A One-Shot: From Time (8S/ Secret Santa '17)
Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2017 1:37 pm
Victim: FrauPerchta
Prompt: Hisao sits in the tea room with the window open, drinking tea with Lilly and Hanako. Describe his thoughts, feelings, the tea, sounds of the room, ect.
Side note: I was really tempted to use a scene from the game to see if anyone would know and take the lazy way out. Also this I cut out some ideas which I would have like to put towards the end, but time and yada yada yada.
From Time
“Here’s your tea, Hisao,” Lilly hands me the cup of tea with her trademark warm smile that I become accustom to for three months now.
“Thanks Lilly,” I take the cup with one hand and holds the saucer for support with my other hand.
“And here’s yours, Hanako.”
“T-thanks Lilly,” Hanako replies with a smile of her own.
Hanako really has come a long way from when I met her. Well she is still shy, but slowly has been opening up. Well, she still has her moments, but she is more outgoing than before. Seeing her now is almost like a new person. I guess her joining the Newspaper Club has helped her out. Kind of makes me wonder if I had ended up with her instead of Lilly. Though the idea has come to mind a few times, I’m happy with my life.
“So Hanako,” Lilly takes her seat next to me, “How are Miss Ooe and Miss Inoue doing?”
“T-they are doing great,” Hanako’s voice perks up a little. “Yesterday, Natsume was freaking out because s-she thought she lost her glasses.”
“What happened?” I ask.
“At first, she b-blamed Naomi that she stole them. Naomi s-started teasing her that she is an absentminded person, who would lose their head if it wasn’t connected to her shoulders. I told her that her glasses were in her hand. Natsumi turn b-bright red.”
“Oh my,” Lilly responds with a small laugh, follow by Hanako. It’s still foreign to hear Hanako laugh, but I would be lying to say it’s not cute.
“Is Ooe really absentminded?” I ask.
“N-no. We’ve been busy recently and Natsume gets f-flustered when there’s a deadline.”
“Oh my,” Lilly sets her tea down, “I hope she is doing okay.”
“She’s okay, she usually takes a break when she needs it.”
“The newspaper club sounds like it can be hectic,” I comment.
“S-sometimes,” Hanako’s voice trails off.
I take drink of my tea. Lilly picked Jasmine tea today. I’m really a fan of it, but Lilly makes it in a way that I can be okay with. I place the cup back on the saucer and listen to my best friends talk to each about a new restaurant in the city. Supposedly they have a karaoke setup on certain days where people can sing in public. It does sound interesting because karaoke is usually done in a private room. Hanako said she heard it was popular in other countries and that sometimes people drink before going up. I wonder why anyone would do that, but Lilly seem intrigued by the idea.
“I would only sing if Hisao sings with me,” Lilly snuggles my arm.
“Me? Sing?” I shake my head in embarrassment. “I’m not a great singer. And singing in public sounds like a nightmare.”
“Lilly said y-you had a great singing voice, H-hisao,” Hanako smiles, her face turning a slight red. Remnants of shy Hanako still there.
“Why would say such a thing?”
“You remember our trip back to Hokkaido with just the two of us?” she asked with a smile.
“I don’t remember singing.”
“You have quite the voice when you shower.”
Both Lilly and Hanako share laugh at my expense, but I look down and finish the rest of my tea. It was the only the thing I can do. “Can I have more tea Lilly?”
“Yes dear, I’m almost done myself. Would you like more tea as well, Hanako?”
“Not yet. Thank you.”
Lilly gets up from her seat, using my left arm as support. She rubs my hair playfully before she makes more tea.
Outside the open window I spot a bird building a nest on a tree branch. The bird isn’t doing a great job building the nest, with some sticks it picked up falling to the ground. I read an article one time that birds build their nest better over time. If this is true, then this bird is still a young one.
“Here’s is your tea, dear,” Lilly hands me the cup tea. I take the cup and Lilly kisses me on the cheek.
“Thank you, honey.”
“I wonder where is Hanako?” she asks while she takes a seat next to me.
“She did say she had a big test next week,” I answer. “She might be studying.”
“Oh, I forgot about that. I have been busy with my own classes.”
“Me too. I’ve been having a lot of assignments lately.”
“Maybe we should study as well?”
