Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 8/16
Aug. 16th, 2010 02:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkera.k.a. old friends and new friends
The man from the electric company stood in the entryway. He yelled "Thank you" at Fumie, then said, "Is that a new religion?" He waved his hand, indicating the pounding music in the background. Drumbeats and singing in a foreign language filled the air.
In the workroom, Mitsuo stretched the telephone cord to sit in another seat, and cupped his hand around the mouthpiece. "No, no, nothing is wrong with the connection." Sugai tapped his pen, rhythmically, and bounced in time to the music. He turned around and said, "How can you take it?" The other assistant didn't respond. Sugai touched his shoulder, and the other assistant looked around, then pulled earplugs out. "What did you say?"
In the visitor's room, a tape recorder sat on the table, booming the music. A publisher's assistant in a suit sat on one side. Shigeru sat across from him, in shorts and a loose shirt. Shigeru tapped his feet, and reached across the table with a stack of manga. "Here, this is what you want." Shigeru said, "Bam-bam-BAM!" Then he fell back. "No, that's not quite it. It's really hard to get the rhythm right." He got up and said, "Look, here, take a mask and we can try dancing." Shigeru picked up a dark tribal mask and held it in front of his face. He started dancing to the music.
Later, Shigeru watched a movie in the visitor's room. The projector hummed beside him, turning reels of film. He held a native drum between his knees. He pointed at the screen. "There, there, that's the one." The publisher's assistant sitting with him smiled, weakly. Mitsuo and Sugai looked in from the next room. Shigeru glanced at them and held out the mask. "Here, join me." Mitsuo said, "We've got some work to do." They tugged the sleeve of the publisher's assistant, and the three of them left.
Shigeru laughed at the movie. Then he hit the drum, boom, boom. He peered at the movie, and remembered lying in the medical hut, and the bomb, and falling to the ground, writhing, grabbing his empty sleeve...
Mitsuo talked with Fumie in the kitchen. He had the schedule in his hand. "I wanted to ask Shigeru, but he keeps playing that music. This summer, I thought there would be a little free time, but we've got deadlines every day. It's so busy." He ran his hand down the list of deadlines. Fumie nodded.
Later, at dinner, Fumie looked at Shigeru and said, "Mitsuo asked me to talk to you. Even with Kitaro not on television, the summer is pretty busy I guess?" Shigeru picked up some food and ate it. "Yes, we've got a lot to do." Fumie said, "So when you are watching movies and listening to music it's a little bit hard on everyone." Shigeru picked up some food and chewed. Then he looked up and said, "We should move to the southern islands."
Fumie said, "What?" Shigeru nodded. "Yes. They have really good food, bananas, papaya. And the people are friendly, too. Living is easy there. Very relaxed." Then he wrinkled his nose. "Of course, they don't have baths. But a shower is just as good." Aiko said, "No baths? Ew..." Shigeru leaned over and said, "No toilets, either." Aiko said, "I don't like that." Then he said, "And the drinking water has mosquito larva in it. Hard on your stomach at first."
Yoshiko said, "Is it pretty?" Shigeru grinned. "Well, the flowers are pretty, and the jungle. It's really romantic." Yoshiko said, "I'll go."
Fumie said, "You know we can't go. Aiko has school, and Yoshiko has kindergarten." Shigeru frowned. "Maybe we could spend a half year there and a half year here? That would be good." Fumie shook her head. "No." Aiko said, "Not possible." Yoshiko said, "I'll go with you, daddy." Shigeru shook his head.
Later, Fumie was sewing. Aiko leaned on the corner of the sewing machine. She said, "Mom? Dad wasn't serious about moving to the southern islands, was he?" Fumie shook her head. "No, he was just joking. He's too busy to do that." Aiko said, "I don't think I'd like living without baths or toilets. And I can't drink water with mosquito larva in it." Fumie frowned. "Me, too." They laughed.
At school, Aiko was at her desk, hooking yarn through a plastic knitting spool that let her make a ribbon of yarn. Tomomi sat nearby. The boys came in the front of the room, and started chanting the ge-ge-ge theme. They marched down the aisle to her desk. Aiko glanced up, then focused on her knitting. She muttered, "Ignore it, ignore it." The boys leaned over her, chanting.
