The Chikamori Legacy (The Sanitized Version)
Prologue - "Seeds of Dissent" Part I (Author's Note: "This is the clean, sanitized version with no links back to my blog - meaning no contraventions against rules) Vancouver, BC, Canada - 1988 ...
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Chapter One: “Love and Loss” - Part VI
Haruo’s Alcove
Saturday Morning
Haruo was roused from his sleep at five in the morning by an irritable Mayumi.
“Are you aware that as a young adult, you can now pay us five hundred a month in rent right now or you can leave this house.” So how long had Mayumi stewed over that financial haymaker she wanted to level at her son? Not long enough, perhaps.
https://i.imgur.com/BbRBWuj.jpg
“Really?” Haruo’s eyes narrowed: this was going to be fun, “Well, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”
https://i.imgur.com/kRDYBhF.jpg
He remarked. “Just give me a brief second. I need to write something down.”
“What’s that?” Mayumi was startled as the wind was taken out of her sails as Haruo scrawled something down on a piece of looseleaf sheet paper.
“It’s a notice to end tenancy! Give me six hours to pack and I will vacate this house.”
https://i.imgur.com/vuUaFLc.jpg
"What!?” Mayumi looked blindsided. She'd thought that she could have a readily available §500.00 a month. He was cowed enough that he would give it up readily if he wanted a roof over his head so she thought. Unfortunately she hadn't thought through the alternatives if he wasn't under her thumb as much as she'd thought.
https://i.imgur.com/F1j6LKH.jpg
“Oh, I didn’t tell you? I made sure to tell the bank that my savings went to purchase a lot upon which I built a small trailer. I’m sure you’re happy that I won’t be homeless…” like you hoped I would be…turns out I was two steps ahead of you….witch. “Now if you don’t mind, I’d like some peace and quiet while I get my things together so I can move.” Haruo smiled at her. He knew just how much this was making her stew inside and he twisted the knife in a little more. “Would you prefer I left this bed-frame or would you like me to take it with me? After all it is getting rather worn and might be dangerous for the next tenant.”
https://i.imgur.com/nAnqBti.jpg
“YASUBO!!!!” Mayumi shrieked.
https://i.imgur.com/3HOuxJN.jpg
“Nande shakenderu?”
When he was told the reason, why Haruo was moving out. Yasunobu nodded. He knew how unhappy his son had been over the years and he was gratified to know that Haruo wasn’t leaving because of him. His son assured Yasunobu that he would always have a place for him on the property in Richmond, but did not want his mother to know where he was living. He had to get away from her...at any cost. Yasunobu’s own relationship with Mayumi had been rather strained because of the antagonism that she’d borne their own son and Yasunobu felt that to his very core. He knew that his own blood child was unhappy and wanted out but he didn’t want to lose touch with him and that was what he feared most.
Haruo was looking at making a clean break from the family and going to live his own life. Would he be able to make a life for himself? Haruo tended to be a bit asocial. He never really longed for social interaction but most of society tended to shun those who behaved in that manner so in order to conceal his true motivations, he tried to behave like everyone else, looking for a relationship.
It would take someone very special and very understanding to bring him out of the shell that he cocooned himself in. Was River that kind of person; was Bebe, for that matter. Haruo didn’t know and for right now,,all he wanted to do was get the hell out of Mayumi’s house.
https://i.imgur.com/CHRXPWU.jpg
Meanwhile Mayumi was in hysterics trying to order Yasunobu to do something till finally Yasunobu got so aggravated, he thundered. “Damare, kuso-babaa!!!” He was angry that his son felt so abused that he was being forced out of the house. He reached into his pockets and gave Haruo one thousand simoleons over Mayumi’s protests that the louse should starve for defying her edicts. He gave her a look to say keep going at your own risk and you’ll be out on the street, wife! Yasunobu was more than livid.
https://i.imgur.com/voDNsVe.jpg
Haruo took his leave of the house not less than three hours later. He’d thrown everything into boxes and rented a truck to get him to Richmond. And it was at the point where he was loading up the box-spring into his van with the help of Yasunobu that River and Fiona came out to see just what commotion was going on as Mayumi’s screeching had reached a crescendo and could probably have been heard all the way clear across town.
https://i.imgur.com/sJlrm6T.jpg
River forgot all about her anger towards Haruo and Bebe and asked, “What’s going on?”
“I’m done…” Haruo replied not without some heat since he’d wanted to get the hell out quickly and quietly and this was anything but. “I’ve had it with this place and I’m moving out.”
https://i.imgur.com/wL4k2Nx.jpg
“HE CAN’T DO THAT!!!” Mayumi screeched.
https://i.imgur.com/2tNbwHf.jpg
“The hell I can’t!” Haruo snapped at his mother.