Before I can answer, I hear sounds coming from the front door. The sound of the door opening echoes throughout our apartment. Not long we hear our best friend speak.
“I’m home!” Hanako calls out. She enters the living room, placing her school bag on the table. “Sorry, I’m late. Work got busy towards the end.”
“No worries, we were just about to have tea,” I say.
“You came in at the right time,” Lilly adds.
Hanako takes her seat, while Lilly prepares her a cup. Hanako sighs as she stretches her arms in the air. Her work uniform has some dust on it.
“Umm, Hanako, there’s some dust on your uniform.”
“Oh,” she brushes it away. “It’s flour. I had to make a lot of cupcakes for a party today.”
“A party?” Lilly places the cup of tea in front of her.
“Yes. I had to bake four dozen cupcakes for an office party”
“That’s a lot of cupcakes.”
“But that does remind me, I have a gift for you two.”
“A gift?” we both say in unison.
Hanako nods her head with a “yes” and begins to reach for her bag. She pulls out a pink box and slides it across the table. I slowly reach for the box and spot the mascot of the bakery Hanako works at. It’s a brown bear with a yellow apron waving. It is also holding a cookie with a bite in it.
“It’s a little early, but happy anniversary!”
I slowly open the box to reveal a cake. The design of the cake has two people that look like Lilly and myself sharing a kiss. The design looks a little rough, but you can tell that Hanako put a lot of effort in making it. I describe to my girlfriend the design and her face lights up with joy. It’s infectious that me and Hanako smile as well.
“Thank very much Hanako!” Lilly says in a joyous tone.
“It looks really good. I like the detail of my hair sticking up too.”
“Thank you Hanako, it looks delicious.”
“It’s red velvet cake.”
“Hisao, could you get the plates please.”
“Yes.”
I get up from my seat. I head towards the kitchen and over hear Hanako and Lilly chat it up. I can’t really hear what they are saying but I hear them laugh at some point. Well more like Lilly laughing. I get the plates from the cabinet and the knife and forks from the drawer and head back to the living room. I place the plates down and Hanako grabs the knife from my hand and proceed to cut us a piece of the cake.
“Here you go, Lilly.”
“Thank you Hanako.”
“And Hisao.”
“Thanks.”
Lilly is the first one to take the bite and her face shows her joy. She washes down the cake with her tea. Hanako smiles by Lilly’s expression and quietly looks at me for me to take a bite. I cut a piece with the fork and take a bite.
“Wow, Hanako,” I say, “This is some really good cake.”
“It’s delicious,” Lilly says after swallowing another bite.
“Thanks. I wasn’t too sure how the frosting would turn out. I thought it was a little bit thick.”
“It’s turned out great.”
“I’m really happy that you both like it.”
I hear a knock at the door.
“I’ll get it,” I say.
I make my way towards the front door. As I do, I pass by a mirror in our hallway I think I need to get a haircut soon. The tuft of hair that usually stands up is beginning to droop a bit. Maybe I should keep it. Enough with hairstyle decisions. I reach the front door and open it.
“Hey Hisao, long time no see.”
“Hey Akira, I guess it has been a long time. It’s been like what, six months since you last visited.”
“That long?” Akira tilts her head as she thinks.
“Oh, hi Hiro,” I greet Akira’s husband, who is walking towards us with a present.
“Hi Hisao, we’re not late, are we?” Hiro asks.
“No, we are still waiting for the birthday girl to get here,” I reassure, “Shingo said they are on their way. Lilly is inside finishing up cooking dinner and making some tea.”
“Is that Akira?” Lilly speaks up from the kitchen.
“Yo Lilly!” Akira gently pushes me aside and heads towards the kitchen.
Hiro enters, and I close the door. Me and him head to the living room where the party decorations are almost up. Floral designs are hanging around with some streamers still needing to join them. Naomi walks into the living room with tape in her hands.
“I found some more tape Hisao,” she says.
“Thanks Naomi. Hiro, you can place that gift on the table with the rest of the gifts.”
“Cool,” he makes his way to the table.
From the living room, we hear Akira and Lilly walking down the hallway. They both are smiling as they enter the room. I haven’t seen those two smile together in a long time. Not since Akira’s wedding a year ago I think. Akira even joked that she’s surprised she got marry before her sister. The two of them take a seat on the couch as I help Naomi set up the rest of the decorations. I told her that she didn’t have to help but Naomi insisted to help out, saying she doesn’t like to keep still when there’s work to be done.