Then one of them grabbed the knitting spool out of her hands. They stepped back. The boy swung the spool by the ribbon. Aiko said, "Give it back." The boys said, "Monsters knit? Why should we?" Then he caught the swinging spool and lifted it.
Another girl stepped in and grabbed the spool out of his hand. He turned, and said, "Hey, what are you doing?" The new girl said, "Leave her alone." The other girls in the class stood behind her. The boys looked around, and said, "Just silly girls." They marched out of the room, chanting again.
The new girl handed Aiko the knitting spool. "That's really pretty. Can you show me where you got it?" Aiko said, "Sure."
After school, the new girl, Aiko, and Tomomi went to the shopping area. Aiko showed the new girl where to get a knitting spool. Then the new girl said, "Thank you very much. By the way, I'm having a birthday party next week. Could the two of you come?" Aiko looked at Tomomi, then they said, "That sounds great. Thank you." The new girl excused herself and left.
Tomomi said, "That was surprising. She's in a different group at school, isn't she?" Aiko nodded. "I think I've seen her at school exercise days, though." Tomomi said, "She seems nice." Aiko said, "Yes, but what are you going to get her for a birthday present?" Tomomi said, "A hair ribbon, I guess."
At the house, Yoshiko was standing in the street, blowing through a bubble pipe. No bubbles came out. Shigeru rolled his bicycle out, and stopped. He said, "Are you blowing bubbles?" Yoshiko nodded. "Here, let me try." Yoshiko handed Shigeru the bubble pipe. He stuck it in the mug that she had, then blew, slowly. A large bubble formed and drifted in the sunshine. Then more bubbles came out and drifted away. Shigeru handed Yoshiko the pipe. "Just blow softly." He turned back to his bicycle.
An old woman said, "Good day." Shigeru nodded at her and rode away. The old woman told Yoshiko, "Your father is very admirable, doing everything with one arm." Yoshiko glanced up at her, then peered at Shigeru. The old woman said, "Is your grandmother at home?" Yoshiko nodded.
Yoshiko ran into the kitchen and said to Fumie, "Father only has one arm." Fumie looked at her and said, "Yes, but..." Yoshiko said, "The old woman said he's admirable."
Just then, Kinuyo's voice said, "Leave me alone!" Fumie glanced at Yoshiko, and said, "That was your grandmother, and she doesn't sound happy."
Fumie walked quickly down the hall, and peered through an ornamental window into the entryway. Yoshiko stood in the hallway. Kinuyo knelt in the entryway, facing the old woman.
The old woman said, "You don't have to yell." She held up a sheet with various days and annotations written on it. "I just wanted to invite you to join the old folks club. You could make some friends there." Kinuyo frowned. "And I said NO." The old woman leaned forward and said, "Grandmother, what do..." Kinuyo interrupted. "Don't call me grandmother."
Yoshiko started laughing. The old woman glanced at her, then noticed Fumie peering through the ornamental window. "What! I didn't come here to be embarrassed." Fumie stepped into the hallway behind Yoshiko. Yoshiko kept laughing. Kinuyo said, "Get out of here. You come with your old folks club, that's just another night club, and you want my money? Leave!" The old woman squawked. Fumie started to say, "I'm sorry." Kinuyo turned to her and said, "You don't need to apologize to her."
Later, Fumie was in the kitchen when Sachiko, her sister-in-law and the company accountant, came in. Sachiko said, "I heard that Kinuyo was fighting again?" Fumie said, "You could hear it?" Sachiko said, "Yes, but I don't think it was as loud as the other day when she was telling the neighbors how they should put their trash in the street." Fumie chuckled. "And before that, it was somebody honking their horn in the street? But, she did have a point about the trash. It needs to be safe and neat." Sachiko laughed. "But not so loud?" Fumie shrugged.
Then Fumie said, "By the way, I'm making dinner for Kinuyo, Shuhei, and us tonight. I thought maybe your family would like to join us?" Sachiko started to back up. "Well, actually, I think we're pretty busy. Maybe another..."
Kinuyo walked into the room behind Sachiko. Kinuyo said, "Sachiko! Why don't we see you and Yuichi more often? You should come visit us sometimes."
