Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 8/20
Aug. 20th, 2010 02:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkera.k.a. be true to yourself...
Shigeru said, "Everyone died." Fumie said, "Everyone?" Mitsui nodded. "Yes. I gave a speech, the other officers told them to go fight, and then we held a party." Fumie shook her head. "A party?" Mitsui said, "Yes. We opened the sake, and they sat around and told themselves how brave they were going to be. They sang and laughed..."
He looked at Shigeru. "Do you remember Private Taro?" Shigeru nodded. Mitsui said, "I remember seeing him get that old picture of his wife and daughter out, and look at it. He stared at it for a long time, then tucked it inside his uniform." He shook his head. "That's when I went outside and looked at the stars. They were so bright and beautiful." Mitsui drank from his glass. "I was under orders to join high command in the caves. So I couldn't even join the attack."
Mitsui said, "The next day, they all went to attack the American base nearby." He snorted. "That was a big mistake." Fumie said, "Why?" Shigeru said, "They didn't even know we were there. If we hadn't attacked..." Mitsui nodded. "Yes. But everyone didn't die in the attack." Shigeru looked at him. "What?" Mitsui swirled the beer in his glass. "There were two officers who came back. And... I offered to put them in another outfit. They refused. They said that by living, they had failed. They said if they kept living, they couldn't forgive themselves." He took a deep breath. "So they knelt over their bare swords, and I let them shoot themselves."
Shigeru shook his head. "All the war dead. They're so sad. There was no reason for them to die. No one wanted to die, but the orders didn't give us any way out." Mitsui nodded.
Then Shigeru said, "I had a dream about the dead people in our outfit." Mitsui looked into his glass and said, "I have dreams about them, too." Shigeru said, "No, this was different. I dreamed they asked me to remember them, to tell their story. To let people see their faces again. And I'm going to." He looked at Mitsui, who nodded at him. Then he glanced at Guni. He was dabbing at his eye with a handkerchief. When Shigeru looked at Fumie, she also had a tear dripping down her cheek.
Meanwhile, in the coffee shop, Kinuyo sat down with Aiko. The coffeeshop man served coffee to Kinuyo, and a dish of ice cream to Aiko. As he went back to the counter, Kameda, the pawnshop owner, said, "Is that Murai's mother? So she's the reason that Shuhei is here so often?" The coffeeshop man nodded.
Kinuyo looked at Aiko and said, "So your friend was upset that you didn't get her on television?" Aiko frowned. "I told her at school, before the party. And she yelled at me. She said I should have told her at the beginning that I couldn't get her on television. She said I had promised. She said she told her mother she was going to be on television. Then she said I lied!" Aiko shook her head. "She took everyone with her to the birthday party, even Tomomi."
Kinuyo said, "So you didn't go to the party. You just walked around here, and you were going to throw the present away." Then she reached across the table and pushed the ice cream closer to Aiko. "Eat your ice cream before it melts." Aiko picked up the spoon and pushed at the ice cream. Kinuyo picked up a lump of sugar and dropped it in the coffee. Then she picked up another lump and put it in the coffee. After four lumps, she picked up a spoon and stirred.
Then she sipped her coffee, and looked across the table at Aiko. "It would have been better to tell her that you couldn't at the beginning. But, you didn't promise, did you?" Aiko shook her head. Kinuyo nodded. "And as for lying, even if a million people say something, I choose which way I'm going to go." Aiko said, "What does that mean?" Kinuyo said, "It doesn't matter what people say, as long as you know that you are telling the truth." Aiko took a bite of her ice cream.
Kinuyo leaned back and said, "A long time ago, during the war, there were lots of rumors going around. Everyone said the Americans were coming, and we needed to practice with bamboo spears how to fight them. But I didn't go to the practice. And they were so upset. They came to the house and asked why I wasn't at practice." Aiko leaned forward and said, "What did you say?" Kinuyo said, "I told them that if we had to stick bamboo in soldiers, we had already lost."