“I think that’s all of the decorations. Thanks for the help Naomi.”
“Anytime Hisao,” she tapes up the last streamer. “You sure that’s enough? We still have one more we can hang up.”
“It’s fine.”
“Hanako finally got herself a boyfriend huh,” Akira speaks up.
“You can thank Hisao for hooking them up,” Lilly giggles. “He’s makes a good matchmaker.”
“Really?” Naomi takes a seat across from the sisters, “Think you can help me out Hisao? The last boy I dated was a nightmare.”
“Maybe some other time, Naomi.”
“How did you meet Shingo anyways?” Akira asks.
“He’s a classmate. We were in a study group one time and we hit it off,” I answer.
“Did he ever find a problem with…how Hanako looked?” Hiro speaks up.
I remember Hiro felt uncomfortable meeting her the first time. Hanako likes to make fun about it.
“Not at all. He told me that he grew up with his grandma and she had this big scar across her face from a farming accident when she was a kid.”
“Oh, I think dinner should be done,” Lilly begins to get up. “The tea as well.”
“I’ll take care of it Lilly. You’ll been busy since morning.”
“You sure dear?”
“Yes,” I walk towards her and give her a peck on the cheek. “Plus, I think you and Akira have some catching up to do.”
“Yeah sis. We need to have a talk about something.”
“You need any help Hisao?” Naomi gets up from her seat.
“It’s fine. Relax Naomi,” Lilly reassures her.
“…,” Naomi takes a seat almost begrudgingly.
I make my way to the kitchen just as the tea kettle begins to whistle. I quickly head towards the stove and turn it off. I get the tea cups from the cabinet and place them on the tray. I place the kettle on the tray and head back to the living room.
“Here is the tea,” I place the tray on the table.
“Thank you Hisao,” Lilly nods with a smile. Her hand searches for the tray.
“Oh,” Hanako speaks up.
“What is it Hanako?”
“Nothing. Just the baby is kicking again. Do you want to feel the baby Lilly?”
“I would love to.”
Lilly moves next to Hanako. Hanako lifts her shirt to expose her baby bump. She then guides her friend’s hand to her stomach and Lilly’s face brightens as she feels the baby moving around.
“When is the baby due again?” I ask.
“The doctor said in 9 weeks,” Shingo speaks up.
“My my, that’s not that far away.”
“I’m surprised that we are having the baby before you two,” Hanako covers her stomach.
“Well Hisao has been busy with school and I have been busy as well.”
“I feel bad for taking so long to purposed to you dear.”
“It’s okay honey. I know we agreed that once we were finish with our studies we would have our wedding.”
“I still can’t believe you went back for your masters Hisao. I couldn’t take another semester of school,” Shingo pours tea for his wife.
“It wasn’t easy, that’s for sure. I felt bad for Lilly for spending some nights alone in bed.”
“There were times Hisao pulled an all-nighter. Then there were nights where he actually study,” Lilly’s laughs heartily.
I almost spill my tea.
“When is the wedding?” Hanako quickly changes the subject.
“We haven’t set a date yet, but we agreed to have it in the summer,” I answer.
“Is that when you two became a couple?”
“Yes,” I nod. “Crazy that we have been together for almost a decade now. Feels like yesterday when I ran into Lilly trying to find the library.”
“I like to believe it was fate.”
“I think it was the same for the both of us as well,” Shingo puts his arm around his wife. Hanako returns the gesture with a kiss on the cheek.
“Has it been a decade?” Hanako places her cup down, reminiscing.
“It’s been a crazy ride, but with you two, it has made it an easy one,” I kiss Lilly.
“You two have helped me a lot as well,” Hanako says. “You two are not only my best friends, but also my family.”
“Hanako, you’ve always been my sister.”
“Momma, I can’t sleep,” Kimiko enters the tea room rubbing her eyes.
Kimiko is our daughter. She has her mother features, which over the years have become more prominent. The only two features I can say she inherited from are my brown eyes and the tuft of hair that sticks up from her head.
She’s at that the age where she’s becoming more independent and not asking for our help. But she is still young enough to not shy away from acting like a little kid. The days of her being a little kid are almost gone, but she will always be my little angel.
