Disclaimer: The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.
REAL disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. Duh.
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I held the picture in my hands, staring at the woman within it, at her
kind, wrinkled face, mussed up white hair and diminutive stature.
'Grandma was always a little bit of a thing,' I thought.
Grandma became even smaller when she got cancer, her body shriveling up
like a raisin. My mom, who is one of the best doctors of Tokyo, tried
to help her. But in the end, death claimed another victory over
medicine.
It's been two months since she died. I fight the urge to cry; Grandma
wouldn't want me to be sad. She was the kind of woman who believed in
experiencing life to the fullest, right to the end. She loved to swim,
paint pictures of the lake, just past the backyard of her house, plant
flowers and talk to her precious Ami.
I had always had a repoir with Grandma, from the time I was a little
girl until now, when I am twenty-three and fresh out of college. She
was one of the few people who understood me. She helped me through my
troubled teen years, when I felt friendless and alone. Grandma
encouraged me to get out more and live life instead of always having my
nose stuck in a book. She was smart as a whip, and had accumulated a
lot of wisdom over the years. I loved visiting her house, smelling the
lakeside air and Grandma, whose scent always reminded me of lavender
and baby powder. She died the way she lived; without regrets.
My biggest regret was that I didn't have a picture of us together. I
don't know why...I just guess I never got around to it. Now I hold the
picture in my hands and wish to God that I was in it, smiling right
along with her.
I remember that my computer has an image manipulation program that
could put me in the picture. Of course, I'd have to get the lighting
just right, adjust the shadows and contrast.....
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"Wow, Ames, what'cha got there?" asked Usagi, my bubbly blonde, blue
eyed friend, looking at the picture in my wallet.
I smiled. "Just a picture of Grandma and I."
"Wow, cool! So how are you doing, I mean...with her...um..passing and
all?" she asked.
I felt truly grateful to have such a caring friend. "It still hurts," I
responded honestly, "but I do feel better. Thanks."
"No problem," she said, patting me on the back.
"It's not an..um...real picture, though," I said.
"It's not?"
"No. I did this on the computer and put myself in the picture."
At this, Usagi took the picture out and held it up to the light.
"That's amazing! I would never have guessed."
I blushed. "It's nothing, really."
"You did that on a computer?" asked a tall, slender brunette in a
jogging suit.
"Oh, hi, Makoto. I didn't hear you come in," I said.
"Yeah, she did. Isn't Ami the greatest?" enthused Usagi.
"The best," agreed Makoto.
"Hey guys, how's it going?" asked a leggy blonde.
"Hi, Minako. Ami's just showing us this wicked cool picture she did
with her and her grandma on the computer," said Usagi.
Minako eyed it with all the scrutiny she had learned as a model. "Cool!
You can't even tell."
"Y'know, you should do this for real, I mean, as a job," said Usagi
through a mouthful of sundae.
"You think?"
"I know so," said Rei, the spiritual, fiery, raven haired priestess
that had just joined us. "I'll bet even that ornery cusswad, Mamoru
would like it."
"REI!" yelled Usagi after swallowing a spoonful. "You picking on my
Mamo-chan? How many times must I tell you to LAY OFF?"
"Relax, Usako, I can take care of myself. But I do appreciate the
effort, koiishi," said a deep voice from behind.
"MAMO-CHAN!" squealed Usagi, jumping from her stool into her husband's
arms.
"I'm happy to see you too," he said, placing a kiss on her head.
They stood there like that talking quietly for awhile until Rei slammed
down her spoon and announced, "Get a room, love-birds. You're freaking
me out."
"You're just jealous," Usagi said, sticking out her tongue.
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Geez, will you two morons ACT YOUR AGE?" yelled Makoto.
"Or at least your shoe size," muttered Minako.
"I HEARD THAT!" yelled both Usagi and Rei, and Mamoru stepped back to
protect his eardrums.
I smiled, even though I was secretly jealous of Usagi and Mamoru's
relationship. They were high school sweethearts, having been together
ever since she was 14 and he was 17. They got married two years ago,
and ever since then they seemed joined at the hip.
"Let's leave this baka and go home," said Usagi sweetly, leaving a
fuming Rei. "I can't wait to show you what I have planned for tonight."
"What's that, koiishi?"
She whispered something, then I heard her say, "Did you get
the...um...you know...things?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You wanted ribbed, extra sensitive, right?"
"MAMO-CHAN!" I heard her squeal in embarrassment as they walked out of
the restaurant. Even though their backs were turned to me, I could
almost see her face turning the shade of a tomato.
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A few more months passed by. I was happily busy. I had gotten the
business permit and a nice building in downtown Tokyo, between
Starbuck's and Brueggers. Pretty good setup, if I do say so myself.
Makoto, who deals in real estate, told me the three most important
things of real estate are location, location, location. I think I've
got it right.
I spent a few weeks combining pictures. Most of them were ridiculous,
the combinations being so unlikely that they would be impossible in
real life. I had pictures of me next to Jim Morrison, Pavarotti, Elvis,
Brad Pitt, Marilyn Monroe and Naoko Takeuchi. I giggled a bit as I hung
each one, posting a blown up version of myself and Grandma in an
especially prominent place. I think that picture is my best work. I
stood back and smiled, satisfied with my handiwork.
I was also very grateful to my friends. Usagi, Rei, Minako and Makoto
had helped me scrape the walls and put up the wallpaper, while Mamoru
set up the floor tiles. Michiru had come over and helped me with the
interior decorations, and Hakura had selected the music. Setsuna popped
in to make sure the clock was right and Hotaru had done all the
promotion and marketing.
Still, my stomach was full of butterflies who were as anxious as I was
as I flipped the sign from closed to open, officially starting Miss
Mizuno's Photo Studio for the day.
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(
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