Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 7/1
Jul. 1st, 2010 11:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkera.k.a. a fight in the bookstore
The bookstore Olympics had brought many children to the store. It was festive, with a poster showing gold medals for 30 books, silver for 20, and bronze for 10. Children sat at the table, reading, while others looked through the shelves. Michiko and Kiyo watched, delighted.
Meanwhile, Masashi, Michiko's husband, sat in the coffee shop, looking at his racing form. Tatsukichi, the pawn shop owner, came in and looked up at the TV with the baseball game. He said, "Oh, good, I can watch here." The coffee shop man said, "You have your own TV, don't you?" Tatsukichi grinned. "Yes, but when I turn on baseball, my wife turns into a devil." He sat down, and looked at Masashi. "That's a good idea, rental manga Olympics. You've got everyone excited." Masashi shook his head. "It's got nothing to do with me."
Back in the bookstore, the woman who hates manga and her supporters came in. She announced, loudly, "This store is closed." A supporter stood behind a pair of boys reading. "You should go home, now." They ignored the man, who then grabbed them and pulled the books away. The woman yelled. "Go home now! This store is closed." The shopkeepers' wives looked around. "What do you mean, closed?" The woman said, "We consulted with the school, and the school has forbidden all of their students from coming here."
The woman looked at the boys. "Do you understand? The bookstore is forbidden. It's off limits." The boys said, "Who said that?" The woman said, "Your teachers, your mothers, your fathers. That's who." The children said, "Until when? When can we come read?" The woman said, "Never. It's closed forever." She and her supporters started yanking books out of the children's hands and pushing the children out of the store.
Michiko said, "Wait, wait. The children didn't know about this. Why don't you let them finish reading today and then..." The woman said, "No. We don't need to wait." One of her supporters picked up the medals. "You're giving out these cheap medals, just to make more money." Michiko said, "This is so sudden. Give them some time." The woman said, "No. Now."
Masashi came in the door. He grabbed one of the supporters by the shoulder, and pushed him. "Get out of here." The supporter turned and started to shove Masashi. "Who do you think you are?" The supporters and Masashi started to brawl. The woman fell over between the shelves. Michiko yelled for them to stop, as books fell off the shelves.
A policeman pushed his way through the crowd outside. "What's going on?" No one paid attention. He grabbed two of the fighters and pushed them apart. The brawling stopped. In the quiet, a young boy could be heard crying, with a scraped knee. Michiko and Fumie comforted him.
Later, with the crowd gone, the bookstore sat empty. There were books on the floor, and the sheet announcing gold, silver, and bronze medals hung by one corner. Outside in the street, a gold medal on a ribbon lay in the dirt.
Michiko and Kiyo started to clean up. They picked up books and dusted them off, laying them on the counter.
In the living room, Masashi sprawled on the floor. Kiyo came in, and grumbled, "What are you going to do now?" She shook her head. "Michiko is so patient. Can't you at least help clean up the mess? You never work anymore. Do you want the bookstore to fail?"
Michiko and Fumie came in. Fumie knelt on the floor. "It's all my fault. I thought of those medals, and that's what got that woman all excited." Michiko said, "No, you worked hard to help us."
Kiyo said, "If the bookstore goes bankrupt, an electric repair is hard work." Masashi got up and started to leave. Kiyo said, "Do you want an electric repair shop?" Masashi stopped, and looked down. "No."
As he walked out of the store, Masashi pushed the gold medal in the ribbon with his toe. Then he quickly picked it up and put it in his pocket.
Sitting in the dining room, Michiko said, "Let me make tea." Kiyo said, "Why do you put up with... I know you're his wife, but... there's something not right with him."
Someone called from the store. Michiko sat silently. Kiyo said, "There's a customer." Michiko didn't seem to hear her. Kiyo said, "There's a customer!" Michiko got up, and went into the other room.
Kiyo looked at Fumie. "I know she's upset. I mean...her child died, and she prays often in the graveyard, but she doesn't say anything." Fumie said, "The child was sick, right? So it's not her fault." Kiyo said, "I've told her that again and again, but... she was the mother." Kiyo rubbed her hands together and looked down. "She built this store with her own money. What should we do?"
Later, as the dragonflies played in the fields, Michiko walked in the empty bookstore. She heard three boys out in the street. "We can't go in there. Let's go over to the baseball field." She looked out as they ran away.
In her kitchen, Fumie sat at the table and read Shigeru's manga in Zeta. Shigeru called from the workroom. She kept reading. He called again, and walked into the kitchen. "What are you reading? You didn't hear me." She showed him, and said, "It doesn't matter how many times I read it, it just captures my attention." He smiled. Then he handed her the army bag as he delivered drafts in. "Can you take this to Fukuzawa? I need to keep working." She nodded, and he patted the bag. "This is really good, too."
As Fumie started to leave, she could hear children yelling and dogs barking outside, somewhere. She peeked out, carefully, but saw nothing. Shigeru said, "Be careful."