“Oh, Kimiko,” Lilly hugs our daughter, “I’ll make you some tea to help you fall asleep.”
“We should get going ourselves,” Shingo stands up. “We have to get up early tomorrow.”
“What time is your flight?”
“Eight o’clock.”
“So we have to leave at six,” Hanako adds, holding their son, who’s passed out.
“I’ll call Akira tomorrow to remind her to pick you up at the airport,” Lilly says.
“We’ll make sure to bring you gifts when we get back,” Shingo begins to pack up.
“Gifts?” Kimiko ears perk up. “Bring lots of gifts please.”
“I’ll try,” Shingo laughs.
“Here’s your tea dear.”
“Bye Lilly,” Hanako hugs awkwardly with her son in one arm.”
“I’ll call you when we land.”
“Okay, take care you two. And have a safe trip.”
“I’ll walk you guys out.”
I walk with Hanako and Shingo to the door.
“I’ll see guys later and have a nice trip.”
“Thanks, Hisao,” they both say.
I make my way back inside and see my wife and daughter walking down the hallway to Kimiko’s room. I quickly follow them into the room.
“Hey you two. You ready for bed Kimiko?” I ask.
“Uh huh,” she nods her head as she climbs into bed.
“I just need my goodnight kisses.”
“Well here’s one,” her mother pecks her cheek as she tucks our daughter in.
“And here’s two,” I kiss her on the other cheek. “And another one for your mother.”
“Oh, Hisao,” Lilly blushes from the unseen kiss.
“Goodnight Kimiko,” we both say.
“Wait.”
“What is it now Kimiko?” Lilly asks.
“Can you play the music box? I want to hear it one more time.”
“Okay, but after the song is over, you have to go to bed.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
I grab the music box off the drawer. I still remember the day that I bought. It was about twenty years ago when I walked into that antique shop looking for a gift for Hanako. Spotting that music box from the assortment of antiques. Lilly’s face when she first heard that tune has always been one of my most precious memories and over the years, I have been lucky to have collected more memories with her. I wind it up. It begins to play the familiar tune. As the song plays, I hug Lilly and she is caught off guard.
“Hisao?”
“Lilly I love you.”
Prompt: Hisao sits in the tea room with the window open, drinking tea with Lilly and Hanako. Describe his thoughts, feelings, the tea, sounds of the room, ect.
Side note: I was really tempted to use a scene from the game to see if anyone would know and take the lazy way out. Also this I cut out some ideas which I would have like to put towards the end, but time and yada yada yada.
From Time
“Here’s your tea, Hisao,” Lilly hands me the cup of tea with her trademark warm smile that I become accustom to for three months now.
“Thanks Lilly,” I take the cup with one hand and holds the saucer for support with my other hand.
“And here’s yours, Hanako.”
“T-thanks Lilly,” Hanako replies with a smile of her own.
Hanako really has come a long way from when I met her. Well she is still shy, but slowly has been opening up. Well, she still has her moments, but she is more outgoing than before. Seeing her now is almost like a new person. I guess her joining the Newspaper Club has helped her out. Kind of makes me wonder if I had ended up with her instead of Lilly. Though the idea has come to mind a few times, I’m happy with my life.
“So Hanako,” Lilly takes her seat next to me, “How are Miss Ooe and Miss Inoue doing?”
“T-they are doing great,” Hanako’s voice perks up a little. “Yesterday, Natsume was freaking out because s-she thought she lost her glasses.”
“What happened?” I ask.
“At first, she b-blamed Naomi that she stole them. Naomi s-started teasing her that she is an absentminded person, who would lose their head if it wasn’t connected to her shoulders. I told her that her glasses were in her hand. Natsumi turn b-bright red.”
“Oh my,” Lilly responds with a small laugh, follow by Hanako. It’s still foreign to hear Hanako laugh, but I would be lying to say it’s not cute.
“Is Ooe really absentminded?” I ask.
“N-no. We’ve been busy recently and Natsume gets f-flustered when there’s a deadline.”
“Oh my,” Lilly sets her tea down, “I hope she is doing okay.”
“She’s okay, she usually takes a break when she needs it.”
“The newspaper club sounds like it can be hectic,” I comment.
“S-sometimes,” Hanako’s voice trails off.
