The Chikamori Selfacy (A Reboot)
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-451kWfI6hzI/X8bPPtEyeVI/AAAAAAAAk54/KB3_SyRJ73IFG8EkSAmOkYAyCBOz1giwgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/ChikamoriSelfacyReboot_banner.png Prologue: June 12, 1970; Sacred Spleen Hospital...
Forum Discussion
The Chikamori Selfacy Generation One
Chapter One: Life in Sunset Valley
A Long History
Chapter One (Part 2)
"Nice weather, isn't it?" Fiona ventured as she came in the front door from work
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5xVBWpRYqII/X7qsp1s8onI/AAAAAAAAkcQ/xkq_25HCtikHw3FgDcwkL_zcIuzcBq9jQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-109.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vDGGopt5Tj8/X7qsp_2gNNI/AAAAAAAAkcM/tahV1sLRGCwWUl_fd57uDnVl8Nc1kubvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-110.jpg
"Hmmm, yes. Nice day. Maybe weather hold today, maybe tomorrow too..." Yasunobu said in halting English searching carefully for the proper words. An immigrant to the country, sixteen years of living in Canada hadn’t removed an accent; nor would it as he’d come over as a young adult.
"I hope it stays this way. I wouldn’t like having to go to work in the rain" she stated, pausing for a moment before asking..."How is Har-u-oh doing?" I’m not sure if that’s the proper pronunciation...but...oh, close enough. Yasunobu hadn't named his son an easy name for a Westerner to pronounce, did he? But Fiona made her best attempt at it. She smiled at Haruo and he gave her a wide grin.
"Oh, Okay...doctor say he grow good." He looked startled but nodded, "And your baby...uh...River?" he offered and they shook hands.
Fiona thought to herself, that Yasunobu was a rather handsome man and he had nice dark brown eyes that were deep and expressive. And his toddler was absolutely adorable with his cute little button nose, she observed. "...my daughter..." she said with a sweep of her hand towards River sitting on the hardwood floor eyeing Yasunobu's son who was holding a blue wooden blocking. "Dr. Ellis says that she’s doing fine." She inquired taking a look at the young toddler after grabbing some autumn salad from the fridge to hush her ravenous cravings for food since she had missed lunch.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yfyMM_Kw6t0/X7qtHR30R1I/AAAAAAAAkcc/nHMlANWxt7E2-Lh2QFScMhZTWeWuLbtwQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-112.jpg
"That’s good. Eat well, grow up strong." Yasunobu grinned at her and Fiona felt a stirring within her. How the poor man had ended up with a snotty witch of a wife, she would never know.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HvINp-vOm4o/X7qtiL5WLhI/AAAAAAAAkck/KSFahUAbj2IqnvaTtfbwTxBHe9CpoI-vgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-113.jpg
Fiona and Yasunobu were so engrossed in their conversation that neither noticed that River and Haruo were staring at each other intently, each holding their own blocks eyeing each other trying to figure out if the other one was friendly. After all, they would be living in the same house and being friends was the best way to have an amicable relationship under the same roof.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3TdD-4Ta6FY/X7qt6MYO6kI/AAAAAAAAkcs/NzzUiQpAKx8u4ZX4rj30bF5DVMdGkkBXwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-116.jpg
There were many things that the parents had to do once everyone was back home. This was all a part of parenting. One of them was giving the children basic skills that they would have to in order to grow up. Potty training, learning to walk, learning to talk, playing with blocks; and the xylophone; all of which were necessary to advance into a well-rounded individual.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7WPmNSo6xDc/X7q1uAhYZ2I/AAAAAAAAkdM/7oUk1uqWlXwXVX_eZgMu48gvICUKmJZBQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-117.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L6e0gRqp1zY/X7q1uH1bZFI/AAAAAAAAkdQ/AITlRKjetTwCRK0RTua41-j0608eDzkEwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-120.jpg
Haruo was taught by his father to walk. “Haruo-kun. Ī ne... (that’s good)” He smiled as Haruo tottered towards him with outstretched arms and held him as Haruo lost his balance and fell into his father’s arms. Haruo looked up with wide eyes and Fiona felt an overwhelming sense of appreciation for a man that she knew was not available. What a pity, she thought. He takes care of his son in a way that Caeden never would have done for River.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_frEW9yLI_8/X7q2n4CxUyI/AAAAAAAAkdc/W6F_jsnXrF8xBjtMp0UPfBsoFc8F8KZDgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-123.jpg
Fiona did the same for her own daughter by sitting down with her on the hardwood floor and teaching her to talk. It was painstaking and repetitive work as her beloved daughter had a mind of her own and was easily distracted by other things going around her. Several hours would pass before River managed to be able to repeat back a few words and still more time would elapse until she was able to converse at a basic level appropriate for her age.
Mayumi on the other hand, got the stinky job of teaching Haruo how to go potty. Needless to say it was not a very pleasant experience as she had to clean out the potty as well after each time that Haruo had to go. Between that and having to fumigate the washroom every time that a training session happened did not make Mayumi a very happy camper or any less indisposed towards being mean to her son. Nothing made her happier than to heckle him or steal a lollipop from him.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MjC3S0YXF8Y/X7q3Oueli3I/AAAAAAAAkdk/-45ZHRdYjogiyZcfoMDm8jhox3fg6BVLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-130.jpg
Whatever she wasn't allowed to do to her school students she brought home and dished it out on Haruo. When she wasn't teaching him how to talk and letting him know how disappointed she was in the fact that he wasn't a genius...
