Four weeks have passed since the disaster occurred and my son Joji hasn't woken up in his hospital bed.
I was teaching shamisen lessons online when suddenly the internet got disconnected and after that, I felt the shaking. I hurried off to the playground and while I was on my way, I felt the intense heat and the air slowly suffocating me then I passed out. I woke up after 2 days and all I could think about was my son so I searched for him. I found him and Rina at Machida O Hospital.
Me and Rina's mother, Mayuka are looking out for the kids and we merged them in one room. She was in school when it happened, she passed out as well but she woke up in just a short amount of time.
Rina woke up a week and a half after the disaster and 2 days later, there are government agents who visited and let Mayuka sign some documents then took blood samples from her daughter. After a few days, she was discharged from the hospital.
*door opens and closes*
"Anna, I brought lunch for us." Mayuka said. "Also, I already let the contractor know that the back windows of the house need to be replaced. Since there are so many customers, it may take a while for them to check." She added.
*She puts the bento boxes on the table*
"It's fine, thank you very much for your help, Mayuu."
"Don't mention it. You have done a lot for me for these past weeks. This wasn't enough to ever repay you." She unboxes the bento boxes and hands me over the chopsticks.
"You know, we're always like this ever since high school then in university, and then marriage. As if we owe each other forever." I said.
"Remember back in university, when you and Moto secretly dated because your parents are strict and very traditional? I have to cover up for you!"
I immediately grinned. "Also, remember when we're 19 and you foolishly decided to invite me into drinking alcohol?" I added.
"Yeah, I sneaked in four cans of Sapporo beer from the fridge into my gym bag then we meet at the nearest park and that's then I persuaded you in drinking alcohol because we're going to be 20 the next year so I thought that we can just get away with it."
"That time I was really anxious because there's police patrolling the park. So we ended up covering our heads with our hoodies. When I'm home, I rushed to my room and brush my teeth. Crawled in my bed and cover myself with a blanket. I made an excuse that I was sick so that my mother just leave food in front of my room's door. I don't want them to suspect that I've drunk alcohol." I said as we start to laugh softly.
Despite Mayuka's laugh, I can see the pain in her eyes.
-
-
"Mayuu, may I ask... how are you holding up? we've been friends for a long time and I always know... I just know when you're down.
-
-
"When Rina-chan woke up, I hugged her so tight and kissed her. The first question she asked was where Joji is, so I pointed at her left side, and she saw him lying asleep in his bed. Since then, she kept on turning her head in his direction and just stared at him for minutes end." Mayu answered,
"Yeah, I noticed that." I nodded my head gently in agreement.
"Then there came a point where she told me if only they got home a little early maybe Joji will not be in that kind of state and then she started crying. I hugged her so tight and I can't hold back my tears any longer. When my 9-year-old daughter has spoken those words I just couldn't help but cry with her, it isn't her fault at all. I don't want her to be in pain or experience things that will put her in pain..." Mayuu said with teary eyes and continued "...and I said everything will eventually be okay Sweetie and what happened isn't her fault. Joji will wake up soon and the two of them can be together again then I caressed her back gently...I remembered that when she was about to get discharged, she walked towards Joji's bed and hugged him then she told him that he promised to treat her strawberry sando so he better wake up as soon as possible. She kissed him on the forehead then onto his cheeks and said to him that mommy always kissed and hugged her to feel better so that's why she did that so that he will feel better. That's how she said goodbye to him. It ended up being bittersweet"
"Those two are almost inseparable." I supplemented.
"They were introduced to each other ever since they were toddlers. I remembered that time when they competed against each other in the annual Nakizumo..." Mayuu said.
"Oh yes, that one. They were very cute while being held by sumo wrestlers that I kept on taking pictures using my kodak and we laughed so much when Joji started crying..."
"...And we continued laughing when Rina-chan just gave us a poker face no matter how the sumo wrestlers or the referee wanted to make her cry but still, she looked so cute."
We giggled a bit.
-
Mayuu started to gloom, "It's been a week Anna... but I don't think I will be able to move on very soon. The divorce was fine, it doesn't matter to me anymore. What mattered to me was my daughter. I still feel regret after what happened to her, it's as if it was my fault."
