Brave Story - Miyuki Miyabe [46]
Uncle Lou explained that he had several things to attend to, and so wouldn’t be arriving until Friday morning, but he’d buy the gift when he got to Tokyo. “Hard to find anything out here in the boondocks that a city kid would care for.”
“Are you going to be staying with us?” asked Wataru. “If you’re going to the hospital on Saturday, then you’ll be spending the night in Tokyo, right? You should come!”
Wataru had his back to the kitchen, so he wasn’t able to see the sour face his mother made as she listened to their exchange. She knew Wataru loved his uncle, but she couldn’t stand her brother-in-law for his crude ways and lack of manners. Of course, she would never say such a thing out loud.
Meanwhile, Satoru Mitani was turning down the invitation. “No, I’ve got a lot to do, and I’d be up too late to go visiting,” he lied. He was actually far more sensitive to other people’s feelings than Kuniko gave him credit for, and he knew exactly where he stood with his brother’s wife. “Maybe next time.”
“You always say that, but you haven’t stayed with us for so long!” Wataru’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. “When I was little you used to always stay with us when you came to Tokyo!”
He could hear his uncle laugh on the other end of the line. “Hah! You’re still little! Or have you grown big like Godzilla since the last time I saw you? That must be why we’ve been having so many earthquakes here in Chiba. It’s from you stomping around, making the ground shake all the way out here! Whoa, I just felt another one!”
Wataru giggled. Two years ago, his uncle had taken him to see the latest Godzilla movie—the one made in Hollywood and not in Japan. From the very beginning, his uncle groused about how the giant, funny-looking U.S. lizard wasn’t the real thing. Still, they both loved the scene where Godzilla had come into the city, his pounding footsteps shaking the ground, sending taxis and cars and pedestrians bouncing through the air. They had met up with Wataru’s parents for dinner after the show, and the two of them kept acting out that scene, bouncing in their seats on the train, jumping suddenly as they walked, and—much to Kuniko’s dismay—leaping from their chairs in the restaurant.
Wataru wanted to see his uncle. He needed to talk to someone about how the girls made fun of him in class, and how he snuck out of the house late one night. He wanted to talk about how he used up the film in the disposable camera and how Mitsuru was rude to him. Uncle Lou wouldn’t laugh at him or look disgusted. He wouldn’t lecture him either.
“Well, can I go shopping with you?” Wataru asked. “I only have five hours of school and then I’m free. We could go to a department store, or Toys ‘R’ Us, or anywhere!”
His uncle paused a moment. “Well…that sounds like a good idea.”
“Lemme come, please?”
“Okay, ask your mother if you can go shopping with me for a couple of hours, and be sure to tell her I’ll have you home in time for dinner.”
Wataru rejoiced. I’ll have plenty of time to talk with him about everything! Covering the phone’s mouthpiece with his hand, he spun around. “Mom! Can I…”
Kuniko, who had been sitting at the table drinking a cup of tea, answered before he even finished asking. “No.”
“Why not? He’s coming on Friday! I don’t have to go to cram school on that day!”
“Absolutely not.”
“Why?”
“Your uncle is coming to Tokyo on business. You’ll just get in his way.”
“But I’m going to help him! He’s coming to buy a present for…”
Kuniko placed her mug on the table and let out a sigh. Her face darkened further, until she reminded Wataru of the wicked old witch he had seen once in a television movie. “No means no, Wataru. Give me the phone.”
“No, it’s okay, Wataru. You can go out with your uncle.” It was his father. Startled, both Wataru and Kuniko turned to