<to be continued>
The man from the electric company stood in the entryway. He yelled "Thank you" at Fumie, then said, "Is that a new religion?" He waved his hand, indicating the pounding music in the background. Drumbeats and singing in a foreign language filled the air.
In the workroom, Mitsuo stretched the telephone cord to sit in another seat, and cupped his hand around the mouthpiece. "No, no, nothing is wrong with the connection." Sugai tapped his pen, rhythmically, and bounced in time to the music. He turned around and said, "How can you take it?" The other assistant didn't respond. Sugai touched his shoulder, and the other assistant looked around, then pulled earplugs out. "What did you say?"
In the visitor's room, a tape recorder sat on the table, booming the music. A publisher's assistant in a suit sat on one side. Shigeru sat across from him, in shorts and a loose shirt. Shigeru tapped his feet, and reached across the table with a stack of manga. "Here, this is what you want." Shigeru said, "Bam-bam-BAM!" Then he fell back. "No, that's not quite it. It's really hard to get the rhythm right." He got up and said, "Look, here, take a mask and we can try dancing." Shigeru picked up a dark tribal mask and held it in front of his face. He started dancing to the music.
Later, Shigeru watched a movie in the visitor's room. The projector hummed beside him, turning reels of film. He held a native drum between his knees. He pointed at the screen. "There, there, that's the one." The publisher's assistant sitting with him smiled, weakly. Mitsuo and Sugai looked in from the next room. Shigeru glanced at them and held out the mask. "Here, join me." Mitsuo said, "We've got some work to do." They tugged the sleeve of the publisher's assistant, and the three of them left.
Shigeru laughed at the movie. Then he hit the drum, boom, boom. He peered at the movie, and remembered lying in the medical hut, and the bomb, and falling to the ground, writhing, grabbing his empty sleeve...
Mitsuo talked with Fumie in the kitchen. He had the schedule in his hand. "I wanted to ask Shigeru, but he keeps playing that music. This summer, I thought there would be a little free time, but we've got deadlines every day. It's so busy." He ran his hand down the list of deadlines. Fumie nodded.
Later, at dinner, Fumie looked at Shigeru and said, "Mitsuo asked me to talk to you. Even with Kitaro not on television, the summer is pretty busy I guess?" Shigeru picked up some food and ate it. "Yes, we've got a lot to do." Fumie said, "So when you are watching movies and listening to music it's a little bit hard on everyone." Shigeru picked up some food and chewed. Then he looked up and said, "We should move to the southern islands."
Fumie said, "What?" Shigeru nodded. "Yes. They have really good food, bananas, papaya. And the people are friendly, too. Living is easy there. Very relaxed." Then he wrinkled his nose. "Of course, they don't have baths. But a shower is just as good." Aiko said, "No baths? Ew..." Shigeru leaned over and said, "No toilets, either." Aiko said, "I don't like that." Then he said, "And the drinking water has mosquito larva in it. Hard on your stomach at first."
Yoshiko said, "Is it pretty?" Shigeru grinned. "Well, the flowers are pretty, and the jungle. It's really romantic." Yoshiko said, "I'll go."
Fumie said, "You know we can't go. Aiko has school, and Yoshiko has kindergarten." Shigeru frowned. "Maybe we could spend a half year there and a half year here? That would be good." Fumie shook her head. "No." Aiko said, "Not possible." Yoshiko said, "I'll go with you, daddy." Shigeru shook his head.
Later, Fumie was sewing. Aiko leaned on the corner of the sewing machine. She said, "Mom? Dad wasn't serious about moving to the southern islands, was he?" Fumie shook her head. "No, he was just joking. He's too busy to do that." Aiko said, "I don't think I'd like living without baths or toilets. And I can't drink water with mosquito larva in it." Fumie frowned. "Me, too." They laughed.
At school, Aiko was at her desk, hooking yarn through a plastic knitting spool that let her make a ribbon of yarn. Tomomi sat nearby. The boys came in the front of the room, and started chanting the ge-ge-ge theme. They marched down the aisle to her desk. Aiko glanced up, then focused on her knitting. She muttered, "Ignore it, ignore it." The boys leaned over her, chanting.