I take drink of my tea. Lilly picked Jasmine tea today. I’m really a fan of it, but Lilly makes it in a way that I can be okay with. I place the cup back on the saucer and listen to my best friends talk to each about a new restaurant in the city. Supposedly they have a karaoke setup on certain days where people can sing in public. It does sound interesting because karaoke is usually done in a private room. Hanako said she heard it was popular in other countries and that sometimes people drink before going up. I wonder why anyone would do that, but Lilly seem intrigued by the idea.
“I would only sing if Hisao sings with me,” Lilly snuggles my arm.
“Me? Sing?” I shake my head in embarrassment. “I’m not a great singer. And singing in public sounds like a nightmare.”
“Lilly said y-you had a great singing voice, H-hisao,” Hanako smiles, her face turning a slight red. Remnants of shy Hanako still there.
“Why would say such a thing?”
“You remember our trip back to Hokkaido with just the two of us?” she asked with a smile.
“I don’t remember singing.”
“You have quite the voice when you shower.”
Both Lilly and Hanako share laugh at my expense, but I look down and finish the rest of my tea. It was the only the thing I can do. “Can I have more tea Lilly?”
“Yes dear, I’m almost done myself. Would you like more tea as well, Hanako?”
“Not yet. Thank you.”
Lilly gets up from her seat, using my left arm as support. She rubs my hair playfully before she makes more tea.
Outside the open window I spot a bird building a nest on a tree branch. The bird isn’t doing a great job building the nest, with some sticks it picked up falling to the ground. I read an article one time that birds build their nest better over time. If this is true, then this bird is still a young one.
“Here’s is your tea, dear,” Lilly hands me the cup tea. I take the cup and Lilly kisses me on the cheek.
“Thank you, honey.”
“I wonder where is Hanako?” she asks while she takes a seat next to me.
“She did say she had a big test next week,” I answer. “She might be studying.”
“Oh, I forgot about that. I have been busy with my own classes.”
“Me too. I’ve been having a lot of assignments lately.”
“Maybe we should study as well?”
Before I can answer, I hear sounds coming from the front door. The sound of the door opening echoes throughout our apartment. Not long we hear our best friend speak.
“I’m home!” Hanako calls out. She enters the living room, placing her school bag on the table. “Sorry, I’m late. Work got busy towards the end.”
“No worries, we were just about to have tea,” I say.
“You came in at the right time,” Lilly adds.
Hanako takes her seat, while Lilly prepares her a cup. Hanako sighs as she stretches her arms in the air. Her work uniform has some dust on it.
“Umm, Hanako, there’s some dust on your uniform.”
“Oh,” she brushes it away. “It’s flour. I had to make a lot of cupcakes for a party today.”
“A party?” Lilly places the cup of tea in front of her.
“Yes. I had to bake four dozen cupcakes for an office party”
“That’s a lot of cupcakes.”
“But that does remind me, I have a gift for you two.”
“A gift?” we both say in unison.
Hanako nods her head with a “yes” and begins to reach for her bag. She pulls out a pink box and slides it across the table. I slowly reach for the box and spot the mascot of the bakery Hanako works at. It’s a brown bear with a yellow apron waving. It is also holding a cookie with a bite in it.
“It’s a little early, but happy anniversary!”
I slowly open the box to reveal a cake. The design of the cake has two people that look like Lilly and myself sharing a kiss. The design looks a little rough, but you can tell that Hanako put a lot of effort in making it. I describe to my girlfriend the design and her face lights up with joy. It’s infectious that me and Hanako smile as well.
“Thank very much Hanako!” Lilly says in a joyous tone.
“It looks really good. I like the detail of my hair sticking up too.”
“Thank you Hanako, it looks delicious.”
“It’s red velvet cake.”
“Hisao, could you get the plates please.”
“Yes.”
I get up from my seat. I head towards the kitchen and over hear Hanako and Lilly chat it up. I can’t really hear what they are saying but I hear them laugh at some point. Well more like Lilly laughing. I get the plates from the cabinet and the knife and forks from the drawer and head back to the living room. I place the plates down and Hanako grabs the knife from my hand and proceed to cut us a piece of the cake.
“Here you go, Lilly.”
“Thank you Hanako.”
“And Hisao.”
“Thanks.”
