We happened to go out for a drink after that as well. I placed Chiki in my bag at the bar, and while we were drinking…
“Havin’ a third drink? Don’cha know you’re not gonna be able to go home if you have that much?!” I made Chiki shout at Hori.
“So what if we can’t go home tonight? We’re adults. Mind your own business.”
“Ooh, are you two gonna be naughty? Is that what’s gonna happen?”
It was all so absurd that I burst into laughter. Hori and I probably used jokes to gradually help us relax because like they say, “if your head is wax, don’t walk in the sun.” With Chiki around, we could simply laugh off how naughty we were being.
Chiki turned his gaze at Hori to protest, but Hori immediately covered Chiki’s mouth.
“Keep quiet, you stupid little oinker…”
“Takes one to know one. Owie, you’re gonna make me even stupider!”
Their exchange was so ridiculous that I clutched my stomach and cackled. Hori’s a real joker, to my surprise, for someone who looks like a POW about to be executed. The more of his sense of humor he shows me, the more fun I have. He comes off as a really mild-mannered man, but deep down, he’s kind of like a treasure chest filled with all sorts of fun stuff.
That day, Chiki became the center of our universe.
“How’s Chiki?” Hori asked whenever he called me.
I keep Chiki in one corner of my workroom, stuck on top of an old bottle of lotion wrapped with a towel. Otherwise, Chiki would be lying face flat on my table like a broken marionette while scraps of fabric and dust gradually covered his body.
At first glance, Chiki looked like a complete doofus with his goofy nose and slack-jawed mouth, but I learned that there was much more to him than that.
“Your husband’ll still be on his business trip dis Sunday, right?”
“Oh, hmm… Good question.”
“You wanna go for a drive, don’cha? Hee-hee-hee, can’t wait.”
Oh, you little…
“You’re way too smart for your age,” I said before smacking Chiki.
But it turned out just like Chiki said it would. We went up to Hokusetsu in the mountains that Sunday. My husband had left the car behind, so Hori ended up driving. I held Chiki in my left hand and showed him the view from the window. It was still hot, since autumn had just started, but the wind smelled differently already.
“Ah, da wind feels sooo good,” Chiki blissfully commented. While it was really me talking, Chiki’s voice was always so adorable, just like a child’s.
“The wind does feel nice, doesn’t it?”
“I’m hungry… Hurry up and feed me,” Chiki whined.
“Who brought the brat? Because I don’t remember us inviting any brats with us.” Hori played along, which made it all the more hilarious.
The forest greenery had become a bit more subdued, and even the abundant weeds were losing steam. What stood out the most, however, was how different the clouds were now: so fluffy and light.
There were some willows along the riverside and a nice shaded area as well. It was still a little early, but if we kept going straight, we would suddenly end up in the middle of a massive apartment complex.
“Let’s eat here.”
So we ended up having a picnic by the riverside. After covering the table with an old tablecloth, Hori and I brought our lunches over. The perfectly square shunkei-lacquered lunch boxes were stuffed with a variety of food.
“W-wow… Now, this makes me happy.” Hori started smacking his lips.
He was once again keeping Chiki occupied while I was getting out the cups and chopsticks.
“Chiki, you’ve never had such a wonderful feast out in nature like this before, have you?”
“I’ve had a tough life…”
Now that he mentioned it, this would be my first picnic, too, although my husband often had picnics at the golf course with his work buddies. I used to watch him entertain himself without me and started wondering if I’d slowly wasted my life away like someone with a wax head walking into the sun.
Inside the lunch boxes were meatballs, chicken meatloaf, braised vegetables with salad, dried plums, and burdock root—all of which Hori seemed to love. Contrary to his delicate frame and pale complexion, he seemed to be in very good health and had a healthy appetite to go with it. I’d never seen someone eat my cooking with such enthusiasm before.
He’s so young, I thought fondly. Hori had told me that the food at his boarding house was awful, which probably explained why he ate until his stomach was on the verge of exploding.
“You’re such a pig!” I made Chiki shout. “Got anythin’ else you wanna say, Hori?”
“No, I think I’m good.”
“Betcha wish you could eat like dis every day.”
“You know it.”
Hori wore a dazed, innocent expression as he sprawled out over the picnic blanket with his arms crossed behind his head. It was a very quiet day, with only a few cars driving down the prefectural road in the distance every once in a while.
“Chiki, go find me a wife, will ya?”
“Wives don’t grow on trees, y’know. Find one for yourself.”
“Oh, shut up.”
I ate a lot as well, so I was feeling great. I usually ate alone, so most of the time, I couldn’t even remember what I ate even right after I finished it. Plus, there was something really nice about relaxing outside in the fresh air with a full stomach.
“Those eggs with soybeans in them were amazing. Soybean omelets, I think is what they’re called,” Hori said to Chiki. “I’ve had chive omelets before, but omelets with rice and black sesame? Incredible. Plus, Chiki, there’s something aesthetically pleasing when you wrap it all up in dried seaweed.”
“I liked da chicken meatloaf. Da burdock root was real good, too. Anyway, no more food talk. You got any plans after dis?”
“Hmm… What do you think I should do, Chiki?”
Hori was very calm, which reminded me of that POW’s clear eyes moments before he was executed. Maybe Hori was more daring than I thought.
“You’re only gonna make things worse if you go too far, Hori,” Chiki retorted.
I thought about all kinds of situations and places we could go. There was one place I wouldn’t mind going, since I had feelings for him, but that’d just create problems for me, so I had to really focus on making sure things didn’t get complicated.
“You’re right. I wouldn’t want to take her anywhere that’d complicate things for her too much.”
Was Hori trying to sound me out? Heh-heh.
But I was interested.
“You oughtta pack it up and get outta here while you still can!”
“Oh, shut up,” I joked while smacking Chiki on the head.
“Hori’s gonna wanna take you to places if you stay here too long, don’cha know?” Chiki shouted.
I couldn’t help but laugh. This was exactly what I liked about Hori. He was so funny. But if I just made someone like that my lover, then that was all it would ever be. I took Chiki out of Hori’s hand.
“Yeah, Hori. This is about more than just getting laid!” I made Chiki yell.
Hori smacked Chiki’s head, gazed at the vast blue sky, then slowly lay back down on the ground. It looked like he was going to take a nap.