School Girls' Stories - Year 3

Chapter 19 – Shai’s Future In-Laws

“I am very pleased to meet you,” Shai said from her place on the floor, acting like the proper Japanese lady, which she had refrained from acting as for a very long time. She placed her hands on the floor, her head bowed low, and felt her knees digging into the wooden floor beneath her. This was the true definition of a Japanese house, all sliding doors with canvas screens and wooden walls. If they did not live so close to the ocean Shai was sure that they would have a traditional Koi pond out back.

Mrs. Memeshii bowed in front of Shai, the polite thing to do when meeting someone new. “We are pleased to have you here, dear,” she said pleasantly.

Shai was then lead to a back room where she would meet Mr. Memeshii. He lay on his bed, looking exhausted and worn, and now that meant that part of their business was going down, their income lowered.

“Hello, Mr. Memeshii,” Shai bowed from the doorway. “I am very pleased to meet you.”

“Who are you?” he asked gruffly, struggling to sit up.

“Honey,” Mrs. Memeshii said, walking across the room and sitting next to her husband, helping him to sit up, “this is Kyoei’s girlfriend, she is going to stay with us until April.”

“What?” he asked, glaring in Shai’s direction, ignoring the son who was standing directly behind her. “I heard nothing about this.”

“Dad, I told you this on the phone a few weeks back,” Kyoei explained calmly.

“You said kids would be staying her,” Mr. Memeshii barked, “not your plaything.”

“She is the mother of those two children,” Kyoei explained calmly, never once losing his temper. Shai, however, was not feeling so sure of herself. It was very obvious she was unwelcome by the man of this household, and being an old fashioned household would they throw her out? Would she be forced to return home?

“Then why is she here with them?” growled the old man. “I thought your Ma was going to take care of them so this tramp could continue to go to school. If she’s here she ain’t in school, is she?”

Shai raised an eyebrow and bit her lip to keep from seeking. For such a ‘feeble’ old man he certainly still had a lot of bite to him.

“Pa, I will not have you talking that way to her,” snarled Kyoei, the first Shai had seen of his rising temper. “She is going to go to school here, so she can be near her children, while Ma helps take care of them during the day.”

“Who’s takin’ care of them while that girl is studying at night, huh?” Mr. Memeshii continued his tyranny. “Ma needs to be cookin’ and workin’. She can’t be runnin’ after young ones all day.”

“I will do that, Pa,” Kyoei said calmly.

“You can’t do that, you will have worked all day,” Mr. Memeshii scoffed. “How can you work all day, then come home and take care of two children, who aren’t even yours. We didn’t raise no sucker.”

Shai turned to Kyoei, placing her hand on his arm. She could not take any more of this. She did not want to drive a rift between the two families. She was always mild mannered, and before she had grown her backbone she had listened to her elders, and nothing that man was saying struck her as untrue. He was right. They were not Kyoei’s children, heck, Bliss was not even her child. Kyoei should not have to work so hard so she could finish school.

“See, she ain’t even denyin’ any of this,” Mr. Memeshii pointed out, still in his undermining tone.

Shai, who had been holding Bliss the entire time, and letting Shu stand beside her, suddenly felt the urge to chase her children from the room. She passed Bliss to Kyoei, and told Shu, “Go out into the sitting room with Kyoei and Bliss, dear,” then she glanced to her boyfriend and smiled calmly. Kyoei, having confidence in his young love, silently walked out, not even passing his parents a passing glance over his shoulder.

“I do not care what you say about me,” Shai growled, taking further steps into the dark bedroom and the man sleeping on the antique bed, “but you will not say those things in front of my children. I am here so I can continue my education, and so I can provide the best care for my children while I do that. No, I did not make the smartest decision in having a child so early in my life, and then taking on someone else’s child was selfish for I did not consult anyone else first, but Kyoei and I both love those children, and I am trying to do what is best by them. No one, including you, can tell me how much I messed up, for I do not see it that way.

“Now, you can either be the best people to care for my child, or I will turn around and return home. If you do not want me here, you do not want my children here, so please tell me now.”

“Oh good,” Mr. Memeshii coughed, “the girl does have a bit of backbone. Okay, your rooms are ready, Ma, make sure that girl is well fed, she’s far too skinny.”

Shai blinked, reminiscent of Yuki when confused. “What?”

“He was just testing you, dear,” Mrs. Memeshii explained, standing up from the bed and going over to the young girl. “He wanted to see if you had some grit to you. You need it out here in the mountains. You never know which bear may come down to eat you.”

Mrs. Memeshii walked passed Shai, beckoning for her to follow. Shai looked after her, positively frightened. “Bears?”