Sugar and Pepper (16)
FIFTEEN
* SIXTEEN *
01.
The knock woke him early in the morning. Mr. Ohno opened the door of his hotel room and saw his son standing in the hall, looking worn and tired.
“You walked here,” he observed before anything else. “We weren’t supposed to meet until later, but I guess your mother didn’t take the news very well.” He ushered Satoshi into his room and headed into the bathroom to wash.
Satoshi didn’t correct his father since he hadn’t told him about his mother’s trip. He stood quietly, feeling a little lost in the luxurious room.
“Tell her I just wanted to have dinner with you,” his father said from the bathroom.
“Can’t I move to America with you?” Satoshi whispered.
“Did you say something?” Mr. Ohno’s voice wafted from the other room.
Satoshi rubbed his tired eyes before he leaned into his hands. “I want to move to America with you,” he whispered.
02.
Jun rejected his friends’ offer to hang out and stayed at home.
He wrapped his sprained wrist then watched taped videos of past baseball games until evening. When his parents called to check on them, he lied that he and Satoshi were well. For lunch and dinner, he ate ramen in silence. At night, he did nothing but anxiously wait for his brother.
When midnight came around and Satoshi still did not come home, Jun went out to the veranda and lay on his back. He stared at the night sky and waited some more.
He waited until the next morning.
03.
Mr. Ohno returned to his room after a business meeting and saw his son curled up on the couch on a perfectly sunny afternoon. “You’re not going out?” he asked. He hadn’t noticed how laidback his son was before.
“No,” Satoshi answered and went back to his silence.
Mr. Ohno left him as he was and sorted through his clothes for casual wear. He changed out of his suit and turned to the mirror. Using his reflection as guide, he fixed his attire until he was satisfied. “I won’t be back until late,” he said. “If you’re hungry, there’s room service. Or you can go down to one of the restaurants and charge it on my tab.”
He didn’t care that Satoshi didn’t answer.
At the door, Mr. Ohno glanced back to his dazed son, saw that he was fine, and left.
04.
“Satoshi won’t come to the phone?” his mother asked, hopeful. She had called four times before and been denied a response from her oldest child.
“He hasn’t come back from his friend,” Jun lied. “He probably won’t speak anyway. I haven’t heard him say a word all day.” At least the last part was true.
“All right,” his mother said. “Well, stay healthy and lock all the windows and doors when you go to sleep.”
“I know.” Jun faked irritation. He hung up.
Although the sun was setting, he pulled on his shoes and went out for a walk. He unlocked all the doors and windows and hoped Satoshi would find his way in when he returned.
05.
That night, Jun lay on the veranda again. The house was empty except for him and he didn’t want to stay inside, alone, where his voice might echo back to him. He remembered that he had left Satoshi in that same desolate state and he understood the loneliness he had forced on his brother.
He stared at the starry sky, a sight he had become used to in the last two days, and wondered where Satoshi was, if his brother had eaten, if his brother was well, if his brother was thinking of him at that moment too. He wondered if Satoshi missed him as much as Jun missed him.
Jun held his breath, even when he thought he could no longer breathe. He clenched shut his eyes and prayed that Satoshi would come back.
06.
He woke to the sun beaming down on him.
He went inside the house, checked that all the doors and windows were not locked as he had left them last night and, hopeful, searched the rooms.
The house was still empty except for him.
Jun knew what he wanted.
* *
X-SIXTEEN.FIVE ~ SEVENTEEN
* SIXTEEN *
01.
The knock woke him early in the morning. Mr. Ohno opened the door of his hotel room and saw his son standing in the hall, looking worn and tired.
“You walked here,” he observed before anything else. “We weren’t supposed to meet until later, but I guess your mother didn’t take the news very well.” He ushered Satoshi into his room and headed into the bathroom to wash.
Satoshi didn’t correct his father since he hadn’t told him about his mother’s trip. He stood quietly, feeling a little lost in the luxurious room.
“Tell her I just wanted to have dinner with you,” his father said from the bathroom.
“Can’t I move to America with you?” Satoshi whispered.
“Did you say something?” Mr. Ohno’s voice wafted from the other room.
Satoshi rubbed his tired eyes before he leaned into his hands. “I want to move to America with you,” he whispered.
02.
Jun rejected his friends’ offer to hang out and stayed at home.
He wrapped his sprained wrist then watched taped videos of past baseball games until evening. When his parents called to check on them, he lied that he and Satoshi were well. For lunch and dinner, he ate ramen in silence. At night, he did nothing but anxiously wait for his brother.
When midnight came around and Satoshi still did not come home, Jun went out to the veranda and lay on his back. He stared at the night sky and waited some more.
He waited until the next morning.
03.
Mr. Ohno returned to his room after a business meeting and saw his son curled up on the couch on a perfectly sunny afternoon. “You’re not going out?” he asked. He hadn’t noticed how laidback his son was before.
“No,” Satoshi answered and went back to his silence.
Mr. Ohno left him as he was and sorted through his clothes for casual wear. He changed out of his suit and turned to the mirror. Using his reflection as guide, he fixed his attire until he was satisfied. “I won’t be back until late,” he said. “If you’re hungry, there’s room service. Or you can go down to one of the restaurants and charge it on my tab.”
He didn’t care that Satoshi didn’t answer.
At the door, Mr. Ohno glanced back to his dazed son, saw that he was fine, and left.
04.
“Satoshi won’t come to the phone?” his mother asked, hopeful. She had called four times before and been denied a response from her oldest child.
“He hasn’t come back from his friend,” Jun lied. “He probably won’t speak anyway. I haven’t heard him say a word all day.” At least the last part was true.
“All right,” his mother said. “Well, stay healthy and lock all the windows and doors when you go to sleep.”
“I know.” Jun faked irritation. He hung up.
Although the sun was setting, he pulled on his shoes and went out for a walk. He unlocked all the doors and windows and hoped Satoshi would find his way in when he returned.
05.
That night, Jun lay on the veranda again. The house was empty except for him and he didn’t want to stay inside, alone, where his voice might echo back to him. He remembered that he had left Satoshi in that same desolate state and he understood the loneliness he had forced on his brother.
He stared at the starry sky, a sight he had become used to in the last two days, and wondered where Satoshi was, if his brother had eaten, if his brother was well, if his brother was thinking of him at that moment too. He wondered if Satoshi missed him as much as Jun missed him.
Jun held his breath, even when he thought he could no longer breathe. He clenched shut his eyes and prayed that Satoshi would come back.
06.
He woke to the sun beaming down on him.
He went inside the house, checked that all the doors and windows were not locked as he had left them last night and, hopeful, searched the rooms.
The house was still empty except for him.
Jun knew what he wanted.
* *
X-SIXTEEN.FIVE ~ SEVENTEEN