After hearing that, I comforted her by hugging and told her, "I understand why you're feeling this way. I'm sorry for what had happened. I think Rina wants you to live a happier life and to be well. So let's finish our food so that the both of us can be healthy."
"That would be good." Mayuu responded with a pleasant smile.
As we finishing up our food, I heard a little voice...
"Uh-hmm. Okaasan...?"
It was Joji, he just woke up! I quickly get off my seat and head towards him.
I hugged him and asked, "Joji, how are you feeling?" Then he looks around his surroundings. I feel happy and relieved.
"Joji-kun, please drink this water." Mayuu said as she handed over a glass of water to him.
"You're Rina's mother, right? Where is she Obachan?... Okaasan where is she?" He asked and turned his head in my direction.
I don't know how would I be able to answer him. Mayuka and I looked at each other. We know that we can't just lie to the child.
Her parents divorced when she was still in a coma. 9 days ago, Mayuka and Rina already stayed home after she got discharged. Mayuu told me about what happened that day. It was around 5 pm that she left Rina at home to get some food at the nearest convenience store just two blocks away but when she came back, their house was on fire. It got bigger and bigger until it was too late. The firefighters failed to rescue her daughter, they'd found a dead burned body of a little girl and confirmed that the fire was caused by an electric short circuit. The next 2 days were her wake and funeral. At that time, Mayuka was pale. She just can't stop crying until the tears won't flow anymore and she was refusing to eat. She looked so devastated as she mourns Rina. Mayuu currently stays and takes care of my house while I'm in the hospital to look out for my son and while Moto is out of the country for excavation projects.
Now that Joji woke up, we don't know what to say.
-
"Joji-kun, I'll tell you where she is by tomorrow. Right now, you have just woken up. I'll buy you soup and please get lots of rest." Mayuka said to him.
"Thank you, Obachan but is there any way you can bring her to me tomorrow?"
"I'll try..." she replied and smiled softly.
-
[ Fast forward to late afternoon ]
Mayuka and I have a quiet and private conversation while Joji is napping.
"Anna, I have to tell you something..."
"What is it, Mayuu?"
"When Rina and I got back to our home, I noticed my garden plants started to wilt by each day. I'm confident about taking good care of my plants. I just assumed at first that it's just the effects of the contaminated air that the explosion brought but the news said that it's slowly subsiding... but then my plants kept on wilting so I just let it slipped. There's also a time when I entered Rina's room to clean. It was filled with fine particles but I swear, the room's windows were completely sealed. I started to feel suffocated so I let the door open.
According to the agreement that I've signed with the government agents, if there are any strange behaviors that the guardian has noticed from the participant or participants, they should contact them immediately. I refused to think that something's wrong with my daughter but I contacted them anyway. They asked me about personal information and how's my daughter feeling recently. I noticed that she's silent and sometimes sad. She has told me she missed her friend so I told them that. After the conversation, they told me that the information that I gave to them should remain confidential as stated in the agreement. You're my most trusted friend so I'm telling you this. Do you think there's something strange going on with my child?"
"I ain't sure, the government's actions were weird... I-" Then I recalled something or someone...
"Mayuu, I have something to share too. It was two days later, I suppose... after the government agents had visited us. I was in the basement parking lot on my way to the elevator. When I got inside, I was with this man wearing a suit and talking to somebody over the phone. I overheard him saying something strange that he's now in Machida and in this hospital, that he has found a squirrel. He's not referring to an actual animal for sure, I think it's a sort of code. What bothered me is that within that day, I noticed him roaming around back and forth near our room and was looking at the rooms. I even saw him in the lobby when I escorted you and Rina on the day you have to leave the hospital."
"Uhm. That's sounds creepy. He might be an agent from the government but his gestures are strange unlike the other agents, he should've approach someone working from the hospital or directly approach the people whom he has business with." Mayu said then asked, "Do you think these two events are somehow related? The government is hiding something from us."
"I don't know but... I believe I know someone we can talk to."
- End of Chapter -
Comments (0)
See all