Grandma Nagao sit beside Tsubaki. Tsubaki called the waitress over. She let Grandma Nagao and Kouichi took their time choosing the menu. Kouichi picked hamburger while the old lady chose omurice. Kouichi"s eyes lit up when Ren added strawberry parfait and cheese cake for him. Before the waitress left, he ordered chocolate pancakes too."Thank you, Handsome Uncle!" What a good luck he had!
"You don"t have to pamper him, Mr. Fuse," Grandma Nagao felt guilty.
"It"s okay, madam. And you don"t have to be formal with me," Ren smiled, trying to ease the old lady"s worries. "You can call me Ren."
"And I"m Tsubaki." Tsubaki smiled gently to the old lady. "Do you live here? Kou gave me his address but if I recall correctly, this isn"t the place right?"
"We"ve just moved here." Grandma Nagao responded. She felt grateful when she saw the couple was trying to break the ice with her. They seemed like a sweet and respectful married couple. The old lady"s heart was at ease. "Kou-chan said he want to have lunch here. So I just let him."
Tsubaki observed the little boy"s face. He was chatting happily with Ren. Kouichi took a napkin and tried to impress Ren with his origami skills. Seeing them like that, she suddenly wondered if one day she could see him playing with their child like this?
"I heard Little Kou is quite sick," Tsubaki lowered her voice, she turned her focus on Grandma Nagao. "Is he okay already?"
"He"s quite healthy now compared to before. But, he still needs monthly check-up at the hospital." The old lady answered honestly.
Tsubaki pursed her lips. Kouichi"s face wasn"t as pale as when she first met him. And he did look a bit more energetic. She didn"t know the details of his health but she knew it was something dangerous if the little boy required constant check-ups.
Before she could ask further, the waitress returned with their food. Kouichi gasped in excitement when he saw the delicious food being served before him. He couldn"t hide his joy when he saw his favourite parfait was here too!
"Let"s eat." Ren pa.s.sed the cutlery to Kouichi. "Be careful."
"Okay! Itadakimasu!"
They exchanged small talks while enjoying their lunch. Grandma Nagao said she moved here due to its low cost living fee besides the air was fresher. She opened a small stationery shop near the elementary school close to their flat. It was originally a shop of her friend. The old lady"s friend decided to retire to countryside up north with her husband. She told Grandma Nagao to use it for free. She just needed to pay the utility bill.
"So, Kou, you"re helping your grandmother running the shop? You..."
Tsubaki chuckled when she saw the little boy was concentrating on his parfait. His lips were smeared with ice cream. She picked a tissue and wiped the boy"s lips. Her actions were gentle, it was as if she was entertaining her own child"s needs.
Seeing the scene in front of her, Grandma Nagao couldn"t help but gasped. Both Tsubaki and Ren looked at the old lady. Tsubaki quickly asked, "What"s wrong, madam? Are you okay?"
Grandma Nagao fl.u.s.tered. She waved her hand while trying to hide her anxiousness yet somehow she felt guilty when she saw their worried looks. She gave up. Sighing deeply, she looked at Tsubaki. Her eyes couldn"t mask the complex feelings that she felt right now.
"Kou-chan was right, you indeed look like her."
Tsubaki fell silent. She retracted her hand from Kouichi"s face. Ren didn"t speak, he noticed something was off with his wife"s expression. After a long period of silence, she spoke softly, "I look like his mother?"
Grandma Nagao nodded her head. "Kou-chan has already told me before but... I didn"t expect you"d be too similar to her."
The atmosphere around them became gloomy. The two ladies didn"t continue their conversation. Both of them were deep in thoughts. Kouichi eyed Tsubaki and his grandmother with questioning looks. He didn"t understand why they turned sullen.
"Eat," Ren fed him a piece of strawberry. Kouichi obediently opened his mouth.
"Do you want to know more about her?"
Grandma Nagao broke the silence. The young lady beside her was overwhelmed with emotions. She didn"t know what Tsubaki was thinking about but it seemed like it was related to what she had said before.
Tsubaki didn"t immediately respond. She glanced at her husband. Ren was worried. She smiled bitterly. She focused back on Grandma Nagao. "Yes, please."
Their lunch end in silent. Kouichi was the only one who totally enjoyed the food. While waiting for Ren to settle the bill, Tsubaki and the other two were sitting on a bench outside the restaurant. There was a small park on the opposite of the restaurant. Small children were playing happily in their groups of friends.
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"Madam Nagao," Tsubaki spoke softly. Her lips curled up into a smile yet there was sadness in her eyes. "I"m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable."
"You didn"t, child." Grandma Nagao sighed. "It was me, I was carried away by my emotions. Even though Kouichi"s mother was my daughter in-law, but I really loved her. While I feel a bit sad when looking at you, but I"m sincerely happy meeting you."
The old lady looked at the sleepy Kouichi. Her old face smiled in content. "Kou-chan is always happy whenever he mentions you. You two have just met once yet he was so happy. I know he always missing his mother so I was intrigued to see you with my own eyes."
Grandma Nagao opened her purse. She pulled out an old photo, dated to years ago. The photo was wrinkled, as if she always held it in her hand. The old lady gave the photo to Tsubaki. Tsubaki took it.
It was a photo of a young woman with her newborn child. She was clad in hospital gown. While her expression looked weary, happiness exuded from her smile.
Tsubaki"s eyes widened in disbelief.