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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The Chikamori Legacy
Chapter Two: "Escape" - Part I
Two Weeks Later
Haruo had a grand total of §1,800,200.00 in his bank account after making some preliminary gemstone sales which came from pure dumb luck, that was after leaving his father §225,000 to survive on and frankly, that would be enough to take care of Grandma and himself and Mother if she was still going to be around with Yasunobu after he went ballistic on her for having chased Haruo out of the family home. It was enough to allow Haruo to figure out a plan of action to make a decent amount of money. It appeared that with his mother’s ghost on his heels, he chose to run as far as he could, potentially banking on an idea of becoming a gem merchant. Haruo’s mother had done her best to emotionally break Haruo as much as possible. Weeping psychological wounds on his person and not feeling as if he was capable of doing anything worthwhile, his self-esteem was at its nadir. So instead of staying and dealing with the ever-present sense of inadequacy, Haruo chose to run away and find himself some peace whilst remaining damaged. It wasn’t a pathway to healing, that much was certain.
https://i.imgur.com/ZsfGK9t.jpg
Cape Garner Islands was a system of islands in the Juan de Fuca strait staring straight at Texada Island. It was quite a ways up from the Lower Mainland. It was northwest of Sechelt and Haruo felt a sense of peace for the first time in his life when he set foot on the island. His first plan of action was to get himself a place to live. With the kind of money he had at his disposal, he would have no problems in finding a place to set up himself on the island.
https://i.imgur.com/D0hNRdA.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/bYt8FtQ.jpg
A quick call to the real estate agent got him started at looking at homes on Cape Garner.
https://i.imgur.com/ueaImhQ.jpg
If one wasn’t prone to sea-sickness, one could get started in a floating home. Haruo wasn’t sure that living in a houseboat was such a wise idea when the seas got rocky in winter-time. Then sleep would be impossible.
https://i.imgur.com/yM0HSvI.jpg
Another home that was suitable was a multi-storey country home. For a small family, it was nice and close to town; something Haruo didn’t want as he was looking for something much more private.
https://i.imgur.com/jrYt0wp.jpg
In the end, Haruo settled for a half-million simoleon home that was upscale and suitable for someone who had seven figures in his bank account.
https://i.imgur.com/9Xq5PNs.jpg
It also came with a nice vehicle as Haruo had sold his pickup while he was still on the Lower Mainland and was now essentially vehicle-less. The color though was a horrid green. When he was finished the house tour, he wrote up a contract and was soon the proud owner of 20 Channel View Bluff. In quick order, he’d sold the SUV that came with the house for §85,000.00 recouping back 16.35% of what he’d spent on the house, which went back out in short order as he bought himself a Mercedes. Finally getting a chance to sit down in his newly furnished house, he took a deep sigh of relief.
But was this peace? And would he find it?
He took a brief moment to dash off an e-mail to his grandmother (who surprisingly was quite the technophile and quite savvy about computers for someone who was born in 1892 and was now 96 years old), he did let her know where he was and that he was settling into his house.
https://i.imgur.com/8eRw7sU.jpg
The house came with a baby grand piano, a six-footer. And Haruo went downstairs to practice piano which perversely offered some sort of comfort. It was his refuge when his mother decided to be a complete and utter spiteful witch. At least when he was practicing six hours a day, he was free from his mother’s kvetching about inconsequentials. J.S. Bach’s English Suites were a great disincentive for Mayumi to come annoy him. On one hand, practicing for six hours a day was probably one of the more boring things that non-musicians could think of; on the other hand, Mayumi couldn’t complain because her son was doing what was expected of him
https://i.imgur.com/pF4YHYN.jpg
Now, with the background of an empty house, other than furniture, a tranquil place of solitude, he could lose himself in the music. The technical intricacies of Bach astounded many a listener, but to really get into the nuts and bolts of the music was a task known only to musicians. The notes of the book on the music rest on top of the grand piano were seen through Haruo’s eyes, understood by the brain, the fire flowing through his synapses from his brain to his fingertips, tranformed with Haruo’s light touch on the keyboard into audible sound. Bach...Glorious Bach. Letting the music flow through him, soothing Haruo and allowing him to lose himself to the auditory magnificence of the Great Master. It was just him and Johann Sebastian locked in an embrace of talent and desire for release from the tension that had plagued Haruo for the past eighteen years.
https://i.imgur.com/IXP7PuV.jpg
But music only soothes so far. And eventually, Haruo’s brain and fingers got tired. Going upstairs to his room, he conjured at the Lord Vladimir’s Conjuring Cauldron, which gave him a Sunstone, a Fluorite and a Quartz stone.
https://i.imgur.com/ogrVbFi.jpg
He decided to take a nap and when he was refreshed enough, it seemed that the best option would be to go out and eat. The kitchen that he had was quite nice, however, he’d left his cooking books back in Vancouver and he was loathe to make a trek back to go get them. It would mean running into River and that was yet another bridge he wasn’t ready to cross.
But what was Haruo to do with his newfound freedom and an enormous house that he had all to himself. He had no idea yet, but he was going to enjoy himself. Maybe take up photography and music collecting. Despite the joy that he felt in the newfound refuge of the island that he had moved to, there was still his mother’s endless recriminations ringing in his ears – you’re not capable, if you had freedom you wouldn’t know what to do with it. You were meant to be controlled and you’ll amount to nothing if you ever slip my leash. You’re a failure. Distance would never silence his mother. Because he carried her in his head.
