Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 7/30
Jul. 30th, 2010 03:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkera.k.a. a different Christmas present
Kinuyo, Shigeru's mother, yelled up the stairway, "Shigeru! Time to get up." Then she stomped back into the living room. Shuhei, Shigeru's father, sat at the table reading the newspaper. He shook his head. "You're not going to get him up."
Nearby, Mitsuo, Shigeru's younger brother, was on the telephone. He made a weak choking noise, and said, "Yes, I've still got a fever. I don't think I should come in today." He choked into the phone a few more times, then said, "Oh, no, I'll be in tomorrow." He hung up the phone. And he said, "I don't think they believed me."
Shuhei said, "Well, of course not. That wasn't very good coughing. Do it more like this." Shuhei coughed, loudly. Mitsuo tried, stretching his neck and sticking his jaw out. Shuhei said, "No, more from your stomach. Like this." He demonstrated again. The two of them coughed.
Kinuyo shook her head. "Neither one of you is believable. Like this." She coughed into her fist. Shuhei said, "Yes, that's very good."
Fumie and Izumi watched this performance from the kitchen. Izumi said, "They're kind of strange, aren't they?" Fumie said, "Well, a little bit." They chuckled.
Later, Shuhei sat at the table with a European-style breakfast in front of him, eggs, meat, toast, coffee. Kinuyo sat beside him with a Japanese style breakfast, small grilled fish, rice, and miso shiru soup. Shuhei said, "I didn't know you were going to fix two different breakfasts. You noticed at our house?" Fumie nodded. He picked up the coffee and sipped it, then set it down. "Ah, but this is just coffee with milk. What you really need to do is put a banana in the milk. It makes it excellent." Kinuyo swatted his arm, and said, "Now don't you make her do extra work. This is fine." She picked up a fish and bit into it.
Then Kinuyo looked at Fumie. "I see Shigeru still gets up late." Fumie said, "Well, he works late." Kinuyo said, "I just thought with his own business, maybe he had changed his habits." Shuhei said, "You fought with him every day of school about getting up, why would he change now?" Izumi said, "Every day?" Kinuyo said, "Yes. But he still did really well in school." Shuhei said, "Do you remember that exhibition? He won first prize, and they told us he was a genius." Kinuyo said, "Can't a genius get up in the morning?"
Shigeru stumbled through the door, one side of his shirt tucked in, the other trailing. He rubbed at his face. "What's all the talk about genius?" He dropped into a chair, and gave a huge yawn.
Izumi laughed. Then Kinuyo and Fumie laughed. Shuhei chuckled as he ate some scrambled eggs.
Shigeru blinked, and said, "What's so funny?" This made them all laugh harder.
After breakfast, Shigeru took his parents and Mitsuo into the workroom. He waved at it, with the assistants working at their desks. "This is our workroom." Kinuyo looked around. "It's very professional! Not at all like your workroom before." Sachiko got up from her desk. Kinuyo said, "It's really good to see you working here. Work hard!" Kinuyo clapped Mitsuo on the shoulder. "You were worried about losing your job? If you lose it, you can move to Tokyo and go to work for Shigeru." She looked at Shigeru. "Family always works hard, you know?" Then she looked at Mitsuo and Shuhei. "Well, we shouldn't interrupt Shigeru's work." They nodded and turned to go.
Kinuyo took a step forward and said in a loud voice, "Everyone! Please do your best work for Shigeru! Thank you!" She bowed. The assistants and Sachiko also bowed.
Shigeru shook his head.
Later, in the street in front of the house, Shigeru and Fumie stood with Kinuyo, Shuhei, and Mitsuo. Shigeru said, "Do you have to leave so early?" Shuhei said, "Yes, we need to get back. Mitsuo has to go to work tomorrow, or maybe he'll lose his job." He chuckled. Kinuyo said, "But you should be working. Don't let us interrupt." Shigeru said, "Well, thanks for coming." He turned and went back into the house.
Fumie said, "Why don't I walk you to the station?" Kinuyo said, "No, we know where it is. Besides, you should take care of your body. Right now the important thing is to have a healthy baby." They turned and started to leave.