“You can’t…” River begged him embracing him out of sheer desperation. She needed him to stay. If he left...then what would happen to their friendship? Out of all possible scenarios she had pictured in her head upon confronting both Haruo and Bebe about last afternoon, she hadn’t expected this scenario. And she hadn’t even confronted Haruo about Bebe yet. Haruo shook his head. No, nothing was going to convince him not to move out. River didn’t know where he was going and she wasn’t about to ask him where he was going in front of his mother since it appeared Haruo didn’t want to disclose where he was moving to in front of his mother. “Why?” was all she asked.
“That evil witch…” he snapped thumbing towards his mother. “I’ve had it with her unreasonable dictates. I’ve had it with her lies and conniving and her I’m better than everyone else attitude. I’m tired of her dumping all over me every time she gets a burr up her rear-end about something. She’s aggravated me for the very last time and I’m sick and tired of seeing her face.”
https://i.imgur.com/7y0vjG8.jpg
Mayumi went sheet white and shaking. “How…HOW DARE YOU!!! You ungrateful brute! I was in labour with you for sixteen hours!!!!” The last scream could be likened to a banshee’s wail.
Fiona barely stopped herself from letting off a cackle of laughter from seeing Yasunobu nearly roll his eyes into the back of his head. The poor man. How he’d managed to put up with that screaming harpy for eighteen plus years. And you made your son's life hell for eighteen years because of it. Mayumi, you more than were paid back for whatever you went through if anyone should even be paid back for going through labour pain.
“I want an apology!” Mayumi screeched.
Haruo firmly set his jaw in a stubborn scowl. “Well enjoy waiting…” he pointed in his mother’s face, “ because hell will effin' freeze over before you get one!”
https://i.imgur.com/6m3jmNH.jpg
Fiona was silently cheering for Haruo. She’d known just how abusive Mayumi had been to Haruo and she being a tenant of Mayumi’s was powerless to help him.
“Anybody that agrees with him…” Mayumi pointed to Haruo “…can jolly well leave my house!” She stuck her jaw out like a little fat Napoleon.
https://i.imgur.com/32XEPJ4.jpg
Fiona chortled as she gave Mayumi a withering look, “Very well. Mayumi, Haruo, do you have some extra space in that trailer of yours?”
https://i.imgur.com/JX5WfYH.jpg
Haruo looked shocked - he’d expected a clean quiet split from the house and never having to look back. How did River’s Mom know just what kind of building I had on my property? “I’m sure we’ll get some money back with the BC Rentalsman when he hears how we were illegally evicted. Yasunobu? Are you coming?” Fiona sounded downright amused.
https://i.imgur.com/u3p4JRD.jpg
“Maybe…” Yasunobu replied in halting English then spoke a flurry of heated words in Japanese towards his wife who turned even whiter than she was. “I pay house, I pay mortgage, I no pay, she can no live here. House get sold so I have to stay.” He explained in broken English. So Yasunobu had leverage that he was now willing to use against Mayumi to insure she stayed in line.
https://i.imgur.com/cb5fsmI.jpg
“I’m overloaded.” Haruo stated. “ I can’t take anymore this trip but if you’re seriously intent on moving out, Mrs McIrish, I can come back and move you out too.”
“That would be fine. I’m considering this threat of eviction as a tendered eviction notice and treating it as such. And the Rentalsman’s office will be hearing about this as well. Yasunobu, you shouldn’t have to pay this, I wouldn’t. It’s Mayumi’s doing.”
https://i.imgur.com/o5FxsrG.jpg
“But my finances are tied up in Kits.” Mayumi protested. She had a house in Kitsilano that she was renovating with Yasunobu’s financial help (essentially extorted out of him) that was going strictly to her and to her brothers.
https://i.imgur.com/ytv228A.jpg
“Tough luck.” Haruo said. “Maybe you should have thought before opening your mouth. I wholeheartedly support Mrs. McIrish getting her due.” It would be nice to see his mother being taken down a peg or two. And it gave him fire to see his way through to making a success out of himself. All the times Mayumi had trampled on his self-esteem, she was now getting back in spades. And lo, if it were so satisfying.
https://i.imgur.com/8y39XG5.jpg
“Look, I’ll come with you and help you.” River said. “You’re going to give yourself a hernia taking that box-spring and mattress Haruo had a queen size mattress and box-spring loaded up on the van of his.
Haruo reluctantly agreed. He hadn’t reckoned on the McIrishes moving in with him, least of all them initiating the idea of it. He’d kept the passenger side clear since he was considering stopping at a grocery store to buy food for the next week since his father had given him a thousand. He was glad however that he’d chosen to keep the truck for a few days before having to return it to the rental agency.
https://i.imgur.com/bWiUL4l.jpg
River looked at her Mom to see if it was OK. Her mom nodded, “Go with him and help him…”.
