Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 9/17
Sep. 29th, 2010 10:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkera.k.a. sometimes getting what we want isn't so good
Fumie was going through cards in the mail. Yoshiko said, "What's all that?" Fumie said, "Fans! There are lots of new fans with the new books." She looked at one, and held it out to Yoshiko. "Read this one." Yoshiko looked at it. "Wow. He's really young, and he's enjoying those old Kitaro books. That's great."
The phone rang. Fumie picked it up and said, "Hello. This is Murai."
Minutes later, Fumie talked with Shigeru in the workroom. Shigeru said, "What? Mitsuo won't be in to work?" Fumie said, "Yes. He sneezed, something in his back went crunch, and now he says he can't move." Shigeru said, "Well, it can't be helped." He looked at the assistants. "Sugai, can you handle the phones?" Sugai said, "With that deadline coming? We're really too busy to do it." Fumie shrugged and said, "I can take care of the phones." Shigeru said, "Could you? That would really help." Fumie started to nod, then frowned. "Wait. No, I can't. I promised I would go to a women's meeting today."
Yoshiko said, "I'll do it." Fumie turned and looked at her. "What about school?" Yoshiko said, "I can skip a day or two. And I'll learn a lot working here. Okay?" Fumie said, "Well, okay, I guess." Shigeru said, "We've got a lot of work to do. This isn't play." Yoshiko nodded. "I know. I'll be as quiet as a cat."
Later, the phone rang. Yoshiko picked it up, and said, "Mizuki Productions." She listened a moment, then said, "Oh, Izuki Publications. Wait a minute, please?" She lowered the phone and called across the workroom. "Dad! Izuki Publications." Shigeru looked up, walked across the room and took the phone. The voice at the other end said, "Sensei? Can I call you Dad?" Shigeru shook his head. "Sorry. My daughter is helping today."
Later, Yoshiko carefully carried a platter with two cups of tea into the visitors' room. A young man in a suit sat there. Yoshiko took one cup off the platter and set it in front of Shigeru.
Shigeru said, "So you liked those, and want more?" The young man said, "Yes. Here, I've put together a draft schedule." He pulled a sheet of paper out of his briefcase and set it on the table.
Yoshiko leaned forward, looking at the schedule. She said, "Oh, that looks..." Then she leaned forward just enough, and the cup of tea fell into the young man's lap. Yoshiko dropped the platter, and started mopping up the tea.
Shigeru yelled, "Wait, what are you doing?" Yoshiko looked at her hand, and realized that she had grabbed the schedule and was using it to mop up the tea. She hastily tried to flatten out the schedule, but the ink had run. Shigeru waved her off, and said, "Please, go help somewhere else."
Later in the workroom, Sugai was making dots. He was filling in the outline of a figure, carefully. Yoshiko came up behind him and said, "Sugai?" His hand jerked, drawing a line across the dots and into a white space. He blinked, then stood up, turned, and looked at Yoshiko. "Do you know what you just did? Look at that! A line, right in the middle of everything? Please, just go away."
In the family living room, Yoshiko sat with Kinuyo. Yoshiko shook her head. "I really messed up everything today. I can't believe I ruined the schedule." Fumie came in from the kitchen and said, "I don't think you did so badly for the first time helping." Yoshiko said, "I just thought I would be better at it. I certainly wasn't as quiet as a cat." Fumie said, "Well, you can always go back to school." Kinuyo said, "Oh, don't fret. You've got a gentle heart, and you're going to make someone very happy."
Shigeru came in from the offices. He had a sheet of paper in his hand. "Aiko? Did you do this?" He laid it on the table. It was a hand-written copy of the schedule. Aiko said, "Yes. I thought I remembered most of it, and since I ruined the other one..." Shigeru said, "It's really good. In fact, you included some that I had forgotten about. You really know my old manga." Aiko smiled. Shigeru said, "Thanks. And tomorrow, you can talk with that publisher about it." He picked up the sheet and walked back out.
Kinuyo smiled at Aiko. "Congratulations!" Fumie said, "I guess you're a regular employee now."
Late one night, Aiko was working on her school papers. Fumie knocked on the door, then said, "How about a little snack? I've got tea and cake." Aiko smiled as Fumie set the platter on her desk. Fumie looked at the papers. "Preparing for school?" Aiko said, "Yes." Fumie chuckled at a sketch of a boy with glasses. "What's this? Did you draw it?" Aiko said, "Yes. It wasn't too hard. And he is shy, so I thought a little encouragement might help."
