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 XI
The Previous Evening
Yasunobu’s House; Downstairs Suite
https://i.imgur.com/OGJIDP6.jpg
“Maybe moving in with him isn’t the best idea.”
https://i.imgur.com/arF3qBn.jpg
River sniffled and said sarcastically, “Understatement of the year! Mom.”
https://i.imgur.com/x5q1nMH.jpg
There was a knock at the door,
https://i.imgur.com/ar4JfLw.jpg
“Yasunobu…?” Fiona said.
https://i.imgur.com/6OqYHXx.jpg
“I hear my son not want you in his place…”
https://i.imgur.com/uU16AV8.jpg
“Well, understandably, I sprung it on him suddenly without any consultation and well. I can see why he wouldn’t be too happy about it.”
https://i.imgur.com/oearyCu.jpg
“If, OK, you stay here.”
https://i.imgur.com/sY7QZ8y.jpg
“Won’t that annoy your wife?”
https://i.imgur.com/qhp1oqw.jpg
Yasunobu grinned, “No concern. I control. She no can say anything more. My money my house; she make trouble, you tell me...I kick her out.” he gestured to take in his surroundings, “My decision. I call Haruo and tell him you stay here.”
https://i.imgur.com/YuIc5D5.jpg
Fiona was relieved. Mayumi was unable to kick them out since Yasunobu was thoroughly in charge of what went on in this house. And she didn’t have to administer an uncomfortable truce between her daughter and Yasunobu’s son. “Thank you, Yasunobu. That’s so kind of you.”
https://i.imgur.com/CZUEi7A.jpg
“OK, you no need pack, you stay here and I keep wife quiet.” He grinned.
https://i.imgur.com/wjCSq7h.jpg
River was looking quite relieved at the thought of not having to be around Haruo after the hard rejection of her admission. She wasn’t sure how to feel other than hurt and angry; not just at the rejection but the assumption that she would think that because of what he went through with his mother that he’d receive more of the same from her.
Just where does Haruo get off thinking that I’m going to be a witch to him just like his mother did to him? I wouldn’t but the fact that he thinks that way…he’s been hurt terribly with no place to turn because his mother didn’t lay a finger on him - the cops wouldn’t do a eff'n thing because well they wouldn’t believe that words didn’t cut to the bone; that psychological damage was just a virulent and probably more insidious if you had no proof of being battered. It’s all in your head; just get over it and man up.
https://i.imgur.com/BTse35c.jpg
River felt again like she was about to burst into tears, not for herself but for the man she still loved regardless of his rejection of her. He didn’t have anyone to turn to so he was going to cocoon himself in a blanket of solitude in order to evade the hurt and pain that he was going to have to face in order to deal with the years of mental abuse that had come down the turnpike from that witch of a mother of his. He was going to have to deal with years of complex post-traumatic stress disorder with a counselor from years of dealing with Mayumi’s bull.
And the hard question in her mind was could she crack open that cocoon that he’d erected to protect himself.
The part of her heart that had been sorely wounded by his callous behavior told her to run away as fast as she could. Avoid ever having to deal with him ever again.
But the part of her who had spent so many years with him as a friend, said, you can’t leave him like this if you’ve ever considered him your friend because you’ll prove right everything he believes is true if you do. He believes that he’s not worth anything to anyone; and I have to prove to him that he is worth something to me.
She said to herself, I’ll give him a few days to get used to the fact that he’s on his own then I’ll go see what he’s doing. I’m not giving up on him. She resolved to herself as she looked out the window at the darkness.
But was she going to be able to withstand the veritable windstorm she was going to end up unleashing? All the years of pent-up frustration and anger held inside of him in a tight grip so that he would never let it get out of control. He needed to release all that to heal, River understood, but would she be able to withstand that fury if it was directed at her? He needed to gain closure, to heal from the multiple dripping emotional wounds that still covered him. To do that, he would have to face pain like he’d never felt before: the realization that his mother never loved him nor had she wanted the responsibility of raising a child to adulthood along with its accompanying bumps in the road of child-rearing.
https://i.imgur.com/j7Nm0NV.jpg
River contemplated how Haruo would feel throughout the process. Uncovering the raw wound that ate at him. The simple fact was that Mayumi quite possibly used Haruo as a means to an end; to gain acceptance from her father; Haruo’s Grandpa who had been a hard man to please. After all, this was pre-WWI and WWII and post-WWII was coming to grips that they had to rebuild their future so there was no time for the Miyagawas to even contemplate having a moment to rest and think. The children were expected to perform in their academics at a high calibre or run the risk of not being able to cement a stable future. And that extended to the grandchildren too. And Haruo’s mother, Mayumi spent most of her time dumping all over her son; probably as a result of being dumped all over by Grandpa Miyagawa. That still didn’t excuse Mayumi for all the pain that she had inflicted on her son, River pondered. Her abuse was the main reason why Haruo reacted the way he did to any sort of stressful situation. He ended up cocooning himself to keep from being emotionally hurt again. That way, he could get through the everyday things that one needed to do to make a living. But it was avoidance of those painful memories that was preventing him from healing, that made his life so raw whenever stressful things were brought up.
But if he wouldn’t go to therapy...this was going to be the crux where she would have to decide if she had to leave him. He needed help; his anger was a cry for help and River was going to insist that he get therapy to deal with the things his mother had done to him.
https://i.imgur.com/PLwbTZV.jpg
A tear spilled out from her filling eyes, otherwise...we don’t have a future together.
