| A Shrew and a Few Scars; [single post] | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Oct 1 2013, 10:27 PM (195 Views) | |
| FirebreathFishslap | Oct 1 2013, 10:27 PM Post #1 |
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I'm the best! I'm the king of me! I'm gonna eat chips out of the garbage!
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Looking at an airstrip always made Manabu feel very small. From his position outside the airport he could see every plane as it came in, landed, and pulled up to the terminals, and once they were there, little ant-like humans would crawl out and walk into the building. He tugged at his scarf, pulling it tighter against its neck. The cloth pressed uncomfortably against the hard, numb areas on the back of his neck. Manabu reached his fingers up and touched where the cloth met scars, and then he sighed and lowered his hand. How many years had it been, anyways? He'd never gotten a chance to say goodbye, and in turn, he hadn't wanted to establish any kind of conversation. His mother and father had gotten divorced within a week of her move out and while Manabu had never seen the custody papers, he could probably guess what they entailed. Full custody transference to Masakazu Kaerunuma, no weekend visits, no holidays, no nothing. There was probably a child support check involved in there somewhere, though Manabu had never actually found out if one was being sent or not. Even if one was, it was sure to have transformed into booze before anyone else saw it. He slipped a finger into the upper rim of the scarf and tugged it loose again. Again, the cloth rubbed against the scars on his neck. Thank god the weather was cool again. A jet's engine roared in Manabu's ear, and he turned toward the airstrip again. Which one of those planes held his mother, if any of them? "Manabu-kun? Is that you?" He turned toward the voice. The woman standing in front of him was the same height as him, and her black hair and eyes resembled his, but the wrinkles were all new. He felt like her gaze was boring into his skin. Next to her was a single rolling suitcase. She's dangerous. I shouldn't be here. "Mother?" "You couldn't even have the decency to wait for me at the terminal? This is the first time you've seen your mother in four years; you should show some damn respect." "I'm sorry," Manabu said in a low tone. Toshiko sighed. "Here, since you can't do anything else today, why don't you carry my bags for me while I hail a taxi?" "Yes, ma'am." Manabu picked up the suitcase by the handle, and when the weight proved to be too much for one hand, grabbed it with the other. What on earth did she have in here? It couldn't be just clothes. They waited next to each other, Manabu felt his fingers get numb, and each time they did, he had to swap hands. One over the other. What was taking so long? "It's been so long, Manabu-kun. I've really missed you." Once safely inside the taxi, Manabu scooted as far to the side of the seat as possible, his mother sitting on the other end, her legs tucked neatly together, purse and manicured nails balanced in her lap, staring directly forward until the car began to move. She sighed and turned toward him, and she lifted one hand to his face. She snatched a few strands of his hair and held them up. "What on earth did you do to your hair? How long have you been doing this?" "...since middle school." "Do you realize how much of an idiot you look like this? Only delinquents dye their hair stark blond, Manabu-kun. I guess you're planning on dropping out of school next? The burger restaurants are always hiring, you know." "I'm sorry." She squinted at his face and moved her hand to his left eye. Without warning she pressed her thumb against the glass eye. Manabu attempted to shove her hand away, and she slapped him across the cheek. "What the hell did you do to yourself?!" "It was an accident--" "Is this what your father was hounding me about all those months ago? Because you decided to hurt yourself in such a stupid way?! How are you supposed to become successful if you only have one eye, Manabu?!" "I'm sorry, I--" "Hey, lady, calm it down back there," the taxi driver called from the front. And then, "I don't get paid enough for this shit..." Manabu turned back toward the back of the seat in front of him and bowed his head. He didn't want to do this. Why was she here? Why hadn't she come here weeks ago? Toshiko similarly turned back toward the back of the driver's seat, folding her hands over her purse once more. Absently, Manabu rubbed at the scratches her nails had left on his cheek. "You've been staying with a friend since your father died, right?" "Yes ma'am." "Good. We don't have infinite money, Manabu. I only have enough money for me to stay in a hotel while I'm here. We'll figure out what to do about you later, alright? But for now, I want you to keep on staying with that friend of yours." "Okay." Edited by FirebreathFishslap, Oct 2 2013, 07:29 AM.
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2:39 AM Jul 11
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2:39 AM Jul 11