Completed Chapter 39: "The face off"

Chapter 39 of Completed

A young male chauffeur was driving in a black luxury car. Kura was sitting in the backseat. She stared through the tinted windows and asked, “How much longer is it going to take?” The driver said, “We will arrive in about 15 minutes.” 

Kura let out a slight sigh. She said with an irritated voice, “Well you better hurry up because I haven’t been in a good mood recently.” He said in a polite tone, “Yes, Ms. Kura.” He stepped on the gas pedal. The car accelerated a bit.  

She glanced at her phone to check the time. It was 6:45 pm. She unlocked her phone by typing a five digit numerical password. She opened up the calendar app. The circled date showed the current date. The current date was April 28, 2018. It was on a saturday.

 She said to herself, “I am going to get married to Hiroyuki on April 30. I thought I would feel more composed about this. When we reach closer and closer to that date, I feel more uneasy. Do I really want to marry Hiroyuki for my parents’ sake? I don’t know why but I feel very conflicted about this. I even have second thoughts about this whole marriage…. But I am their perfect daughter. It’s a duty that I have to fulfill... Right?” 

As she peered through the tinted window, a familiar face passed by the road. It was Eiko wearing a gray hoodie with black jeans. She was walking with hands in her pockets. Kura cried out, “Stop the car!! I am going to get off now!” The chauffeur said in a concerned voice, “But what about your reservation at Étienne restaurant?” 

Kura yelled out, “Cancel it! I also don’t need you to escort me. I will be fine on my own. I will call you to pick me up later.” The chauffeur said in a bit of a defeated tone, “I understand, Ms. Kura.” She briskly got out of the car. She slammed the door hard. The car drove off. 

Kura quickly followed Eiko. She was behind her. Eiko was wearing her hood up. Kura made ahem noise. There was no response. Kura attempted to cough louder. Nothing happened. Kura clenched her fists. She thought, “Is she ignoring me on purpose?” 

She tried to call her name but Eiko continued walking forward. Kura ran towards her and tapped her shoulder. Eiko jumped up in surprise and turned around. Her eyes widened from seeing Kura. 

She gasped, “W-what are you doing here? You just showed up out of nowhere! What are you a ghost?!! Don’t frighten me like that!” 

Kura began to grab at the hem of her baby blue dress. Eiko took off her hood and earbuds. Eiko glared at her. Eiko asked in a serious tone, “What do you want from me?” Kura inhaled and exhaled. She cried out, “Hiroyuki and I are going to get married in two days!!” 

Eiko crossed her arms and said in a displeased tone, “I already know that. Is that all you have to tell me? Don’t tell me that’s the only reason why you’re confronting me! Are you trying to show off that your family has Hiroyuki wrapped around their finger?” 

Kura grabbed the hem of her dress tighter. She looked down on the floor. She thought, “Why did I just bust out of the car the moment I saw her? Why am I wasting my time on her? This confrontation isn’t going to do anything for me. It’s just going to make me feel more conflicted than before.”

Eiko waved her hand at Kura. Eiko said, “Hello?? Are you listening? Why are you suddenly quiet?” Kura snapped out of her thoughts. Kura looked up at Eiko. Eiko’s eyes were filled with anger. Kura became startled by them. Her heart started to drop. She screeched out, “Don’t look at me with those eyes!”

Kura suddenly raised her right hand and slapped Eiko’s cheek. Eiko was taken aback by Kura’s response. Eiko furrowed her brows. Eiko immediately slapped Kura back. Eiko said in an infuriated tone, “I wasn’t planning on hitting you but the moment your hand landed on my face, I can’t bring myself to just take it. I will return the favor back twofold!” 

Kura’s cheek felt numb. She placed her hand on the area. She could feel it swell up. Kura screeched out, “Why did you have to appear in Hiroyuki’s life?!! If you didn’t show up, Hiroyuki wouldn’t be against the marriage! He would happily accept it! He wouldn’t have said those words that are making me rethink this entire thing!! This is all your fault!” 

Her hands reached to grab Eiko’s hair. Eiko grabbed Kura’s arms to prevent her from doing that. Kura struggled to get out of Eiko’s grip but she couldn’t escape. Eiko stared deeply into Kura’s eyes. Eiko said, “Do you really think that’s true? Would he really just happily accept it?” 

Kura scoffed and said, “Of course! Since we were kids, he always was in love with me.” Eiko said in a calm tone, “You’re wrong because he loves me now.” Kura was stunned by her words. Kura began to laugh and said sarcastically, “Wow!! You finally figured it out! But that still won’t change anything. We will still get married.” 