Lilly is the first one to take the bite and her face shows her joy. She washes down the cake with her tea. Hanako smiles by Lilly’s expression and quietly looks at me for me to take a bite. I cut a piece with the fork and take a bite.
“Wow, Hanako,” I say, “This is some really good cake.”
“It’s delicious,” Lilly says after swallowing another bite.
“Thanks. I wasn’t too sure how the frosting would turn out. I thought it was a little bit thick.”
“It’s turned out great.”
“I’m really happy that you both like it.”
I hear a knock at the door.
“I’ll get it,” I say.
I make my way towards the front door. As I do, I pass by a mirror in our hallway I think I need to get a haircut soon. The tuft of hair that usually stands up is beginning to droop a bit. Maybe I should keep it. Enough with hairstyle decisions. I reach the front door and open it.
“Hey Hisao, long time no see.”
“Hey Akira, I guess it has been a long time. It’s been like what, six months since you last visited.”
“That long?” Akira tilts her head as she thinks.
“Oh, hi Hiro,” I greet Akira’s husband, who is walking towards us with a present.
“Hi Hisao, we’re not late, are we?” Hiro asks.
“No, we are still waiting for the birthday girl to get here,” I reassure, “Shingo said they are on their way. Lilly is inside finishing up cooking dinner and making some tea.”
“Is that Akira?” Lilly speaks up from the kitchen.
“Yo Lilly!” Akira gently pushes me aside and heads towards the kitchen.
Hiro enters, and I close the door. Me and him head to the living room where the party decorations are almost up. Floral designs are hanging around with some streamers still needing to join them. Naomi walks into the living room with tape in her hands.
“I found some more tape Hisao,” she says.
“Thanks Naomi. Hiro, you can place that gift on the table with the rest of the gifts.”
“Cool,” he makes his way to the table.
From the living room, we hear Akira and Lilly walking down the hallway. They both are smiling as they enter the room. I haven’t seen those two smile together in a long time. Not since Akira’s wedding a year ago I think. Akira even joked that she’s surprised she got marry before her sister. The two of them take a seat on the couch as I help Naomi set up the rest of the decorations. I told her that she didn’t have to help but Naomi insisted to help out, saying she doesn’t like to keep still when there’s work to be done.
“I think that’s all of the decorations. Thanks for the help Naomi.”
“Anytime Hisao,” she tapes up the last streamer. “You sure that’s enough? We still have one more we can hang up.”
“It’s fine.”
“Hanako finally got herself a boyfriend huh,” Akira speaks up.
“You can thank Hisao for hooking them up,” Lilly giggles. “He’s makes a good matchmaker.”
“Really?” Naomi takes a seat across from the sisters, “Think you can help me out Hisao? The last boy I dated was a nightmare.”
“Maybe some other time, Naomi.”
“How did you meet Shingo anyways?” Akira asks.
“He’s a classmate. We were in a study group one time and we hit it off,” I answer.
“Did he ever find a problem with…how Hanako looked?” Hiro speaks up.
I remember Hiro felt uncomfortable meeting her the first time. Hanako likes to make fun about it.
“Not at all. He told me that he grew up with his grandma and she had this big scar across her face from a farming accident when she was a kid.”
“Oh, I think dinner should be done,” Lilly begins to get up. “The tea as well.”
“I’ll take care of it Lilly. You’ll been busy since morning.”
“You sure dear?”
“Yes,” I walk towards her and give her a peck on the cheek. “Plus, I think you and Akira have some catching up to do.”
“Yeah sis. We need to have a talk about something.”
“You need any help Hisao?” Naomi gets up from her seat.
“It’s fine. Relax Naomi,” Lilly reassures her.
“…,” Naomi takes a seat almost begrudgingly.
I make my way to the kitchen just as the tea kettle begins to whistle. I quickly head towards the stove and turn it off. I get the tea cups from the cabinet and place them on the tray. I place the kettle on the tray and head back to the living room.
“Here is the tea,” I place the tray on the table.
“Thank you Hisao,” Lilly nods with a smile. Her hand searches for the tray.
“Oh,” Hanako speaks up.
“What is it Hanako?”
“Nothing. Just the baby is kicking again. Do you want to feel the baby Lilly?”
“I would love to.”