The Previous Evening
Yasunobu’s House; Downstairs Suite
https://i.imgur.com/OGJIDP6.jpg
“Maybe moving in with him isn’t the best idea.”
https://i.imgur.com/arF3qBn.jpg
River sniffled and said sarcastically, “Understatement of the year! Mom.”
https://i.imgur.com/x5q1nMH.jpg
There was a knock at the door,
https://i.imgur.com/ar4JfLw.jpg
“Yasunobu…?” Fiona said.
https://i.imgur.com/6OqYHXx.jpg
“I hear my son not want you in his place…”
https://i.imgur.com/uU16AV8.jpg
“Well, understandably, I sprung it on him suddenly without any consultation and well. I can see why he wouldn’t be too happy about it.”
https://i.imgur.com/oearyCu.jpg
“If, OK, you stay here.”
https://i.imgur.com/sY7QZ8y.jpg
“Won’t that annoy your wife?”
https://i.imgur.com/qhp1oqw.jpg
Yasunobu grinned, “No concern. I control. She no can say anything more. My money my house; she make trouble, you tell me...I kick her out.” he gestured to take in his surroundings, “My decision. I call Haruo and tell him you stay here.”
https://i.imgur.com/YuIc5D5.jpg
Fiona was relieved. Mayumi was unable to kick them out since Yasunobu was thoroughly in charge of what went on in this house. And she didn’t have to administer an uncomfortable truce between her daughter and Yasunobu’s son. “Thank you, Yasunobu. That’s so kind of you.”
https://i.imgur.com/CZUEi7A.jpg
“OK, you no need pack, you stay here and I keep wife quiet.” He grinned.
https://i.imgur.com/wjCSq7h.jpg
River was looking quite relieved at the thought of not having to be around Haruo after the hard rejection of her admission. She wasn’t sure how to feel other than hurt and angry; not just at the rejection but the assumption that she would think that because of what he went through with his mother that he’d receive more of the same from her.
Just where does Haruo get off thinking that I’m going to be a witch to him just like his mother did to him? I wouldn’t but the fact that he thinks that way…he’s been hurt terribly with no place to turn because his mother didn’t lay a finger on him - the cops wouldn’t do a eff'n thing because well they wouldn’t believe that words didn’t cut to the bone; that psychological damage was just a virulent and probably more insidious if you had no proof of being battered. It’s all in your head; just get over it and man up.
https://i.imgur.com/BTse35c.jpg
River felt again like she was about to burst into tears, not for herself but for the man she still loved regardless of his rejection of her. He didn’t have anyone to turn to so he was going to cocoon himself in a blanket of solitude in order to evade the hurt and pain that he was going to have to face in order to deal with the years of mental abuse that had come down the turnpike from that witch of a mother of his. He was going to have to deal with years of complex post-traumatic stress disorder with a counselor from years of dealing with Mayumi’s bull.
And the hard question in her mind was could she crack open that cocoon that he’d erected to protect himself.
The part of her heart that had been sorely wounded by his callous behavior told her to run away as fast as she could. Avoid ever having to deal with him ever again.
But the part of her who had spent so many years with him as a friend, said, you can’t leave him like this if you’ve ever considered him your friend because you’ll prove right everything he believes is true if you do. He believes that he’s not worth anything to anyone; and I have to prove to him that he is worth something to me.
She said to herself, I’ll give him a few days to get used to the fact that he’s on his own then I’ll go see what he’s doing. I’m not giving up on him. She resolved to herself as she looked out the window at the darkness.
But was she going to be able to withstand the veritable windstorm she was going to end up unleashing? All the years of pent-up frustration and anger held inside of him in a tight grip so that he would never let it get out of control. He needed to release all that to heal, River understood, but would she be able to withstand that fury if it was directed at her? He needed to gain closure, to heal from the multiple dripping emotional wounds that still covered him. To do that, he would have to face pain like he’d never felt before: the realization that his mother never loved him nor had she wanted the responsibility of raising a child to adulthood along with its accompanying bumps in the road of child-rearing.
https://i.imgur.com/j7Nm0NV.jpg
River contemplated how Haruo would feel throughout the process. Uncovering the raw wound that ate at him. The simple fact was that Mayumi quite possibly used Haruo as a means to an end; to gain acceptance from her father; Haruo’s Grandpa who had been a hard man to please. After all, this was pre-WWI and WWII and post-WWII was coming to grips that they had to rebuild their future so there was no time for the Miyagawas to even contemplate having a moment to rest and think. The children were expected to perform in their academics at a high calibre or run the risk of not being able to cement a stable future. And that extended to the grandchildren too. And Haruo’s mother, Mayumi spent most of her time dumping all over her son; probably as a result of being dumped all over by Grandpa Miyagawa. That still didn’t excuse Mayumi for all the pain that she had inflicted on her son, River pondered. Her abuse was the main reason why Haruo reacted the way he did to any sort of stressful situation. He ended up cocooning himself to keep from being emotionally hurt again. That way, he could get through the everyday things that one needed to do to make a living. But it was avoidance of those painful memories that was preventing him from healing, that made his life so raw whenever stressful things were brought up.
But if he wouldn’t go to therapy...this was going to be the crux where she would have to decide if she had to leave him. He needed help; his anger was a cry for help and River was going to insist that he get therapy to deal with the things his mother had done to him.
https://i.imgur.com/PLwbTZV.jpg
A tear spilled out from her filling eyes, otherwise...we don’t have a future together.
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