There was a mumble from behind the curtains. Fumie opened it. Yoshiko lay in the bed, asleep.
Fumie said, "Actually, you should get some sleep, too." Aiko said, "Just a little more, then I will." Fumie smiled. "Well, fight on."
In the kitchen, Shigeru said, "Is Aiko still working?" Fumie nodded. Then she said, "I wonder when Mitsuo will be back. Yoshiko was really worried about her mistakes." Shigeru said, "What? She did fine. In fact, both of our daughters are doing fine."
Another morning, Aiko sat in the entryway. Fumie saw her from the hallway. "Aiko? Is something wrong? Are you having stomach trouble?" Aiko glanced at Fumie and stood up. "No, no. Just leaving."
Soon after, one afternoon, Aiko walked home in the rain. She didn't have an umbrella, but she walked slowly, as if the rain wasn't falling.
When she opened the door and stepped inside, Fumie came running. Fumie took one look at her, hair drenched and shivering, and said, "What happened?" Aiko said, "Oh, I forgot my umbrella." Fumie said, "Well, get out of those wet clothes and take a hot bath. I'll make hot tea."
Aiko stood there for a moment. Then she said, "Mom?" Fumie looked at her. Aiko said, "I think I've failed."
In the kitchen, in dry clothes with a towel around her neck, Aiko sipped at a large mug of hot tea. She wrapped her hands around it and stared at the table. Fumie said, "I knew something was wrong. So what happened?" Aiko gulped. Then she said, "The kids in the class said I was being unfair." Fumie said, "What? Aiko, I can't believe that. Did you treat them unfairly?" Aiko said, "Well, I didn't mean to. But I was trying to encourage the one shy boy. And everyone else said they did a lot of the same stuff, but I didn't praise them. And they were upset, yelling, so I couldn't explain." She shook her head. "I'm not sure, but I think I even embarrassed the shy boy." Then she set the mug down and looked at Fumie. "I don't know if I want to be a teacher." Fumie said, "Oh, Aiko..."
Later, Fumie stood in Shigeru's office. He turned his chair and said, "So what she thought was good turned out to be not so good?" Fumie nodded. He said, "Well, what do we do now?"
<to be continued>
Fumie was going through cards in the mail. Yoshiko said, "What's all that?" Fumie said, "Fans! There are lots of new fans with the new books." She looked at one, and held it out to Yoshiko. "Read this one." Yoshiko looked at it. "Wow. He's really young, and he's enjoying those old Kitaro books. That's great."
The phone rang. Fumie picked it up and said, "Hello. This is Murai."
Minutes later, Fumie talked with Shigeru in the workroom. Shigeru said, "What? Mitsuo won't be in to work?" Fumie said, "Yes. He sneezed, something in his back went crunch, and now he says he can't move." Shigeru said, "Well, it can't be helped." He looked at the assistants. "Sugai, can you handle the phones?" Sugai said, "With that deadline coming? We're really too busy to do it." Fumie shrugged and said, "I can take care of the phones." Shigeru said, "Could you? That would really help." Fumie started to nod, then frowned. "Wait. No, I can't. I promised I would go to a women's meeting today."
Yoshiko said, "I'll do it." Fumie turned and looked at her. "What about school?" Yoshiko said, "I can skip a day or two. And I'll learn a lot working here. Okay?" Fumie said, "Well, okay, I guess." Shigeru said, "We've got a lot of work to do. This isn't play." Yoshiko nodded. "I know. I'll be as quiet as a cat."
Later, the phone rang. Yoshiko picked it up, and said, "Mizuki Productions." She listened a moment, then said, "Oh, Izuki Publications. Wait a minute, please?" She lowered the phone and called across the workroom. "Dad! Izuki Publications." Shigeru looked up, walked across the room and took the phone. The voice at the other end said, "Sensei? Can I call you Dad?" Shigeru shook his head. "Sorry. My daughter is helping today."
Later, Yoshiko carefully carried a platter with two cups of tea into the visitors' room. A young man in a suit sat there. Yoshiko took one cup off the platter and set it in front of Shigeru.
Shigeru said, "So you liked those, and want more?" The young man said, "Yes. Here, I've put together a draft schedule." He pulled a sheet of paper out of his briefcase and set it on the table.