Shuhei said, "We'll call you." Fumie said, "Shuhei?" She held out an envelope. He looked at it. "What's this?" She said, "Shigeru said to give you this to buy a new television." Shuhei glanced at his feet, then looked at her with a small smile. "That was a lie. The television wasn't broken. Kinuyo just wanted to come to Tokyo and watch the show with Shigeru." Then he reached over and took the envelope. "But I'm sure we can use this. Thanks."
Over the next few weeks, Devil Boy became a popular television show. Shonen Land ran a special celebration for reaching 1 million readers.
On Christmas Eve 1967, Shigeru and the assistants were in the workroom drawing. Shigeru finished a page, and handed it to Sugai.
Fumie was in the kitchen when Izumi came in with a large bag. Fumie was heavily pregnant, but she smiled as Izumi unloaded herself. "Did you get everything?" Izumi said, "I think so. Here's a birthday cake for Aiko." She handed the cake to Fumie, who went to the refrigerator, and put it inside. Then Izumi pulled a small red boot out, stuffed with presents. "And here's her birthday present." Fumie said, "Oh, that's very cute." Izumi said, "Let's hide it for now." She put it in a cabinet. "It's kind of sad to have your birthday on Christmas Eve, though." Fumie said, "Why?" Izumi said, "Well, you probably just get one present for both of them, instead of a present for your birthday and a present for Christmas Eve." Fumie said, "I guess that's true. But Aiko doesn't know yet. What's the other big box?"
Izumi pulled it out. "It's a Christmas tree. I thought she'd like that." Fumie said, "I guess so. But you had to carry so much." Izumi said, "Is Shigeru still working?" Fumie nodded. "Yes, today and tomorrow. They've got deadlines."
In the workroom, Shigeru finished another page. He set it aside and said, "Sugai? That's ready too." He started to reach for another page, then turned around. "Where's Sugai?" Komine said, "I thought he went to the bathroom?"
Outside the family living room in the hallway, Sugai held something in his hands and said, "This is a Christmas present for you. Thank you for everything." Then he shook his head.
Aiko said from behind him, "What are you doing?" Sugai turned and looked at the little girl. He said, "It's a present." She said, "For me?"
Fumie slid the door open beside Sugai. She stepped into the hallway and said, "What?" Aiko said, "He brought me a present." Fumie said, "Oh, that's very nice of you."
Izumi stepped into the hallway. "What are you all doing?" Kurata, one of the assistants, walked into the hallway. "Sugai! Get back to work. Sensei is looking for you."
Sugai said, "I'll be there in a minute." Then he looked at Aiko, Fumie, and Izumi. He muttered, "Oh, here." and handed his present to Fumie. Then he ran back to the workroom.
Fumie looked at what she held in her hands. Two tickets to the New Years Concert. She glanced at Aiko and said, "I think you're a little young for this." Izumi looked at the tickets and said, "Maybe it was a present for me?"
Later that day, in the living room, Izumi and Aiko were putting together the tree from the box. Izumi said, "It's too bad we don't have a car. We could get a real tree that way." Fumie was drying dishes in the kitchen, and said, "I talked with Shigeru about it. He doesn't think we need one right now. And I can't drive." Izumi said, "I could drive for you. And there's lots of things that a car would be good for."
Fumie grabbed the edge of the sink, and sank to her knees. Her face twisted.
Aiko looked up, and said, "Mother?" She jumped up and ran to her. Izumi glanced over, then said, "Fumie? What's wrong?" Izumi ran into the kitchen.
Fumie rubbed her stomach with one hand and said, "There's something wrong inside." She squeezed the sink with her other hand. Izumi said, "Are you having the baby?" Fumie shook her head. "It's not like that."
Later, in the family living room, Shigeru picked up the telephone. Aiko sat at the table behind him, drawing.
Izumi stood in the hospital, talking on the telephone. "They think they're going to have to do an operation. The baby is turned around inside. But they want a special doctor, so they're getting him. I'll stay here with her."
Shigeru said, "Thank you so much."
Izumi said, "Can you take care of Aiko's birthday party? The food's all ready, and the cake is in the refrigerator. Oh, her present is hid in the cabinet against the wall."
Shigeru said, "I'll take care of it. But..."
Izumi said, "I'll call as soon as we know anything."
Then a nurse walked by, saying, "Murai?" Izumi hung up the phone, and said, "I'm Murai." The nurse said, "Good, come quickly."