Eiko said in a bold voice, “It will change because I won’t allow him to get married to someone like you. That won’t make him happy. I will stop you and your family!” Kura’s arms stopped struggling against Eiko. Kura felt tears filling up her eyes. She couldn’t hold back her crying. She shouted, “Just... how can you say it so confidently?!!  How can you stop us? No one can stop my parents. I.. I must do my duty. I have to marry him. It’s for my parents’ sake.” 

Eiko was shocked by Kura’s weeping. Eiko let go of her arms. Eiko scratched her head unsure what to do. She said, “But what about you? Is this really what you want to do? Would it make you happy to be in this forced arranged marriage?” 

Kura grasped the hem of her dress. She said in an unconfident tone, “I don’t know what I want. For my entire life, my parents were always in charge of what I did. Every friend I met and every decision I made was all decided by them. At first, I thought it was my responsibility to meet their expectations. But I couldn’t handle the pressure. When I first met Hiroyuki, my mother pushed me to make Hiroyuki like me. I did everything to make him fall for me but once we got into a relationship, I saw it as a job. It became tiring to be around him. I hated having to fake how I truly felt about him but one day I couldn’t do it anymore. I broke it off. When my parents heard the news, they were very unhappy. I couldn’t take my parents being disappointed. That’s why I decided to tell my mother that I will marry Hiroyuki when I turn 18.” 

Kura took out a white handkerchief from her purse and wiped her tears. Eiko said, “But once you get married, you will be stuck together for life! That’s not the reason why you should marry someone. It’s not worth risking your own happiness for!” Kura sniffled her nose. She said in a hesitant tone, “B-but...if I don’t-” 

Eiko screamed, “No buts and ifs! If you can’t make a decision then I will do it for you. I will stop the marriage. And when I do, then you can do whatever you want to do!” Kura’s mouth dropped from Eiko’s response. She said in an annoyed tone, “What do you mean by that? What kind of advice is that? That’s so vague!” 

Eiko squeezed her nose. She smiled and said, “Don’t be so nitpicky. Just sit back and watch me.” Kura’s eyes lit up. She thought, “This must be why I had to talk to her the moment I laid eyes on her. I wanted her to give me hope. I wanted someone to stop all this. I wanted a chance to finally breathe and be true to my feelings.” 

Eiko placed her hand on Kura’s shoulder. Eiko said, “I am going to go home now. It’s getting late.” She pointed up the sky. Kura saw that the sky was dark. Kura said, “I have to head home too. I guess I will see you later.” Eiko said, “Yup, pretty soon.” They walked away in opposite directions. 

Eiko took out her phone and saw the time. It was 7:03 pm. She noticed a message notification. It was from Kenshin. Kenshin said, “Mom and dad are working late tonight. I plan on making hamburger steak for dinner. I noticed that we are running low on worcestershire sauce. Can you buy one at the grocery store?” Eiko quickly replied, “Yeah sure. I will be home in about twenty minutes.” 

Kenshin replied back with a cat giving a thumbs up sticker. Eiko put back the phone into her pocket. She headed towards the grocery store. She went inside. She was looking for the sauce aisle. She found the worcestershire sauce and headed to the cash register. The cashier said, “That will be 445 yen.” Eiko took out a purple coin purse. She paid for it in the exact amount. The cashier put it in a bag. The cashier said, “Thank you and have a good night!” Eiko nodded. She said, “You too.” 

Eiko walked out of the grocery store. She headed to the crosswalk. She waited for the light to turn blue. She noticed an old lady with golden rimmed glasses in a wheelchair across the street. When the light turned blue, Eiko began to stroll. She noticed that the old lady was trying to move her wheelchair with the wheels but was struggling. 

Eiko jogged over to her. She asked, “Do you need help getting across the street?” The old lady smiled and said, “Yes please, if it isn’t too much trouble.” Eiko placed both hands on the wheelchair handles. She pushed the wheelchair across the street. The old lady said, “I hope I am not too heavy.” Eiko grinned and said, “Not at all. You’re light as a feather.” 

When she reached the other side of the crosswalk, the old lady said, “Thank you for your help! It’s nice seeing the younger generation helping out the eldery.” Eiko said happily, “You’re welcome! Do you need help with anything else?” 

The old lady responded, “Oh I was looking for a nearby hotel. Do you know where I can find one?” Eiko said, “Hm.. I remember there was a hotel nearby this area. It takes about a couple of minutes to get there. I know the way. Do you want me to guide you?” The old lady said a bit concerned, “Are you sure? I don’t want to trouble you.” Eiko shook her head and said in a reassuring tone, “It’s no trouble at all. I can take you there.” 