Kinuyo picked up her coffee, sipped it, and set it down again. Then she leaned forward. "I think it's best to leave it alone." She reached over and picked up the package wrapped in blue paper with a red ribbon. "Still, don't throw this away. Pretending to go to the party, throwing this away -- that would be a lie." She laid it back down on the table near Aiko. "Talk to your mother about what happened, and give her back the present." Aiko picked up the present and nodded.
Kinuyo said, "Now, if anyone objects, here's what you say. I am the daughter of a noble samurai family!" Kinuyou slapped her hand down on the table. Aiko grinned. Kinuyo smiled. "Understand?"
Later, sitting in the patio with Aiko, Fumie stroked the package. Fumie said, "I'm sorry. I didn't really listen to you." Aiko shook her head. "No, I knew we couldn't ask father to put someone on television. I should have said so." Aiko looked at the ground. "And before that, they called me ge-ge-ge's daughter. I was so upset. But I never said anything about it." She looked up at Fumie. "I should've said something. I'm sorry." Aiko reached over and touched the package. "I was going to throw this away." She shook her head.
Fumie said, "Just like me." Aiko looked at her. "What?" Fumie said, "When I was in school, they used to call me electric pole all the time. I never said anything. I was too patient, and just took it." Fumie looked up at the sky. "We need to be more like your father. Guni said that he was always cheerful. And when I asked him about it, he said we're alive. And that when you're alive, good things and bad things happen to you. You can't change that. But how you look at it, that's what's important." Fumie smiled at Aiko. "Then he looked at me and said he only had one arm, but he's alive. And he grinned."
Fumie shook her head. "So you have to be patient, but you need to be cheerful, too. When you have trouble, talk to us, talk to your mother and father. Think about what to do. And when your father is a little noisy, be patient with him, okay?"
Just then, Shuhei came out of the house onto the patio. He said, "Fumie, do you have any more cakes? Maybe just one more?" Aiko leaned over close to Fumie and said, "Like him? He's very patient with Grandmother." Fumie laughed.
Shuhei frowned at them. "What's so funny?" Then he laughed, too.
<to be continued>
Shigeru said, "Everyone died." Fumie said, "Everyone?" Mitsui nodded. "Yes. I gave a speech, the other officers told them to go fight, and then we held a party." Fumie shook her head. "A party?" Mitsui said, "Yes. We opened the sake, and they sat around and told themselves how brave they were going to be. They sang and laughed..."
He looked at Shigeru. "Do you remember Private Taro?" Shigeru nodded. Mitsui said, "I remember seeing him get that old picture of his wife and daughter out, and look at it. He stared at it for a long time, then tucked it inside his uniform." He shook his head. "That's when I went outside and looked at the stars. They were so bright and beautiful." Mitsui drank from his glass. "I was under orders to join high command in the caves. So I couldn't even join the attack."
Mitsui said, "The next day, they all went to attack the American base nearby." He snorted. "That was a big mistake." Fumie said, "Why?" Shigeru said, "They didn't even know we were there. If we hadn't attacked..." Mitsui nodded. "Yes. But everyone didn't die in the attack." Shigeru looked at him. "What?" Mitsui swirled the beer in his glass. "There were two officers who came back. And... I offered to put them in another outfit. They refused. They said that by living, they had failed. They said if they kept living, they couldn't forgive themselves." He took a deep breath. "So they knelt over their bare swords, and I let them shoot themselves."
Shigeru shook his head. "All the war dead. They're so sad. There was no reason for them to die. No one wanted to die, but the orders didn't give us any way out." Mitsui nodded.
Then Shigeru said, "I had a dream about the dead people in our outfit." Mitsui looked into his glass and said, "I have dreams about them, too." Shigeru said, "No, this was different. I dreamed they asked me to remember them, to tell their story. To let people see their faces again. And I'm going to." He looked at Mitsui, who nodded at him. Then he glanced at Guni. He was dabbing at his eye with a handkerchief. When Shigeru looked at Fumie, she also had a tear dripping down her cheek.
