Sometime later, after the test had come and gone, Minami decided it was about time for a new worry. Still in her pajamas, she went out into the backyard and plucked another leaf. She normally had salad at breakfast anyway, so this wasn’t all that different. She bit into the leaf, chewed, swallowed, and then…
“Hmm… That’s weird. I really…don’t want to go to school today.”
She was a little taken aback by the strength of that feeling. She’d never felt this way before. What was different now?
Minami went back indoors and started her morning routine. But unlike usual, her whole body felt heavy and sluggish, like it was a huge effort to get anything done. Washing her face, getting dressed, eating breakfast—she didn’t want to do any of it. Because once she’d done all that…she’d have to go to school.
What’s going on with me? Why don’t I want to go today?
Minami continued to puzzle over it as she forced herself to get ready. Finally, with only a few minutes to go before she made herself late, she went to the front door and began putting on her shoes.
Oh yeah… Someone crammed these into a cleaning bucket full of dirty water yesterday.
The moment her feet touched the damp lining of the shoes, it all came back to her. You couldn’t tell from looking, but even after being left overnight, they still weren’t completely dry.
How many times have they done something like this? How long have they been on my case now…?
Not long after she’d started junior high, a small group of Minami’s classmates had begun picking on her. They’d scribble on her textbooks and on her desk, shove her on the stairs, put trash in her school lunch when she wasn’t looking… Until now, she hadn’t let it bother her. With so many people sharing the same space, some of them were bound to be a little mean sometimes. And putting up with stuff like this could even be seen as valuable life experience. It wasn’t anything worth getting worked up about.
Except…it wasn’t right. Nobody should be allowed to treat others like that, no matter who they are or what kind of place they’re in.
Can’t they tell that what they’re doing is wrong? How can they do such horrible things like it’s no big deal? I…don’t want to have to be in the same class as those kinds of people.
A chill went down Minami’s spine. For the first time, she felt painfully aware of the spite and malice being directed at her. It made her legs tremble.
If I go to school, they’ll be there, too. They’ll pick on me again… I don’t want that. I…I’m scared. I don’t want to go…
In spite of those feelings, in spite of her wet shoes, she still found a way to drag herself to school. Because now that she’d identified this worry, it was time to do something about it.
When she arrived at her classroom, Minami went to her desk, then suddenly flinched.
Her chair was covered in wet paint. Someone had emptied an entire tube from the art room onto it. If she hadn’t noticed in time, she’d have sat down and gotten her skirt covered in it.
She looked around the classroom. The kids who bullied her were all gathered in a group by the window. Even now they were looking at her and snickering.
“…Hey! If you’ve got a problem with me, why don’t you just say it to my face?! Cowards!”
She didn’t even realize she’d said that out loud until everyone went quiet.
The bullies stared at her in amazement. There was no going back now. Minami walked up to their group, grabbed one of them by the shirt, and got right up in their personal space.
“If you think this is funny, maybe you should take a video of it sometime and take a good, long look. Maybe then you’ll see just how messed up this nasty stuff you’re doing is!”
With one last snort of disdain, Minami released the bully, who still looked absolutely dumbfounded. For a little while, nobody spoke or even moved. It was like time had frozen. Then the bully seemed to come back to their senses and left the classroom in an awful hurry. Almost like they were running away.
After that, the bullying incidents involving Minami abruptly stopped.
✦ ✦ ✦
More time passed, until Minami tried her third Worry Leaf. What kind of new worry would she end up with this time?
“Hmm… Now that I think about it, Mom and Dad are probably going to get divorced soon.”
She’d had a feeling things were headed that way for a while now, but she hadn’t let it bother her. Whether her parents were together or apart, what shape her family took, or how they lived, none of that would change who she was. It wasn’t anything worth getting worked up about… Or was it?
I love both my parents. They’re precious to me; they’re my family. I want us to stay together, the three of us, like we always have…
Those were her true and honest feelings.
But Mom and Dad have their own lives. If they’ve already made up their minds to split up, there’s not a lot I can do about that.
Changing the way people felt about each other was no easy matter, even if you were their only daughter.
I…I don’t want to lose Mom, though… Or Dad… I’d miss them so much!
Tears welled up in Minami’s eyes and ran down her cheeks. Wiping them away with her sleeve, she looked around her. The backyard had plenty of space and sunlight, but all that grew there was weeds.
Minami’s parents used to garden as a hobby. They’d both been regulars at their local plant nursery. That was where they’d first met, and through their shared interest, they’d grown closer and eventually gotten married. Back when they still had a good relationship, their garden had been filled with different plants. Not just flowers, but herbs, fruit, and vegetables, too. You could wander around it and find all kinds of stuff that was good to eat.
Things were different now. With no one to tend them, the plants had withered and died. Her parents barely even spoke to each other anymore, let alone spent time gardening together. In a way, the neglected state of their yard was a perfect reflection of the state of their marriage.
I know Mom and Dad have their own feelings about all this. They probably think they’ll be happier if they split up than if they try to stay together. But still…if we can all be happy together, then that’s how I’d want us to be. Those two are doing what they think is right, for the sake of their own happiness. So…it’s okay if I do the same thing, right?
Minami’s resolve was getting stronger. She needed to think of a solution to this problem. Not just to stop her parents from divorcing, but to find a way to mend their relationship as well.
“But…what in the world can I do? Hmmmm…”
She put all her energy into thinking about it. She thought, and thought, and thought, and finally, she went to the plant nursery and brought back a potted rose plant. She presented it to her parents and told them her plan.
“Mom, Dad, I want you to make a bet with me. You know how roses are really hard for beginners to take care of, right? Well, I just went and got this one. It hasn’t even got any buds on it yet, but I’m going to do my best to keep it alive as long as I can. If I can get it to flower, promise me you’ll call off getting divorced!”
Her parents were surprised. They weren’t quite sure what to say. They certainly didn’t agree to the bet right away. They didn’t say anything like “Don’t be silly. We’re not getting divorced,” either. But after thinking it over for a moment, they did say something.
“Minami,” her mother began, “if you’re going to grow roses, you need to read some books and study up on them first. Plants are living things, so taking care of them is like taking care of a pet. You’ve got to know what you’re doing.”
“You’re going to have to check on that rose every day, Minami,” her father added. “Pay attention to it. There are lots of bugs and diseases that can damage flowers like that. If anything looks even a little bit strange, you need to investigate it and treat it right away.”
The two of them took an active interest in the plant their daughter was growing. As the days went by, they not only gave her advice but went outside to check on her rose themselves. Whenever it looked like it was struggling, they’d discuss the problem together and think of ways to fix it.
At some point, they started planting their own flowers, too. Before Minami knew it, her parents were out there all the time, smiling at each other and talking about what they were going to plant next.