Haruo’s Alcove
Saturday Morning
Haruo was roused from his sleep at five in the morning by an irritable Mayumi.
“Are you aware that as a young adult, you can now pay us five hundred a month in rent right now or you can leave this house.” So how long had Mayumi stewed over that financial haymaker she wanted to level at her son? Not long enough, perhaps.
https://i.imgur.com/BbRBWuj.jpg
“Really?” Haruo’s eyes narrowed: this was going to be fun, “Well, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”
https://i.imgur.com/kRDYBhF.jpg
He remarked. “Just give me a brief second. I need to write something down.”
“What’s that?” Mayumi was startled as the wind was taken out of her sails as Haruo scrawled something down on a piece of looseleaf sheet paper.
“It’s a notice to end tenancy! Give me six hours to pack and I will vacate this house.”
https://i.imgur.com/vuUaFLc.jpg
"What!?” Mayumi looked blindsided. She'd thought that she could have a readily available §500.00 a month. He was cowed enough that he would give it up readily if he wanted a roof over his head so she thought. Unfortunately she hadn't thought through the alternatives if he wasn't under her thumb as much as she'd thought.
https://i.imgur.com/F1j6LKH.jpg
“Oh, I didn’t tell you? I made sure to tell the bank that my savings went to purchase a lot upon which I built a small trailer. I’m sure you’re happy that I won’t be homeless…” like you hoped I would be…turns out I was two steps ahead of you….witch. “Now if you don’t mind, I’d like some peace and quiet while I get my things together so I can move.” Haruo smiled at her. He knew just how much this was making her stew inside and he twisted the knife in a little more. “Would you prefer I left this bed-frame or would you like me to take it with me? After all it is getting rather worn and might be dangerous for the next tenant.”
https://i.imgur.com/nAnqBti.jpg
“YASUBO!!!!” Mayumi shrieked.
https://i.imgur.com/3HOuxJN.jpg
“Nande shakenderu?”
When he was told the reason, why Haruo was moving out. Yasunobu nodded. He knew how unhappy his son had been over the years and he was gratified to know that Haruo wasn’t leaving because of him. His son assured Yasunobu that he would always have a place for him on the property in Richmond, but did not want his mother to know where he was living. He had to get away from her...at any cost. Yasunobu’s own relationship with Mayumi had been rather strained because of the antagonism that she’d borne their own son and Yasunobu felt that to his very core. He knew that his own blood child was unhappy and wanted out but he didn’t want to lose touch with him and that was what he feared most.
Haruo was looking at making a clean break from the family and going to live his own life. Would he be able to make a life for himself? Haruo tended to be a bit asocial. He never really longed for social interaction but most of society tended to shun those who behaved in that manner so in order to conceal his true motivations, he tried to behave like everyone else, looking for a relationship.
It would take someone very special and very understanding to bring him out of the shell that he cocooned himself in. Was River that kind of person; was Bebe, for that matter. Haruo didn’t know and for right now,,all he wanted to do was get the hell out of Mayumi’s house.
https://i.imgur.com/CHRXPWU.jpg
Meanwhile Mayumi was in hysterics trying to order Yasunobu to do something till finally Yasunobu got so aggravated, he thundered. “Damare, kuso-babaa!!!” He was angry that his son felt so abused that he was being forced out of the house. He reached into his pockets and gave Haruo one thousand simoleons over Mayumi’s protests that the louse should starve for defying her edicts. He gave her a look to say keep going at your own risk and you’ll be out on the street, wife! Yasunobu was more than livid.
https://i.imgur.com/voDNsVe.jpg
Haruo took his leave of the house not less than three hours later. He’d thrown everything into boxes and rented a truck to get him to Richmond. And it was at the point where he was loading up the box-spring into his van with the help of Yasunobu that River and Fiona came out to see just what commotion was going on as Mayumi’s screeching had reached a crescendo and could probably have been heard all the way clear across town.
https://i.imgur.com/sJlrm6T.jpg
River forgot all about her anger towards Haruo and Bebe and asked, “What’s going on?”
“I’m done…” Haruo replied not without some heat since he’d wanted to get the hell out quickly and quietly and this was anything but. “I’ve had it with this place and I’m moving out.”
https://i.imgur.com/wL4k2Nx.jpg
“HE CAN’T DO THAT!!!” Mayumi screeched.
https://i.imgur.com/2tNbwHf.jpg
“The hell I can’t!” Haruo snapped at his mother.