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Xi0IzrBRT0/X7q4F0umZiI/AAAAAAAAkd0/dPMZUD7LNoQGZnKIrlFabcm8WxmpuuJeQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-133.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ATip8TS_fqc/X7q4FykI9KI/AAAAAAAAkdw/QkqjzET0s1ArS4B4humpF1k8VOPdek3JQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-136.jpg
...she made sure to let him know that he was smaller than her and that she could do anything that she wished to make his life absolutely miserable.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vE4a2fWeuCY/X7q4pgjjlKI/AAAAAAAAkeA/qxpM-dcAReMACQGP5iKL7_29lWGNO-X6wCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-146.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6wkHbgfGjzk/X7q4wePdYFI/AAAAAAAAkeE/2fjB6c0zeHU7n-axU4a5YwblRlRy2WSxwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-150.jpg
River, on the other hand, was absolutely furious, even though she didn't know what was going on between her best friend and his mother. Due to her age, she didn't yet understand family dynamics, but all she knew was that her best friend was miserable and that made her angry.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-01iFgbDPV7A/X7q5S7lrKuI/AAAAAAAAkeU/ZkOLFA9tkdMLM0H9T8brPN5nOjCblpVRgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-152.jpg
...and of course, it wasn't any better when Mayumi picked up Haruo and took him off to the bedroom, just so that she wouldn't have to hear him cry, shoving him in the crib and leaving him to scream and tantrum because he was being ignored. After all, Mayumi needed quiet and she was going to get it...one way or another.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uW-0GSZpTLw/X7q5fffjDRI/AAAAAAAAkeY/ZULXfGgE-Jk1OQokDrSNkQpHBR1BynmXgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-153.jpg
Meanwhile Yasunobu made dinner which was spaghetti with veggie sauce owing to the fact that Fiona was a strict vegetarian and meat dishes made her feel ill. So Yasunobu did what he could to alleviate her discomfort by cooking vegetarian dishes on the side for her. And Fiona was working on her first book, a science fiction mystery which had her glued mostly to her laptop (author's note: yes, I know...back in those days, we didn't have laptops per se. We had big huge things that weren't easily portable from one place to another - just work with me here).
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S_qwWYvsHu0/X7q7YsffcPI/AAAAAAAAkeo/oHYdnbqFEIMcLQ6xgQ9at9OujWboP2zIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-132.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bBDrSSQ0g3w/X7q7YmBwWHI/AAAAAAAAkes/HWyVkSBiGRM2Tq6kCuu-kvPTcUCqs5oYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-154.jpg
Unfortunately; though Yasunobu had hoped that the weather would hold out, in the morning it was clearly apparent that the sky had opened up and it was a downpour. On top of that the fog had moved in and the rain fell to wash over the town.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lqsrw7CqnEA/X7q8WrB1T3I/AAAAAAAAke4/L9aMYAauEXIGZy9g9riklR3oM6FswA63ACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-156.jpg
Chapter One: Life in Sunset Valley
A Long History
Chapter One (Part 2)
"Nice weather, isn't it?" Fiona ventured as she came in the front door from work
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5xVBWpRYqII/X7qsp1s8onI/AAAAAAAAkcQ/xkq_25HCtikHw3FgDcwkL_zcIuzcBq9jQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-109.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vDGGopt5Tj8/X7qsp_2gNNI/AAAAAAAAkcM/tahV1sLRGCwWUl_fd57uDnVl8Nc1kubvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-110.jpg
"Hmmm, yes. Nice day. Maybe weather hold today, maybe tomorrow too..." Yasunobu said in halting English searching carefully for the proper words. An immigrant to the country, sixteen years of living in Canada hadn’t removed an accent; nor would it as he’d come over as a young adult.
"I hope it stays this way. I wouldn’t like having to go to work in the rain" she stated, pausing for a moment before asking..."How is Har-u-oh doing?" I’m not sure if that’s the proper pronunciation...but...oh, close enough. Yasunobu hadn't named his son an easy name for a Westerner to pronounce, did he? But Fiona made her best attempt at it. She smiled at Haruo and he gave her a wide grin.
"Oh, Okay...doctor say he grow good." He looked startled but nodded, "And your baby...uh...River?" he offered and they shook hands.
Fiona thought to herself, that Yasunobu was a rather handsome man and he had nice dark brown eyes that were deep and expressive. And his toddler was absolutely adorable with his cute little button nose, she observed. "...my daughter..." she said with a sweep of her hand towards River sitting on the hardwood floor eyeing Yasunobu's son who was holding a blue wooden blocking. "Dr. Ellis says that she’s doing fine." She inquired taking a look at the young toddler after grabbing some autumn salad from the fridge to hush her ravenous cravings for food since she had missed lunch.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yfyMM_Kw6t0/X7qtHR30R1I/AAAAAAAAkcc/nHMlANWxt7E2-Lh2QFScMhZTWeWuLbtwQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-112.jpg
"That’s good. Eat well, grow up strong." Yasunobu grinned at her and Fiona felt a stirring within her. How the poor man had ended up with a snotty witch of a wife, she would never know.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HvINp-vOm4o/X7qtiL5WLhI/AAAAAAAAkck/KSFahUAbj2IqnvaTtfbwTxBHe9CpoI-vgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-113.jpg
Fiona and Yasunobu were so engrossed in their conversation that neither noticed that River and Haruo were staring at each other intently, each holding their own blocks eyeing each other trying to figure out if the other one was friendly. After all, they would be living in the same house and being friends was the best way to have an amicable relationship under the same roof.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3TdD-4Ta6FY/X7qt6MYO6kI/AAAAAAAAkcs/NzzUiQpAKx8u4ZX4rj30bF5DVMdGkkBXwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-116.jpg
There were many things that the parents had to do once everyone was back home. This was all a part of parenting. One of them was giving the children basic skills that they would have to in order to grow up. