" Aren't you eating?' She asks sweetly when she finally noticed that his plate is untouched. He shook his head silently. " Why? You are not hungry?" He decides not to reply.
" Miss Jen! Miss Jen! Look what I can do with a french fry!" Hajime beckons impatiently.
This is not his idea of a nice lunch date with the girl. For one thing, he is not a staunch supporter of fast food. Seeing her enjoying it did nothing to improve his appetite. And his guilty conscience led him to believe that the other diners probably think that he is out with his wife and two kids. He just don't see why he has to fake it if he can have a real family of his own.
" Are we ready to go?" He affirms when his nephews finally exhaust every item on the menu. Both boys are slouching in their seats looking terribly sleepy.
" I think they are." Jen replies with an amused smile.
While she waits in the car, he led the two boys up to their home. Left alone, she mused at how little he said throughout the journey. The situation did not improved either on the rest of the way home.
" I took the rest of the day off."
" ..."
" Can you send me home or do I have take the train?" She teases.
" I'm on my way home ~" He mutters grouchily under his breath.
" Please accept my thanks!" She replies rather gaily, ignoring his sulking totally. Then it is total silence all the way.
The moment he stops the car before her gate, she jumps out and wave quickly. Before he could respond, she has broken into a run up her garden path.
" Why is she so cheerful today anyway?" He mutters unhappily as he enters his own house. Still grumbling he made his way into his kitchen to get a drink. He has no idea why he is feeling cranky all day. When his doorbell rang. he was even more sullen than before.
" I thought you might like some pie." She said grinning at his wide-eyed look. " You did not eat much for lunch, you must be feeling peckish."
Total silence. He continued to stare fixedly at her while she kept her large grin on her face and her hands holding the pie dish steady.
" What kind is it?" He croaks in mock severity and she blinks innocently. Suddenly the both of them broke into perfectly synchronised laughter. Moving aside, he gestures for her to enter.
" I wish you have a door in the kitchen." She said wistfully while he pecks away at an exceptionally large piece of the confectionary.
" ..." He looked at her with enquiring eyes since his mouth is full.
To his surprise, she chuckles. " It's just a silly notion. Knocking on your kitchen door will be so much more cozy. Besides we always end up in your kitchen." His eyes widen in surprise before chuckling to himself while the sudden realization of the implication of her last sentence made her blush.
" Wait a sec, I have something for you." He stood up suddenly and ran out of the kitchen.
" I am staying right here." She promises. Although she has that uncanny feeling what he wanted to show her, her curiousity made her excited. Very soon he jogs back into the kitchen and put out his hand. As she watches, all his fingers open up to reveal a small plastic daisy ring sitting on his palm.
" I believe this belongs to you?" He asks in an usually gentle voice. Seeing that she is all stiff and silent, he remained still too. Then at last, she nods and reach for it. Holding it between her fingers, she stared at it in silence.
" Why didn't you come on that day as you had promised?" She asks in a low, almost inaudible voice while her eyes are staring fixedly on the ring.
Opening his mouth to answer, he realises that he does not have an answer to that. Without a word, he flopped back into his seat and stares at the table top in silence.
" I waited.....and waited....." She whispers absently. " I looked high and low....." Her voice drones on.
Suddenly both of them are no longer in Goro's kitchen. They had traveled back to that little town again, back to being children again ~ the ache of separation wetting their eyes.
" Mother held the door for me as Father led me into the backseat. But I turned back again. I ~"
" I know." Goro's soft whisper interrupts her. " I saw you looking ...... searching ...... waiting ......"
Her eyes grew as big as grapes. It is not easy for her to digest this new truth. The background morphs back to the present.
" I never......knew......" She whispers tearfully.
" I arrived at your house before dawn broke. I saw you came running out of the house, looking high and low.....I saw you sat down on your porch stairs disaapointed. I saw you turned back to look again as your father drove off......I did not......
" I am so sorry......"
"..."
" I couldn't come out from the tree. My feet were rooted to the ground."
" You must have been quite lonely after I left?"
" Eh?" Goro raises his head quickly in surprise. She is smiling sadly at him.
" I was ~" She replied as he nodded in earnest.
" Your daisy ring, I found it the first time we met. Remember the second time we met? I had waited for days to return the ring to you but I never gotten around to that. And when you left ~ I......"
There was a glint in her eyes as she listens to his confession.
