing right now." She said, "I showed him my work, but he said he really doesn't have anything for me right now." Shigeru said, "Let him know what you can do. He listens very well, and he's got a lot of energy." Haruko nodded, with a smile.
Haruko looked around the kitchen. "Where's Fumie? Is she shopping with Aiko?" Shigeru said, "No, they're not here. They're gone." Haruko said, "What? Is there some problem? You can't..." Shigeru said, "No, they're just visiting home." Haruko said, "Oh, visiting home. That's good."
Later, Shigeru was drawing in his work room. In the kitchen, Haruko made tea, and carried a cup on a tray over to the doors to the work room. She said, "Excuse me?" There was no answer. She slid the door open a little, and said, "Excuse me? Tea." There was no answer. She stepped into the room and said, "Sensei? Tea?"
Shigeru looked around, blinking. "What? Are you still here?" She smiled and said, "I just made tea." She handed him the cup. He took it, and said, "Good timing. I was just thinking my throat was dry." He drank thirstily. Then he set the cup on his drawing table.
He looked at Haruko and said, "Do you have work today? You should go." She laughed. "Today is my day off. It's OK. I'll just clean up a little." He said, "What? You can't do that." She said, "Why not? That's what an assistant does. So that the master can draw." She waved at the drawing table. Shigeru turned back to his work. "Oh. Well..." He started to draw. Haruko smiled at him hunched over the table. Then she quietly went into the kitchen and slid the door shut. She stood there for a moment, listening to the scratching of his pen, smiling with a dimple.
Later, Uraki stepped in the gate of Shigeru's house. He suddenly knelt, and peered around the corner of the house. He looked at the legs beside the bamboo clothesline. "Those legs... I'd know them anywhere." He stood up and stepped around the corner. "Haruko, what are you doing?" She pulled the sleeve of a shirt out along the bamboo. "Hanging up the wash. What does it look like? But what are you doing here?" Uraki said, "Well, I went to the pachinko parlor, and they said it was your day off. So I came here to talk to Gege." Haruko said, "Well, Sensei is working, so you can't talk to him now."
Uraki said, "Well, if he's working, you don't need to do this. I mean, hanging up...his underwear?" He fingered the long white underwear hanging on the line. Haruko said, "Oh, don't be silly." She whacked his shoulder.
They walked into the kitchen. Haruko put down the wire basket from the washing, and Uraki picked it up. She pulled out a duster, a long pole with strips of cloth fastened to one end, and started dusting the wall. Uraki said, "What are you doing? You look like a maid." Haruko said, "Oh, you're just jealous. I'm cleaning, like any assistant." Uraki said, "But it's your day off. Why don't we go to Tokyo Tower?" She said, "You go by yourself. I've got work to do here." He said, "Well, then I'll help." He grabbed the duster. They started a tug-of-war with the duster.
Shigeru slid the door of the work room open with a crash. "You're both noisy. Get out of here, both of you."
Fumie and Takashi stepped into the store. They could hear Genbee yelling. "You have no right to keep secrets from me! Why didn't you tell me?" With a glance at each other, they hurried into the living room. Genbee glared at Izumi, with Miyako sitting nearby. A letter and envelope sat on the table between them. Izumi said, "You had no right to read..." Miyako said, "Well, that was my mistake. I opened the letter, and saw it was from a company, so I thought it was for your father. I didn't read the envelope."
Another sister motioned Fumie to come around to the kitchen. She scrambled around, and said, "What is going on?" The other sister said, "Oh, it's terrible. Izumi applied to a company in Tokyo to work..." Fumie said, "She's going to Tokyo?" The other sister said, "No, they turned her down. But Genbee read the letter, and now..."
Genbee proclaimed, "There is nothing more to be said. When you graduate, you are going to be a teacher here." Izumi said, "I want to go to Tokyo." Genbee glared. "I said no, that means no." She raised her arm, pointed it at him, and said in English, "Nonsense." Genbee yelled, "What does that mean? I've decided. You are going to be a teacher, and Takashi will take care of the store. That gives each of you a good living." Izumi glanced at Takashi, standing in the doorway. "That's what you think. You don't even know what Takashi wants, he's got other..." Genbee yelled, "What?" He turned, and stepped close to Takashi. "Do you have something to say?" Takashi looked down, then tried to smile. "TAKASHI!"
Later, as the other sister and Fumie were washing dishes, the other sister said, "Well, that was a surprise. But I don't think Genbee will let Takashi be poor." She shook her head.
Takashi was in the store, going through inventory. Genbee sat with Miyako, glaring.
Fumie went into her room upstairs. Izumi was talking to Aiko. "It must be good, Aiko, to live a happy life in Tokyo." Fumie sat down. "You know, Izumi, Tokyo isn't all good. Where we live..." Izumi said, "I know, but... here, Genbee decides everything. Who's going to get married, where someone will work. You escaped." Fumie said, "He's trying to help. He doesn't want to split up the store, it's hard to figure out..." Izumi said, "If it's that good, why didn't you stay here? You've been gone for three and a half years, you don't know how it feels anymore."
<To be continued>