Lilly moves next to Hanako. Hanako lifts her shirt to expose her baby bump. She then guides her friend’s hand to her stomach and Lilly’s face brightens as she feels the baby moving around.
“When is the baby due again?” I ask.
“The doctor said in 9 weeks,” Shingo speaks up.
“My my, that’s not that far away.”
“I’m surprised that we are having the baby before you two,” Hanako covers her stomach.
“Well Hisao has been busy with school and I have been busy as well.”
“I feel bad for taking so long to purposed to you dear.”
“It’s okay honey. I know we agreed that once we were finish with our studies we would have our wedding.”
“I still can’t believe you went back for your masters Hisao. I couldn’t take another semester of school,” Shingo pours tea for his wife.
“It wasn’t easy, that’s for sure. I felt bad for Lilly for spending some nights alone in bed.”
“There were times Hisao pulled an all-nighter. Then there were nights where he actually study,” Lilly’s laughs heartily.
I almost spill my tea.
“When is the wedding?” Hanako quickly changes the subject.
“We haven’t set a date yet, but we agreed to have it in the summer,” I answer.
“Is that when you two became a couple?”
“Yes,” I nod. “Crazy that we have been together for almost a decade now. Feels like yesterday when I ran into Lilly trying to find the library.”
“I like to believe it was fate.”
“I think it was the same for the both of us as well,” Shingo puts his arm around his wife. Hanako returns the gesture with a kiss on the cheek.
“Has it been a decade?” Hanako places her cup down, reminiscing.
“It’s been a crazy ride, but with you two, it has made it an easy one,” I kiss Lilly.
“You two have helped me a lot as well,” Hanako says. “You two are not only my best friends, but also my family.”
“Hanako, you’ve always been my sister.”
“Momma, I can’t sleep,” Kimiko enters the tea room rubbing her eyes.
Kimiko is our daughter. She has her mother features, which over the years have become more prominent. The only two features I can say she inherited from are my brown eyes and the tuft of hair that sticks up from her head.
She’s at that the age where she’s becoming more independent and not asking for our help. But she is still young enough to not shy away from acting like a little kid. The days of her being a little kid are almost gone, but she will always be my little angel.
“Oh, Kimiko,” Lilly hugs our daughter, “I’ll make you some tea to help you fall asleep.”
“We should get going ourselves,” Shingo stands up. “We have to get up early tomorrow.”
“What time is your flight?”
“Eight o’clock.”
“So we have to leave at six,” Hanako adds, holding their son, who’s passed out.
“I’ll call Akira tomorrow to remind her to pick you up at the airport,” Lilly says.
“We’ll make sure to bring you gifts when we get back,” Shingo begins to pack up.
“Gifts?” Kimiko ears perk up. “Bring lots of gifts please.”
“I’ll try,” Shingo laughs.
“Here’s your tea dear.”
“Bye Lilly,” Hanako hugs awkwardly with her son in one arm.”
“I’ll call you when we land.”
“Okay, take care you two. And have a safe trip.”
“I’ll walk you guys out.”
I walk with Hanako and Shingo to the door.
“I’ll see guys later and have a nice trip.”
“Thanks, Hisao,” they both say.
I make my way back inside and see my wife and daughter walking down the hallway to Kimiko’s room. I quickly follow them into the room.
“Hey you two. You ready for bed Kimiko?” I ask.
“Uh huh,” she nods her head as she climbs into bed.
“I just need my goodnight kisses.”
“Well here’s one,” her mother pecks her cheek as she tucks our daughter in.
“And here’s two,” I kiss her on the other cheek. “And another one for your mother.”
“Oh, Hisao,” Lilly blushes from the unseen kiss.
“Goodnight Kimiko,” we both say.
“Wait.”
“What is it now Kimiko?” Lilly asks.
“Can you play the music box? I want to hear it one more time.”
“Okay, but after the song is over, you have to go to bed.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
I grab the music box off the drawer. I still remember the day that I bought. It was about twenty years ago when I walked into that antique shop looking for a gift for Hanako. Spotting that music box from the assortment of antiques. Lilly’s face when she first heard that tune has always been one of my most precious memories and over the years, I have been lucky to have collected more memories with her. I wind it up. It begins to play the familiar tune. As the song plays, I hug Lilly and she is caught off guard.
“Hisao?”
“Lilly I love you.”