Chapter Two: "Escape" - Part I
Two Weeks Later
Haruo had a grand total of §1,800,200.00 in his bank account after making some preliminary gemstone sales which came from pure dumb luck, that was after leaving his father §225,000 to survive on and frankly, that would be enough to take care of Grandma and himself and Mother if she was still going to be around with Yasunobu after he went ballistic on her for having chased Haruo out of the family home. It was enough to allow Haruo to figure out a plan of action to make a decent amount of money. It appeared that with his mother’s ghost on his heels, he chose to run as far as he could, potentially banking on an idea of becoming a gem merchant. Haruo’s mother had done her best to emotionally break Haruo as much as possible. Weeping psychological wounds on his person and not feeling as if he was capable of doing anything worthwhile, his self-esteem was at its nadir. So instead of staying and dealing with the ever-present sense of inadequacy, Haruo chose to run away and find himself some peace whilst remaining damaged. It wasn’t a pathway to healing, that much was certain.
https://i.imgur.com/ZsfGK9t.jpg
Cape Garner Islands was a system of islands in the Juan de Fuca strait staring straight at Texada Island. It was quite a ways up from the Lower Mainland. It was northwest of Sechelt and Haruo felt a sense of peace for the first time in his life when he set foot on the island. His first plan of action was to get himself a place to live. With the kind of money he had at his disposal, he would have no problems in finding a place to set up himself on the island.
https://i.imgur.com/D0hNRdA.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/bYt8FtQ.jpg
A quick call to the real estate agent got him started at looking at homes on Cape Garner.
https://i.imgur.com/ueaImhQ.jpg
If one wasn’t prone to sea-sickness, one could get started in a floating home. Haruo wasn’t sure that living in a houseboat was such a wise idea when the seas got rocky in winter-time. Then sleep would be impossible.
https://i.imgur.com/yM0HSvI.jpg
Another home that was suitable was a multi-storey country home. For a small family, it was nice and close to town; something Haruo didn’t want as he was looking for something much more private.
https://i.imgur.com/jrYt0wp.jpg
In the end, Haruo settled for a half-million simoleon home that was upscale and suitable for someone who had seven figures in his bank account.
https://i.imgur.com/9Xq5PNs.jpg
It also came with a nice vehicle as Haruo had sold his pickup while he was still on the Lower Mainland and was now essentially vehicle-less. The color though was a horrid green. When he was finished the house tour, he wrote up a contract and was soon the proud owner of 20 Channel View Bluff. In quick order, he’d sold the SUV that came with the house for §85,000.00 recouping back 16.35% of what he’d spent on the house, which went back out in short order as he bought himself a Mercedes. Finally getting a chance to sit down in his newly furnished house, he took a deep sigh of relief.
But was this peace? And would he find it?
He took a brief moment to dash off an e-mail to his grandmother (who surprisingly was quite the technophile and quite savvy about computers for someone who was born in 1892 and was now 96 years old), he did let her know where he was and that he was settling into his house.
https://i.imgur.com/8eRw7sU.jpg
The house came with a baby grand piano, a six-footer. And Haruo went downstairs to practice piano which perversely offered some sort of comfort. It was his refuge when his mother decided to be a complete and utter spiteful witch. At least when he was practicing six hours a day, he was free from his mother’s kvetching about inconsequentials. J.S. Bach’s English Suites were a great disincentive for Mayumi to come annoy him. On one hand, practicing for six hours a day was probably one of the more boring things that non-musicians could think of; on the other hand, Mayumi couldn’t complain because her son was doing what was expected of him
https://i.imgur.com/pF4YHYN.jpg
Now, with the background of an empty house, other than furniture, a tranquil place of solitude, he could lose himself in the music. The technical intricacies of Bach astounded many a listener, but to really get into the nuts and bolts of the music was a task known only to musicians. The notes of the book on the music rest on top of the grand piano were seen through Haruo’s eyes, understood by the brain, the fire flowing through his synapses from his brain to his fingertips, tranformed with Haruo’s light touch on the keyboard into audible sound. Bach...Glorious Bach. Letting the music flow through him, soothing Haruo and allowing him to lose himself to the auditory magnificence of the Great Master. It was just him and Johann Sebastian locked in an embrace of talent and desire for release from the tension that had plagued Haruo for the past eighteen years.
https://i.imgur.com/IXP7PuV.jpg
But music only soothes so far. And eventually, Haruo’s brain and fingers got tired. Going upstairs to his room, he conjured at the Lord Vladimir’s Conjuring Cauldron, which gave him a Sunstone, a Fluorite and a Quartz stone.
https://i.imgur.com/ogrVbFi.jpg
He decided to take a nap and when he was refreshed enough, it seemed that the best option would be to go out and eat. The kitchen that he had was quite nice, however, he’d left his cooking books back in Vancouver and he was loathe to make a trek back to go get them. It would mean running into River and that was yet another bridge he wasn’t ready to cross.
But what was Haruo to do with his newfound freedom and an enormous house that he had all to himself. He had no idea yet, but he was going to enjoy himself. Maybe take up photography and music collecting. Despite the joy that he felt in the newfound refuge of the island that he had moved to, there was still his mother’s endless recriminations ringing in his ears – you’re not capable, if you had freedom you wouldn’t know what to do with it. You were meant to be controlled and you’ll amount to nothing if you ever slip my leash. You’re a failure. Distance would never silence his mother. Because he carried her in his head.
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