Meanwhile, in the coffee shop, Kinuyo sat down with Aiko. The coffeeshop man served coffee to Kinuyo, and a dish of ice cream to Aiko. As he went back to the counter, Kameda, the pawnshop owner, said, "Is that Murai's mother? So she's the reason that Shuhei is here so often?" The coffeeshop man nodded.
Kinuyo looked at Aiko and said, "So your friend was upset that you didn't get her on television?" Aiko frowned. "I told her at school, before the party. And she yelled at me. She said I should have told her at the beginning that I couldn't get her on television. She said I had promised. She said she told her mother she was going to be on television. Then she said I lied!" Aiko shook her head. "She took everyone with her to the birthday party, even Tomomi."
Kinuyo said, "So you didn't go to the party. You just walked around here, and you were going to throw the present away." Then she reached across the table and pushed the ice cream closer to Aiko. "Eat your ice cream before it melts." Aiko picked up the spoon and pushed at the ice cream. Kinuyo picked up a lump of sugar and dropped it in the coffee. Then she picked up another lump and put it in the coffee. After four lumps, she picked up a spoon and stirred.
Then she sipped her coffee, and looked across the table at Aiko. "It would have been better to tell her that you couldn't at the beginning. But, you didn't promise, did you?" Aiko shook her head. Kinuyo nodded. "And as for lying, even if a million people say something, I choose which way I'm going to go." Aiko said, "What does that mean?" Kinuyo said, "It doesn't matter what people say, as long as you know that you are telling the truth." Aiko took a bite of her ice cream.
Kinuyo leaned back and said, "A long time ago, during the war, there were lots of rumors going around. Everyone said the Americans were coming, and we needed to practice with bamboo spears how to fight them. But I didn't go to the practice. And they were so upset. They came to the house and asked why I wasn't at practice." Aiko leaned forward and said, "What did you say?" Kinuyo said, "I told them that if we had to stick bamboo in soldiers, we had already lost."
Kinuyo picked up her coffee, sipped it, and set it down again. Then she leaned forward. "I think it's best to leave it alone." She reached over and picked up the package wrapped in blue paper with a red ribbon. "Still, don't throw this away. Pretending to go to the party, throwing this away -- that would be a lie." She laid it back down on the table near Aiko. "Talk to your mother about what happened, and give her back the present." Aiko picked up the present and nodded.
Kinuyo said, "Now, if anyone objects, here's what you say. I am the daughter of a noble samurai family!" Kinuyou slapped her hand down on the table. Aiko grinned. Kinuyo smiled. "Understand?"
Later, sitting in the patio with Aiko, Fumie stroked the package. Fumie said, "I'm sorry. I didn't really listen to you." Aiko shook her head. "No, I knew we couldn't ask father to put someone on television. I should have said so." Aiko looked at the ground. "And before that, they called me ge-ge-ge's daughter. I was so upset. But I never said anything about it." She looked up at Fumie. "I should've said something. I'm sorry." Aiko reached over and touched the package. "I was going to throw this away." She shook her head.
Fumie said, "Just like me." Aiko looked at her. "What?" Fumie said, "When I was in school, they used to call me electric pole all the time. I never said anything. I was too patient, and just took it." Fumie looked up at the sky. "We need to be more like your father. Guni said that he was always cheerful. And when I asked him about it, he said we're alive. And that when you're alive, good things and bad things happen to you. You can't change that. But how you look at it, that's what's important." Fumie smiled at Aiko. "Then he looked at me and said he only had one arm, but he's alive. And he grinned."
Fumie shook her head. "So you have to be patient, but you need to be cheerful, too. When you have trouble, talk to us, talk to your mother and father. Think about what to do. And when your father is a little noisy, be patient with him, okay?"
Just then, Shuhei came out of the house onto the patio. He said, "Fumie, do you have any more cakes? Maybe just one more?" Aiko leaned over close to Fumie and said, "Like him? He's very patient with Grandmother." Fumie laughed.
Shuhei frowned at them. "What's so funny?" Then he laughed, too.
<to be continued>