<to be continued>
Kinuyo, Shigeru's mother, yelled up the stairway, "Shigeru! Time to get up." Then she stomped back into the living room. Shuhei, Shigeru's father, sat at the table reading the newspaper. He shook his head. "You're not going to get him up."
Nearby, Mitsuo, Shigeru's younger brother, was on the telephone. He made a weak choking noise, and said, "Yes, I've still got a fever. I don't think I should come in today." He choked into the phone a few more times, then said, "Oh, no, I'll be in tomorrow." He hung up the phone. And he said, "I don't think they believed me."
Shuhei said, "Well, of course not. That wasn't very good coughing. Do it more like this." Shuhei coughed, loudly. Mitsuo tried, stretching his neck and sticking his jaw out. Shuhei said, "No, more from your stomach. Like this." He demonstrated again. The two of them coughed.
Kinuyo shook her head. "Neither one of you is believable. Like this." She coughed into her fist. Shuhei said, "Yes, that's very good."
Fumie and Izumi watched this performance from the kitchen. Izumi said, "They're kind of strange, aren't they?" Fumie said, "Well, a little bit." They chuckled.
Later, Shuhei sat at the table with a European-style breakfast in front of him, eggs, meat, toast, coffee. Kinuyo sat beside him with a Japanese style breakfast, small grilled fish, rice, and miso shiru soup. Shuhei said, "I didn't know you were going to fix two different breakfasts. You noticed at our house?" Fumie nodded. He picked up the coffee and sipped it, then set it down. "Ah, but this is just coffee with milk. What you really need to do is put a banana in the milk. It makes it excellent." Kinuyo swatted his arm, and said, "Now don't you make her do extra work. This is fine." She picked up a fish and bit into it.
Then Kinuyo looked at Fumie. "I see Shigeru still gets up late." Fumie said, "Well, he works late." Kinuyo said, "I just thought with his own business, maybe he had changed his habits." Shuhei said, "You fought with him every day of school about getting up, why would he change now?" Izumi said, "Every day?" Kinuyo said, "Yes. But he still did really well in school." Shuhei said, "Do you remember that exhibition? He won first prize, and they told us he was a genius." Kinuyo said, "Can't a genius get up in the morning?"
Shigeru stumbled through the door, one side of his shirt tucked in, the other trailing. He rubbed at his face. "What's all the talk about genius?" He dropped into a chair, and gave a huge yawn.
Izumi laughed. Then Kinuyo and Fumie laughed. Shuhei chuckled as he ate some scrambled eggs.
Shigeru blinked, and said, "What's so funny?" This made them all laugh harder.
After breakfast, Shigeru took his parents and Mitsuo into the workroom. He waved at it, with the assistants working at their desks. "This is our workroom." Kinuyo looked around. "It's very professional! Not at all like your workroom before." Sachiko got up from her desk. Kinuyo said, "It's really good to see you working here. Work hard!" Kinuyo clapped Mitsuo on the shoulder. "You were worried about losing your job? If you lose it, you can move to Tokyo and go to work for Shigeru." She looked at Shigeru. "Family always works hard, you know?" Then she looked at Mitsuo and Shuhei. "Well, we shouldn't interrupt Shigeru's work." They nodded and turned to go.
Kinuyo took a step forward and said in a loud voice, "Everyone! Please do your best work for Shigeru! Thank you!" She bowed. The assistants and Sachiko also bowed.
Shigeru shook his head.
Later, in the street in front of the house, Shigeru and Fumie stood with Kinuyo, Shuhei, and Mitsuo. Shigeru said, "Do you have to leave so early?" Shuhei said, "Yes, we need to get back. Mitsuo has to go to work tomorrow, or maybe he'll lose his job." He chuckled. Kinuyo said, "But you should be working. Don't let us interrupt." Shigeru said, "Well, thanks for coming." He turned and went back into the house.
Fumie said, "Why don't I walk you to the station?" Kinuyo said, "No, we know where it is. Besides, you should take care of your body. Right now the important thing is to have a healthy baby." They turned and started to leave.