Then one of them grabbed the knitting spool out of her hands. They stepped back. The boy swung the spool by the ribbon. Aiko said, "Give it back." The boys said, "Monsters knit? Why should we?" Then he caught the swinging spool and lifted it.
Another girl stepped in and grabbed the spool out of his hand. He turned, and said, "Hey, what are you doing?" The new girl said, "Leave her alone." The other girls in the class stood behind her. The boys looked around, and said, "Just silly girls." They marched out of the room, chanting again.
The new girl handed Aiko the knitting spool. "That's really pretty. Can you show me where you got it?" Aiko said, "Sure."
After school, the new girl, Aiko, and Tomomi went to the shopping area. Aiko showed the new girl where to get a knitting spool. Then the new girl said, "Thank you very much. By the way, I'm having a birthday party next week. Could the two of you come?" Aiko looked at Tomomi, then they said, "That sounds great. Thank you." The new girl excused herself and left.
Tomomi said, "That was surprising. She's in a different group at school, isn't she?" Aiko nodded. "I think I've seen her at school exercise days, though." Tomomi said, "She seems nice." Aiko said, "Yes, but what are you going to get her for a birthday present?" Tomomi said, "A hair ribbon, I guess."
At the house, Yoshiko was standing in the street, blowing through a bubble pipe. No bubbles came out. Shigeru rolled his bicycle out, and stopped. He said, "Are you blowing bubbles?" Yoshiko nodded. "Here, let me try." Yoshiko handed Shigeru the bubble pipe. He stuck it in the mug that she had, then blew, slowly. A large bubble formed and drifted in the sunshine. Then more bubbles came out and drifted away. Shigeru handed Yoshiko the pipe. "Just blow softly." He turned back to his bicycle.
An old woman said, "Good day." Shigeru nodded at her and rode away. The old woman told Yoshiko, "Your father is very admirable, doing everything with one arm." Yoshiko glanced up at her, then peered at Shigeru. The old woman said, "Is your grandmother at home?" Yoshiko nodded.
Yoshiko ran into the kitchen and said to Fumie, "Father only has one arm." Fumie looked at her and said, "Yes, but..." Yoshiko said, "The old woman said he's admirable."
Just then, Kinuyo's voice said, "Leave me alone!" Fumie glanced at Yoshiko, and said, "That was your grandmother, and she doesn't sound happy."
Fumie walked quickly down the hall, and peered through an ornamental window into the entryway. Yoshiko stood in the hallway. Kinuyo knelt in the entryway, facing the old woman.
The old woman said, "You don't have to yell." She held up a sheet with various days and annotations written on it. "I just wanted to invite you to join the old folks club. You could make some friends there." Kinuyo frowned. "And I said NO." The old woman leaned forward and said, "Grandmother, what do..." Kinuyo interrupted. "Don't call me grandmother."
Yoshiko started laughing. The old woman glanced at her, then noticed Fumie peering through the ornamental window. "What! I didn't come here to be embarrassed." Fumie stepped into the hallway behind Yoshiko. Yoshiko kept laughing. Kinuyo said, "Get out of here. You come with your old folks club, that's just another night club, and you want my money? Leave!" The old woman squawked. Fumie started to say, "I'm sorry." Kinuyo turned to her and said, "You don't need to apologize to her."
Later, Fumie was in the kitchen when Sachiko, her sister-in-law and the company accountant, came in. Sachiko said, "I heard that Kinuyo was fighting again?" Fumie said, "You could hear it?" Sachiko said, "Yes, but I don't think it was as loud as the other day when she was telling the neighbors how they should put their trash in the street." Fumie chuckled. "And before that, it was somebody honking their horn in the street? But, she did have a point about the trash. It needs to be safe and neat." Sachiko laughed. "But not so loud?" Fumie shrugged.
Then Fumie said, "By the way, I'm making dinner for Kinuyo, Shuhei, and us tonight. I thought maybe your family would like to join us?" Sachiko started to back up. "Well, actually, I think we're pretty busy. Maybe another..."
Kinuyo walked into the room behind Sachiko. Kinuyo said, "Sachiko! Why don't we see you and Yuichi more often? You should come visit us sometimes."
<to be continued>