The old lady’s expression brightened up. She said, “Thank you again for your help.” Eiko said, “It’s the least I can do!” Eiko pushed the wheelchair to the direction of the hotel. The old lady asked, “What’s your name?” Eiko said, “I’m Eiko.” The old lady said, “Nice to meet you, Eiko. My name is Yubi but you can call me granny Yubi.” 

Eiko beamed and said, “Likewise, granny Yubi!” Eiko noticed there were a bunch of bags under her wheelchair. Eiko asked curiously, “Were you traveling somewhere?” Yubi said, “Yes, I came from America to visit my granddaughter.”

Eiko said, “Oh, that’s quite far. That’s nice for you to visit your granddaughter.” Yubi said, “Yes I haven’t seen her for years. I think she’s about your age.” Eiko nodded and said, “I see. I bet your granddaughter would be happy to see you.” Yubi became a bit silent. She said in a hesitant tone, “I hope so.” Eiko was confused by her tone. Eiko thought to herself, “I wonder if granny Yubi has an awkward relationship with her granddaughter? I mean it has been a while since she last saw her?” 

After a while, they reached the hotel. Eiko pushed the wheelchair inside the hotel. Eiko asked, “Do you need help booking a room?” Yubi shook her head. Yubi said, “You did enough for me. I appreciate all your help. Thank you very much, Eiko.” Yubi proceeds to bow. Eiko shook her hands and said, “You don’t need to bow! I am just glad that I could help you.” 

Yubi raised her head. Yubi smiled and said, “You have such a caring heart. I hope my granddaughter could learn to be as caring about others like you.” Eiko shook her head. Eiko exclaimed, “You’re being too kind!” 

Yubi examined Eiko’s face. She noticed a red mark on her cheek. Yubi asked, “Are you okay, Eiko? Where did you get that mark?” Eiko touched her red cheek. Eiko said, “Oh this? I just got into a small fight with someone. That’s all. I am fine! It doesn’t hurt.” 

Yubi reached into one of her bags. She took out a yellow candy. She handed it to Eiko. She said, “I hope this can help make you feel better. It’s a lemon honey flavored candy.” Eiko put the candy into her pocket. Eiko said, “Thank you, granny Yubi.” 

Yubi grinned. She said, “Well hurry head back home. It’s dangerous for a girl to be out this late by herself.” Eiko said in a joyful tone, “I will! Bye granny Yubi! I hope we will meet again! It was nice knowing you! And I know that your granddaughter would be happy to see you!” Eiko waved goodbye and headed out of the hotel. 

Yubi waved back. Yubi then deeply exhaled and said to herself, “That girl is good at raising up my spirits.” 

Eiko ran back home. She was welcomed back home by the twins. Kenshin said, “What took so long? We've been waiting for you.” Eiko took off her sneakers. She said, “I was just talking to someone. That’s all.” Kenshin said in an unconvinced tone, “Right.. Then why is your cheek red?” 

Eiko quickly went silent. She said, “I-I just fell down.” Kenshin squinted his eyes. He said, “You got into another fight. Didn’t you?” Eiko slowly turned her neck and nodded. Kenshin sighed. He said, “What did I say about getting into fights with people?” Eiko poked her fingers together. She said, “That it’s not worth the trouble and I should leave that stuff to the cops.” 

Kenshin said a bit annoyed, “And what did you do with that advice? You dismissed it and did whatever you want!” Eiko whined, “But I didn’t get into a fight because I wanted to! It came out of nowhere.” Kenshin scratched his head. He could see that Eiko was being genuine with her words. He said, “Give me the sauce.” Eiko handed it to him. 

Kenshin said, “This time I will let it go but next time, don’t get involved in any fights. Okay?” Eiko nodded. Kenshin rolled up his sleeves. He said in an excited voice, “Who's ready for some hamburger steak tonight?” Shinji and Fumiko both raised their hands. They replied at the same time, “We are!! Can we help big brother?” Kenshin beamed, “Of course! Eiko are you going to help too?” Eiko put on her indoor slippers and said, “Yeah of course!” 

Author's Note

ignore grammar problems, please tell me what you think of it? I hope you enjoy chapter 39 and thank you for waiting patiently for each chapter! I would also like to shoutout to my friends who help me edit all my chapters! I created a discord group that I can give you updates when a new chapter comes out. Here's the link to my group: https://discord.gg/vyQrfME

Reviews

[Kari Rakitan]

I hope things work out for everyone. The worcestershire sauce adventure seems like fate.

[Nariko]

Thank you Kari! Haha who knows! It might be fate ;)