<to be continued>
The bookstore Olympics had brought many children to the store. It was festive, with a poster showing gold medals for 30 books, silver for 20, and bronze for 10. Children sat at the table, reading, while others looked through the shelves. Michiko and Kiyo watched, delighted.
Meanwhile, Masashi, Michiko's husband, sat in the coffee shop, looking at his racing form. Tatsukichi, the pawn shop owner, came in and looked up at the TV with the baseball game. He said, "Oh, good, I can watch here." The coffee shop man said, "You have your own TV, don't you?" Tatsukichi grinned. "Yes, but when I turn on baseball, my wife turns into a devil." He sat down, and looked at Masashi. "That's a good idea, rental manga Olympics. You've got everyone excited." Masashi shook his head. "It's got nothing to do with me."
Back in the bookstore, the woman who hates manga and her supporters came in. She announced, loudly, "This store is closed." A supporter stood behind a pair of boys reading. "You should go home, now." They ignored the man, who then grabbed them and pulled the books away. The woman yelled. "Go home now! This store is closed." The shopkeepers' wives looked around. "What do you mean, closed?" The woman said, "We consulted with the school, and the school has forbidden all of their students from coming here."
The woman looked at the boys. "Do you understand? The bookstore is forbidden. It's off limits." The boys said, "Who said that?" The woman said, "Your teachers, your mothers, your fathers. That's who." The children said, "Until when? When can we come read?" The woman said, "Never. It's closed forever." She and her supporters started yanking books out of the children's hands and pushing the children out of the store.
Michiko said, "Wait, wait. The children didn't know about this. Why don't you let them finish reading today and then..." The woman said, "No. We don't need to wait." One of her supporters picked up the medals. "You're giving out these cheap medals, just to make more money." Michiko said, "This is so sudden. Give them some time." The woman said, "No. Now."
Masashi came in the door. He grabbed one of the supporters by the shoulder, and pushed him. "Get out of here." The supporter turned and started to shove Masashi. "Who do you think you are?" The supporters and Masashi started to brawl. The woman fell over between the shelves. Michiko yelled for them to stop, as books fell off the shelves.
A policeman pushed his way through the crowd outside. "What's going on?" No one paid attention. He grabbed two of the fighters and pushed them apart. The brawling stopped. In the quiet, a young boy could be heard crying, with a scraped knee. Michiko and Fumie comforted him.
Later, with the crowd gone, the bookstore sat empty. There were books on the floor, and the sheet announcing gold, silver, and bronze medals hung by one corner. Outside in the street, a gold medal on a ribbon lay in the dirt.
Michiko and Kiyo started to clean up. They picked up books and dusted them off, laying them on the counter.
In the living room, Masashi sprawled on the floor. Kiyo came in, and grumbled, "What are you going to do now?" She shook her head. "Michiko is so patient. Can't you at least help clean up the mess? You never work anymore. Do you want the bookstore to fail?"
Michiko and Fumie came in. Fumie knelt on the floor. "It's all my fault. I thought of those medals, and that's what got that woman all excited." Michiko said, "No, you worked hard to help us."
Kiyo said, "If the bookstore goes bankrupt, an electric repair is hard work." Masashi got up and started to leave. Kiyo said, "Do you want an electric repair shop?" Masashi stopped, and looked down. "No."
As he walked out of the store, Masashi pushed the gold medal in the ribbon with his toe. Then he quickly picked it up and put it in his pocket.
Sitting in the dining room, Michiko said, "Let me make tea." Kiyo said, "Why do you put up with... I know you're his wife, but... there's something not right with him."
Someone called from the store. Michiko sat silently. Kiyo said, "There's a customer." Michiko didn't seem to hear her. Kiyo said, "There's a customer!" Michiko got up, and went into the other room.
Kiyo looked at Fumie. "I know she's upset. I mean...her child died, and she prays often in the graveyard, but she doesn't say anything." Fumie said, "The child was sick, right? So it's not her fault." Kiyo said, "I've told her that again and again, but... she was the mother." Kiyo rubbed her hands together and looked down. "She built this store with her own money. What should we do?"
Later, as the dragonflies played in the fields, Michiko walked in the empty bookstore. She heard three boys out in the street. "We can't go in there. Let's go over to the baseball field." She looked out as they ran away.
In her kitchen, Fumie sat at the table and read Shigeru's manga in Zeta. Shigeru called from the workroom. She kept reading. He called again, and walked into the kitchen. "What are you reading? You didn't hear me." She showed him, and said, "It doesn't matter how many times I read it, it just captures my attention." He smiled. Then he handed her the army bag as he delivered drafts in. "Can you take this to Fukuzawa? I need to keep working." She nodded, and he patted the bag. "This is really good, too."
As Fumie started to leave, she could hear children yelling and dogs barking outside, somewhere. She peeked out, carefully, but saw nothing. Shigeru said, "Be careful."
<to be continued>
