Saitoh had almost finished his first cigarette of the morning. The irony of smoking inside on a day that the whole city was on high alert due to severe air pollution was not lost on him and was a quiet reminder of his addiction-prone personality.
Like so many in young men serving in the army, he’d picked up smoking as a means of coping with the stress of being in a constant state of war. His took one last drag and held it for a moment, before exhaling the smoke slowly through his nostrils as he crushed the smoldering cigarette butt in an ashtray as he heard Tokio coming down the hallway.
She’d taken longer than expected to meet him, as requested, in the kitchen. When she appeared from around the corner, neatly dressed in blue, her long hair pulled back, her delay made sense. In their very separate ways, they’d prepared as best they were able for a conversation that neither of them wanted to have or were ready for.
While his parents, like him, had been anything but perfect, one of the many good things they’d drilled into his thick skull from a very young age was that when a lady entered a room, you stood up. He did so, automatically and motioned that she sit down at the table, where they’d shared a meal as a family the night before. Going to the coffee maker to pour her a cup of fresh coffee, Saitoh side eyed the woman as she sat down at the table, noting that she’d selected to sit beside him. From a strategic perspective this seemed good. Had she sat across from him as if preparing to cross examine someone dumb enough to get on her radar, that would have shown that she was putting her emotional defenses up.
(Not that I’d blame her if she did…)
Still, she was doing her duty as he was doing his.
Saitoh handed Tokio the steaming cup of coffee and then sat down beside her.
“Tsutomu,” he said, “he remembers who are you.” It wasn’t stated as a question, but a fact. “Who you…who we used to be.” His kid was smart and as wary as a three-legged, blind cat in a room full of mousetraps and would have never placed himself in such a vulnerable position unless it was with a member of his family, someone he trusted.
Saitoh took a sip of the coffee. It was decent, hotter than hell and the darkest roast he could find. 10 hours on a slow burn until it resembled asphalts paving would have made it better, but at 06:00 hours, your options were usually limited.
no subject
Like so many in young men serving in the army, he’d picked up smoking as a means of coping with the stress of being in a constant state of war. His took one last drag and held it for a moment, before exhaling the smoke slowly through his nostrils as he crushed the smoldering cigarette butt in an ashtray as he heard Tokio coming down the hallway.
She’d taken longer than expected to meet him, as requested, in the kitchen. When she appeared from around the corner, neatly dressed in blue, her long hair pulled back, her delay made sense. In their very separate ways, they’d prepared as best they were able for a conversation that neither of them wanted to have or were ready for.
While his parents, like him, had been anything but perfect, one of the many good things they’d drilled into his thick skull from a very young age was that when a lady entered a room, you stood up. He did so, automatically and motioned that she sit down at the table, where they’d shared a meal as a family the night before. Going to the coffee maker to pour her a cup of fresh coffee, Saitoh side eyed the woman as she sat down at the table, noting that she’d selected to sit beside him. From a strategic perspective this seemed good. Had she sat across from him as if preparing to cross examine someone dumb enough to get on her radar, that would have shown that she was putting her emotional defenses up.
(Not that I’d blame her if she did…)
Still, she was doing her duty as he was doing his.
Saitoh handed Tokio the steaming cup of coffee and then sat down beside her.
“Tsutomu,” he said, “he remembers who are you.” It wasn’t stated as a question, but a fact. “Who you…who we used to be.” His kid was smart and as wary as a three-legged, blind cat in a room full of mousetraps and would have never placed himself in such a vulnerable position unless it was with a member of his family, someone he trusted.
Saitoh took a sip of the coffee. It was decent, hotter than hell and the darkest roast he could find. 10 hours on a slow burn until it resembled asphalts paving would have made it better, but at 06:00 hours, your options were usually limited.
“How’s the boy taking it?”