For the first time in what seemed like ages (then again, it probably HAS been ages) I had my bed all to myself. Not that I minded. Odd, isn't it. Me actually WANTING to sleep alone. Ah well. I had enough things running through my mind to avert any loneliness that might beset upon me. Like my Dad. What was he like? Why did he leave my mom without even waiting for her to come to term? My understanding of the situation goes something like this.
Mom: Okuda-kun, I'm pregnant.
Okuda: *takes off as fast as he possibly can*
Has he ever wondered what I was like? If he had stayed with my mom, would I still be where I am today?
It was with thoughts like those that I fell asleep.
What woke me next morning was the rising sun peeking in through my window. I just can't sleep when it's too light in my room. Reluctantly, I hauled myself out of bed, and got dressed.
In the kitchen, things weren't exactly normal. But it was close enough. Ken still refused to take a seat. He was eating a bowl of that energy cereal or something. Aya was glaring at me as if his whole failure to get anything satisfactory out of Ken was MY fault. I could have TOLD you that him and Ken would never work. They're too different. He had a mug of BLACK coffee and get this: he was eating a bowl of "Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs." So sugary you'd get diabetes just eating it. Oh well. I suppose Aya-kun could use all the sweetening up he could get.
Omi was acting normal. He had a printout of the stuff he'd found on my dad posted to the fridge. I never thought that anyone actually DID this, but here it was: He had in front of him the 'fully balanced breakfast' one sees on cereal commercials: Cheerios, milk, OJ, Toast and jam. On a Saturday.
I made myself a coffee and fried up an egg. When they were ready I sat down, and started on Ken and Aya and their . . . relationship problems.
"Ken . . .you can't possibly STILL be hurting, can you? Sit down!" I reached my legs under the table and kicked the fourth chair out to him. He just grunted and leaned against the wall.
"It MIGHT have been, I can't help it if this guy took 'If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.' a little TOO seriously."
All eyes went to Aya, who by now had buried his face in the cereal box. I whisked it away from him. He glared up at Ken.
"For an assassin, you have a strikingly low tolerance to pain, you know?"
"That's not my problem!"
"Since you're the one who hurts too much to sit, I'd say it IS your problem."
"Guys, guys!" Omi cut in. "Please, I DON'T want to hear this!"
Poor Omi. I don't think it's possible for him to get any MORE grossed out over this. Then again, he probably thought the three of us were straight as rulers before this. I'm certainly enjoying their diversionary tactics. Aya still doesn't think I can pull this off. He fails to see that I didn't swear off sex: I swore off sex with them. But I don't think I will. I've chased after enough people since puberty. I want someone to chase ME for a change.
The picture of my dad on the fridge brought my thoughts back to the task at hand: to stop making excuses, and go meet him. With a tremendous act of willpower, I picked myself up, snatched my Dad's photo off the fridge, and went to my car. It was already midmorning. He should be awake by now.
In the end it took me about fifteen minutes to drive to his place. It was nice. A two-storey house that looked like it could be home to a happy family. Two parents, two kids and a pet. Of course, those kids would probably be grown by now. In their late teens, or early twenties like myself. Jeez, this guy walks out on my mom, and I'm the one who feels like the homewrecker. But of course, I was going to go on and wreck it anyway. Even if the neglected son in me doesn't want to know, the detective in me does. I walked up to the door and rang the bell.
Footsteps. Then I heard the lock slide open and the door opened. From inside the house, I heard a woman's voice speak.
"Who is it, Okuda?" the woman said.
"Let me answer the door first." Said the man opening the door. He opened it cautiously, and when the door was fully open, I knew I was at the right house. I was staring into the face of my father.