Child

Kumiko and Hideki did their best to go about their lives after the unpleasant night at the Sashihara home. But it was evident to all who knew the young couple that something was weighing heavily upon their minds.

Hideki wasn't particularly close to any of his co-workers, so even though many of his colleagues noticed his morose demeanor, none of them paid him much mind. Mr. Sashihara, however, had no intentions of ignoring the young man. He would burn his vengeful glare into Hideki anytime the two found themselves in the same room, forcing Hideki to quickly avert his gaze.

Despite his utter lack of knowledge about certain clients, Hideki soon found himself doing the lion's share of the work when those clients made new investments. This forced many late nights away from home and away from Kumiko.

Things were no better for Kumiko. Many of the flower shop's regular customers noticed the change in her. The once cheerful girl was now always so glum. The store owner, Mrs. Suzuki, was just as aware as her customers how down Kumiko had become in recent days. She would often notice Kumiko just staring off into the distance and not nearly as talkative as her usual self. This led to many nights being offered the opportunity to go home early to get herself in a better state of mind for the next day. But, time after time, Kumiko would turn down the offer. For her, the flower shop was a much needed distraction.

One night, Kumiko and Hideki were afforded the opportunity to eat dinner together. Their modest budget could only afford them no more than a couple bowls of rice and a few steamed vegetables for their nightly meal.

Recently, the two had refrained from saying much to each other, but Kumiko wanted desperately to break the uncomfortable silence that had so swiftly become the norm. "I bumped into the landlord today," she said. "He says they have to upgrade the old pipes, so we'll most likely be paying more for our water starting next month."

"Our electric bill just went up," said Hideki. "These people must think we're made of money or something. By the way, did you get a chance to talk to your boss? Did she say she would let you start working some extra hours?"

"The flower shop isn't doing well enough for me to get any extra hours," replied Kumiko. "I'm lucky to be getting the hours that I'm getting now. Mrs. Suzuki really doesn't run the shop to make money. She only does it because she likes talking to all the people who come in every day. If she wasn't already so well-off, she'd have closed the place years ago."

The two then went back to eating their meals in silence. Hideki would take quick peeks at Kumiko but look away when she made even the slightest indication that she was about to look back at him.

"Your father called me into his office today," blurted out Hideki, much to the surprise of Kumiko, who abruptly stopped chewing her food.

"What did he say?" asked Kumiko. She was sure that today was the day her father would finally terminate Hideki's employment, thus putting the two into a financial hole from which they would surely never be able to escape.

"He just wanted to know how you and I were doing?" replied Hideki.

Kumiko knew Hideki far too well to believe what he had just said. She could tell by his demeanor that Hideki was hiding something from her. "Is that all you two talked about?" asked Kumiko.

Hideki lowered his head and began fiddling with his rice. "That's mostly what we talked about," he replied.

"What else did you talk about?" asked Kumiko.

"He . . . really wants us to reconsider his offer," said Hideki. "He thinks it's what would be best for us. We wouldn't have to worry about money. Your father would take care of everything. He even said he would help us buy a house of our own. And he would push the wedding up so we could get married before Christmas."

"You call it an offer?" asked Kumiko. "This is not an offer. This is an ultimatum. If we don't do what he wants, then he'll make our lives miserable. It's what he did to me growing up. I got everything I wanted only because I did exactly what he told me to do. It was horrible. When I left, I thought those days were over. But now he has me right where he wants me, just like when I was a little girl."

"I . . . really think we should accept his help," said Hideki.

"Are you joking?" asked an exasperated Kumiko. "I can't believe what I'm hearing. How can you think that?"

"You don't understand," said Hideki. "It sounds like if we don't do what he wants, I might lose my job."

"I don't care about your damn job," exclaimed Kumiko. "You don't even like working there. You tell me that all the time. Do you fully understand what he wants from us?"

"We need the help," said Hideki. "We're not going to make it on our own."

"No!" shouted Kumiko, who had finally reached her limit. "I will never give that man what he wants! Do you understand? You can lose your job! We can lose the roof over our heads! We can lose any food we have to eat! I won't do it!" And with that, Kumiko angrily departed to her bedroom.

The next few weeks were very difficult for Kumiko and Hideki. They spent most of their time away from each other as best as they could in such a small apartment. And any time Hideki did dare speak to Kumiko it was to tell her that her father was once again putting pressure on him to convince Kumiko to accept his most generous offer. This always resulted in Kumiko walking away without saying a word.

The only solace Kumiko could take during this time was in her talks with Mrs. Suzuki at work. She felt she could confide in her and receive the impartial advice that her mother would most likely not be able to offer. Mrs. Suzuki would always tell Kumiko that she was doing the right thing by not accepting her father's offer of moving back into the family home for the time being and accepting his money. It was obvious that Mr. Sashihara wanted to keep Kumiko under his thumb much in the way he had done with her during her younger years.

On a day no different from any other, Kumiko found herself working the counter at the flower shop. A steady rain had begun to fall outside. As had become almost the norm, Kumiko began staring blankly into the distance. It was something she did often, but suddenly she was doing it more than usual.

Mrs. Suzuki broke Kumiko out of her state when she approached. "The rain really is keeping the customers away today, isn't it?" she said. "Gives you more time to get lost in your thoughts."

"Sorry," replied Kumiko. "I . . ."

Mrs. Suzuki interrupted Kumiko before she could finish. "It's alright," she said. "You've been dealing with a lot recently. I just don't want you under too much stress. It isn't good for the baby."

A nervous smile appeared on Kumiko's face. "I think things will get better soon," she said. "I've been talking more with Hideki."

"That's good," said Mrs. Suzuki. "Since there's no customers, go ahead and go home. I can close up tonight."

"I can stay," replied Kumiko. "I don't mind."

"Don't you worry about it," said Mrs. Suzuki. "Go home and spend some time with Hideki."

Kumiko did as Mrs. Suzuki had suggested and headed home early. The rain had begun falling faster and the sun had set, making the conditions for driving less than ideal.

On the drive home, Kumiko couldn't help but think of everything that was happening in her life. She thought this would have been the happiest of times, but it turned into something far worse that turned most of her relationships upside down.

Unable to control her emotions any longer, Kumiko began crying. The road was already difficult to see, but with tears in her eyes, Kumiko was unable to see much of anything. Still, she continued at her current speed.

In what felt like the blink of an eye, Kumiko veered off the road and slammed into a tree.