mbarker | Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 8/24

a.k.a. walking out

Later that morning, Shuhei and Kinuyo were in the street. Fumie stood near the door, saying goodbye. Kinuyo stood near her, poking in her purse. "When we get back, I've got a key, so you don't have to worry." Shuhei stood in the street, in his good suit with his hat on. He said, "Come on, hurry." Kinuyo looked at him and said, "Hurrying is very bad for a weak heart." Then she looked in her purse and started poking in it again. "Now, let's see. Money..."

Shuhei shook his head and said, "Well, I'm going on." He walked away. Kinuyo said, "Going to a show, he suddenly becomes forceful." Then she lifted her purse and waved it as she slowly walked up the street. "You can't get in without me. I've got the tickets!"

Fumie watched them leave and said to herself, "It's nice that they are going to a show together." She pulled the letter out of her pocket and looked at it. "I wonder if he even read it."

Meanwhile, in the office, Shigeru was arguing with the telephone. "We don't have anything to do with that. Leave us alone." He slammed the phone down. Mitsui said, "What was that?" Shigeru said, "Someone calling to complain."

Sugai brought over a draft manga page. "Is this what you wanted here?" Shigeru glanced at the panel. There seemed to be two moons in the window. He frowned. "Why did you double this up?" Sugai lifted the sheet, looked at it, and said, "What?" Shigeru looked again. There was only one moon outlined. "Oh, sorry..."

Later, drawing in his office, the entire page seemed to blur and smear. Shigeru blinked, and shook his head. "What? I guess maybe I'm doing too much. But I have to finish this."

At dinner, Shigeru ate while reading a newspaper. Yoshiko looked across the table and said, "Father is reading a newspaper again." Aiko said, "He's busy with work. Don't interrupt." Yoshiko said, "But it's boring." Shigeru grunted, "Tea." Fumie picked up his cup and filled it. Then she said, "Are you going to be working late tonight?" Shigeru grunted. Fumie said, "I can make you a midnight snack." Shigeru grunted. Fumie frowned. "Are you feeling healthy? I know that you have a lot of work, but you need to take care of your body, too." Shigeru looked up. "Don't talk about work." Then he got up and said, "I'm going back to work."

He started to walk away from the table, then turned back and said, "This weekend, we'll go to the summer house on Mt. Fuji." Aiko said, "But I was..." He frowned. "I've decided. We're all going." Fumie picked up his dishes and turned to the sink. She set the dishes in the sink.

Shigeru said, "Fumie? Answer me." Fumie said, "I'm not going." Shigeru said, "What?" Fumie turned and looked at him. "I'm not going." Shigeru said, "I gave you an order!" Fumie nodded. "All you do is grunt and order me around. You always get your way. Well, I have feelings, too." She took off her apron and tossed it into her chair. Then she walked out of the room.

Fumie walked out the front door, and into the night.

In the kitchen, Aiko turned to Shigeru and said, "Dad?" Shigeru frowned, then said, "Let her go." Yoshiko jumped out of her chair and ran out of the room.

Yoshiko ran out the door, and looked up the dark street. She wailed, "She's gone!" Yoshiko sat down in the street, and cried. Aiko came out and stroked her shoulder. Shigeru came out the door, glanced at the two girls squatting in the street, and looked into the darkness.

Sugai came out the door and said, "What happened?" Shigeru turned and looked at him. "Nothing." Sugai said, "Oh. Well, when you can, we still have a lot of work to do." Shigeru nodded, and went inside.

Out of the dark near the graveyard, Fumie sat at a small shrine. She looked around. "Where am I?" Then she realized that this was where they had found Michiko, the day that she had left her bookstore. She remembered Michiko's husband and Fumie riding on bicycles, and Michiko's husband asking Michiko to come home.

As she sat there, a bicycle light flickered across the shrine. Fumie stood up and said, "Shigeru?" The young man on the bicycle nodded to her, and rode past. Fumie sat down again. She thought to herself, "No. He won't come."

Back in the kitchen, Aiko was washing the dishes. She stood on a stepstool and carefully washed each dish. Then she got down as Yoshiko brought her another dish. Yoshiko looked up at her and said, "Where did Mother go? Why doesn't she come back?"

In his office, Shigeru paused while drawing. He stared into the darkness, and remembered Fumie saying, "You always get your way. Well, I have feelings, too!" Sugai stepped in the door and said, "The publisher called. They said they would be here soon to pick up the drawings." Shigeru nodded.

At the small shrine, Fumie remembered when they were poor. She thought about how she had worked with Shigeru, and how he had helped with Aiko when she was a baby. She grinned, remembering him having an imaginary feast with a painted set of dolls and the baby. She shook her head. "Sometimes I wish we could go back to those times."

A young girl cried somewhere in the night. Fumie looked around, and said, "Yoshiko must be crying. What am I doing?" She got up, took a deep breath, and walked into the night.

When Fumie got to the street corner near the house, she stood behind the utility pole and looked around. The door opened, and Fumie ducked back behind the utility pole.

Aiko stepped out, and peered down the street. She looked around, and saw a shadow of the utility pole and a figure standing behind it. She smiled, and went back inside.

Fumie stepped into the living room. Aiko and Yoshiko were playing with the large straw house and Kitaro doll. Fumie said, "I'm back." Yoshiko jumped up and ran to her. "You came back." Yoshiko grabbed her in a hug. "Where did you go? I was so worried. But Aiko said you would come back." Fumie looked at Aiko. Aiko said, "Well, I was sure you wouldn't leave without us. I wasn't worried."

Later, Fumie looked in the kitchen. She found her apron carefully folded, and the dishes all washed and racked. She shook her head. "Aiko did all that. She's really very responsible."

As she stood there, Shigeru stepped into the living room. She turned, and said, "Uh..." An assistant came in behind him and said, "The publisher is here." Shigeru glanced at the assistant, and said, "Yes..." He walked back out.

Fumie stared after him. "Even after I left, it was all work, work."

A few days later, Fumie, Aiko, and Yoshiko were coming back after an afternoon shopping. Fumie and Aiko had shopping bags in their hands. Yoshiko said, "I'm very hungry." Fumie nodded. Then she looked at the house and said, "Kinuyo?"

Kinuyo ran out the gate and said, "Fumie! Where did you go?" Before Fumie could say anything, Shuhei stepped out and said, "Oh, you're back!"

Fumie said, "What happened? Why are you so upset?" They looked at her. She said, "We haven't been here. What happened?" Kunio said, "Where were you?" Fumie shrugged and said, "Just shopping." Kinuyo said, "With the kids?" Fumie said, "Yes..." Kinuyo said, "Well, you left before lunch, and we weren't sure you were coming back."

As they stepped into the entryway, Shigeru came out and glanced at Fumie. He said, "Oh, you're back?" Then he turned and went back to work.

Kinuyo shook her head. "He was really worried. He thought you took the kids and left." As they walked into the living room, Kinuyo said, "Really, you were just shopping?" Fumie nodded, and set down the bags they were carrying. Kinuyo looked at her and said, "Did something happen with Shigeru and you?" Fumie said, "No, nothing."

Shuhei laughed. Then he said, "The mountains give birth to a mouse." (which is a Japanese phrase that apparently is based on Aesop's fables! Used to indicate a situation with a lot of noise, but little real result. Making a big fuss over nothing?)

<to be continued>

Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 8/24

大山鳴動して鼠一匹