Shuhei said, "We'll call you." Fumie said, "Shuhei?" She held out an envelope. He looked at it. "What's this?" She said, "Shigeru said to give you this to buy a new television." Shuhei glanced at his feet, then looked at her with a small smile. "That was a lie. The television wasn't broken. Kinuyo just wanted to come to Tokyo and watch the show with Shigeru." Then he reached over and took the envelope. "But I'm sure we can use this. Thanks."
Over the next few weeks, Devil Boy became a popular television show. Shonen Land ran a special celebration for reaching 1 million readers.
On Christmas Eve 1967, Shigeru and the assistants were in the workroom drawing. Shigeru finished a page, and handed it to Sugai.
Fumie was in the kitchen when Izumi came in with a large bag. Fumie was heavily pregnant, but she smiled as Izumi unloaded herself. "Did you get everything?" Izumi said, "I think so. Here's a birthday cake for Aiko." She handed the cake to Fumie, who went to the refrigerator, and put it inside. Then Izumi pulled a small red boot out, stuffed with presents. "And here's her birthday present." Fumie said, "Oh, that's very cute." Izumi said, "Let's hide it for now." She put it in a cabinet. "It's kind of sad to have your birthday on Christmas Eve, though." Fumie said, "Why?" Izumi said, "Well, you probably just get one present for both of them, instead of a present for your birthday and a present for Christmas Eve." Fumie said, "I guess that's true. But Aiko doesn't know yet. What's the other big box?"
Izumi pulled it out. "It's a Christmas tree. I thought she'd like that." Fumie said, "I guess so. But you had to carry so much." Izumi said, "Is Shigeru still working?" Fumie nodded. "Yes, today and tomorrow. They've got deadlines."
In the workroom, Shigeru finished another page. He set it aside and said, "Sugai? That's ready too." He started to reach for another page, then turned around. "Where's Sugai?" Komine said, "I thought he went to the bathroom?"
Outside the family living room in the hallway, Sugai held something in his hands and said, "This is a Christmas present for you. Thank you for everything." Then he shook his head.
Aiko said from behind him, "What are you doing?" Sugai turned and looked at the little girl. He said, "It's a present." She said, "For me?"
Fumie slid the door open beside Sugai. She stepped into the hallway and said, "What?" Aiko said, "He brought me a present." Fumie said, "Oh, that's very nice of you."
Izumi stepped into the hallway. "What are you all doing?" Kurata, one of the assistants, walked into the hallway. "Sugai! Get back to work. Sensei is looking for you."
Sugai said, "I'll be there in a minute." Then he looked at Aiko, Fumie, and Izumi. He muttered, "Oh, here." and handed his present to Fumie. Then he ran back to the workroom.
Fumie looked at what she held in her hands. Two tickets to the New Years Concert. She glanced at Aiko and said, "I think you're a little young for this." Izumi looked at the tickets and said, "Maybe it was a present for me?"
Later that day, in the living room, Izumi and Aiko were putting together the tree from the box. Izumi said, "It's too bad we don't have a car. We could get a real tree that way." Fumie was drying dishes in the kitchen, and said, "I talked with Shigeru about it. He doesn't think we need one right now. And I can't drive." Izumi said, "I could drive for you. And there's lots of things that a car would be good for."
Fumie grabbed the edge of the sink, and sank to her knees. Her face twisted.
Aiko looked up, and said, "Mother?" She jumped up and ran to her. Izumi glanced over, then said, "Fumie? What's wrong?" Izumi ran into the kitchen.
Fumie rubbed her stomach with one hand and said, "There's something wrong inside." She squeezed the sink with her other hand. Izumi said, "Are you having the baby?" Fumie shook her head. "It's not like that."
Later, in the family living room, Shigeru picked up the telephone. Aiko sat at the table behind him, drawing.
Izumi stood in the hospital, talking on the telephone. "They think they're going to have to do an operation. The baby is turned around inside. But they want a special doctor, so they're getting him. I'll stay here with her."
Shigeru said, "Thank you so much."
Izumi said, "Can you take care of Aiko's birthday party? The food's all ready, and the cake is in the refrigerator. Oh, her present is hid in the cabinet against the wall."
Shigeru said, "I'll take care of it. But..."
Izumi said, "I'll call as soon as we know anything."
Then a nurse walked by, saying, "Murai?" Izumi hung up the phone, and said, "I'm Murai." The nurse said, "Good, come quickly."
<to be continued>