Yoshiko leaned forward, looking at the schedule. She said, "Oh, that looks..." Then she leaned forward just enough, and the cup of tea fell into the young man's lap. Yoshiko dropped the platter, and started mopping up the tea.
Shigeru yelled, "Wait, what are you doing?" Yoshiko looked at her hand, and realized that she had grabbed the schedule and was using it to mop up the tea. She hastily tried to flatten out the schedule, but the ink had run. Shigeru waved her off, and said, "Please, go help somewhere else."
Later in the workroom, Sugai was making dots. He was filling in the outline of a figure, carefully. Yoshiko came up behind him and said, "Sugai?" His hand jerked, drawing a line across the dots and into a white space. He blinked, then stood up, turned, and looked at Yoshiko. "Do you know what you just did? Look at that! A line, right in the middle of everything? Please, just go away."
In the family living room, Yoshiko sat with Kinuyo. Yoshiko shook her head. "I really messed up everything today. I can't believe I ruined the schedule." Fumie came in from the kitchen and said, "I don't think you did so badly for the first time helping." Yoshiko said, "I just thought I would be better at it. I certainly wasn't as quiet as a cat." Fumie said, "Well, you can always go back to school." Kinuyo said, "Oh, don't fret. You've got a gentle heart, and you're going to make someone very happy."
Shigeru came in from the offices. He had a sheet of paper in his hand. "Aiko? Did you do this?" He laid it on the table. It was a hand-written copy of the schedule. Aiko said, "Yes. I thought I remembered most of it, and since I ruined the other one..." Shigeru said, "It's really good. In fact, you included some that I had forgotten about. You really know my old manga." Aiko smiled. Shigeru said, "Thanks. And tomorrow, you can talk with that publisher about it." He picked up the sheet and walked back out.
Kinuyo smiled at Aiko. "Congratulations!" Fumie said, "I guess you're a regular employee now."
Late one night, Aiko was working on her school papers. Fumie knocked on the door, then said, "How about a little snack? I've got tea and cake." Aiko smiled as Fumie set the platter on her desk. Fumie looked at the papers. "Preparing for school?" Aiko said, "Yes." Fumie chuckled at a sketch of a boy with glasses. "What's this? Did you draw it?" Aiko said, "Yes. It wasn't too hard. And he is shy, so I thought a little encouragement might help."
There was a mumble from behind the curtains. Fumie opened it. Yoshiko lay in the bed, asleep.
Fumie said, "Actually, you should get some sleep, too." Aiko said, "Just a little more, then I will." Fumie smiled. "Well, fight on."
In the kitchen, Shigeru said, "Is Aiko still working?" Fumie nodded. Then she said, "I wonder when Mitsuo will be back. Yoshiko was really worried about her mistakes." Shigeru said, "What? She did fine. In fact, both of our daughters are doing fine."
Another morning, Aiko sat in the entryway. Fumie saw her from the hallway. "Aiko? Is something wrong? Are you having stomach trouble?" Aiko glanced at Fumie and stood up. "No, no. Just leaving."
Soon after, one afternoon, Aiko walked home in the rain. She didn't have an umbrella, but she walked slowly, as if the rain wasn't falling.
When she opened the door and stepped inside, Fumie came running. Fumie took one look at her, hair drenched and shivering, and said, "What happened?" Aiko said, "Oh, I forgot my umbrella." Fumie said, "Well, get out of those wet clothes and take a hot bath. I'll make hot tea."
Aiko stood there for a moment. Then she said, "Mom?" Fumie looked at her. Aiko said, "I think I've failed."
In the kitchen, in dry clothes with a towel around her neck, Aiko sipped at a large mug of hot tea. She wrapped her hands around it and stared at the table. Fumie said, "I knew something was wrong. So what happened?" Aiko gulped. Then she said, "The kids in the class said I was being unfair." Fumie said, "What? Aiko, I can't believe that. Did you treat them unfairly?" Aiko said, "Well, I didn't mean to. But I was trying to encourage the one shy boy. And everyone else said they did a lot of the same stuff, but I didn't praise them. And they were upset, yelling, so I couldn't explain." She shook her head. "I'm not sure, but I think I even embarrassed the shy boy." Then she set the mug down and looked at Fumie. "I don't know if I want to be a teacher." Fumie said, "Oh, Aiko..."
Later, Fumie stood in Shigeru's office. He turned his chair and said, "So what she thought was good turned out to be not so good?" Fumie nodded. He said, "Well, what do we do now?"
<to be continued>
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