“You can’t…” River begged him embracing him out of sheer desperation. She needed him to stay. If he left...then what would happen to their friendship? Out of all possible scenarios she had pictured in her head upon confronting both Haruo and Bebe about last afternoon, she hadn’t expected this scenario. And she hadn’t even confronted Haruo about Bebe yet. Haruo shook his head. No, nothing was going to convince him not to move out. River didn’t know where he was going and she wasn’t about to ask him where he was going in front of his mother since it appeared Haruo didn’t want to disclose where he was moving to in front of his mother. “Why?” was all she asked.
“That evil witch…” he snapped thumbing towards his mother. “I’ve had it with her unreasonable dictates. I’ve had it with her lies and conniving and her I’m better than everyone else attitude. I’m tired of her dumping all over me every time she gets a burr up her rear-end about something. She’s aggravated me for the very last time and I’m sick and tired of seeing her face.”
https://i.imgur.com/7y0vjG8.jpg
Mayumi went sheet white and shaking. “How…HOW DARE YOU!!! You ungrateful brute! I was in labour with you for sixteen hours!!!!” The last scream could be likened to a banshee’s wail.
Fiona barely stopped herself from letting off a cackle of laughter from seeing Yasunobu nearly roll his eyes into the back of his head. The poor man. How he’d managed to put up with that screaming harpy for eighteen plus years. And you made your son's life hell for eighteen years because of it. Mayumi, you more than were paid back for whatever you went through if anyone should even be paid back for going through labour pain.
“I want an apology!” Mayumi screeched.
Haruo firmly set his jaw in a stubborn scowl. “Well enjoy waiting…” he pointed in his mother’s face, “ because hell will effin' freeze over before you get one!”
https://i.imgur.com/6m3jmNH.jpg
Fiona was silently cheering for Haruo. She’d known just how abusive Mayumi had been to Haruo and she being a tenant of Mayumi’s was powerless to help him.
“Anybody that agrees with him…” Mayumi pointed to Haruo “…can jolly well leave my house!” She stuck her jaw out like a little fat Napoleon.
https://i.imgur.com/32XEPJ4.jpg
Fiona chortled as she gave Mayumi a withering look, “Very well. Mayumi, Haruo, do you have some extra space in that trailer of yours?”
https://i.imgur.com/JX5WfYH.jpg
Haruo looked shocked - he’d expected a clean quiet split from the house and never having to look back. How did River’s Mom know just what kind of building I had on my property? “I’m sure we’ll get some money back with the BC Rentalsman when he hears how we were illegally evicted. Yasunobu? Are you coming?” Fiona sounded downright amused.
https://i.imgur.com/u3p4JRD.jpg
“Maybe…” Yasunobu replied in halting English then spoke a flurry of heated words in Japanese towards his wife who turned even whiter than she was. “I pay house, I pay mortgage, I no pay, she can no live here. House get sold so I have to stay.” He explained in broken English. So Yasunobu had leverage that he was now willing to use against Mayumi to insure she stayed in line.
https://i.imgur.com/cb5fsmI.jpg
“I’m overloaded.” Haruo stated. “ I can’t take anymore this trip but if you’re seriously intent on moving out, Mrs McIrish, I can come back and move you out too.”
“That would be fine. I’m considering this threat of eviction as a tendered eviction notice and treating it as such. And the Rentalsman’s office will be hearing about this as well. Yasunobu, you shouldn’t have to pay this, I wouldn’t. It’s Mayumi’s doing.”
https://i.imgur.com/o5FxsrG.jpg
“But my finances are tied up in Kits.” Mayumi protested. She had a house in Kitsilano that she was renovating with Yasunobu’s financial help (essentially extorted out of him) that was going strictly to her and to her brothers.
https://i.imgur.com/ytv228A.jpg
“Tough luck.” Haruo said. “Maybe you should have thought before opening your mouth. I wholeheartedly support Mrs. McIrish getting her due.” It would be nice to see his mother being taken down a peg or two. And it gave him fire to see his way through to making a success out of himself. All the times Mayumi had trampled on his self-esteem, she was now getting back in spades. And lo, if it were so satisfying.
https://i.imgur.com/8y39XG5.jpg
“Look, I’ll come with you and help you.” River said. “You’re going to give yourself a hernia taking that box-spring and mattress Haruo had a queen size mattress and box-spring loaded up on the van of his.
Haruo reluctantly agreed. He hadn’t reckoned on the McIrishes moving in with him, least of all them initiating the idea of it. He’d kept the passenger side clear since he was considering stopping at a grocery store to buy food for the next week since his father had given him a thousand. He was glad however that he’d chosen to keep the truck for a few days before having to return it to the rental agency.
https://i.imgur.com/bWiUL4l.jpg
River looked at her Mom to see if it was OK. Her mom nodded, “Go with him and help him…”.
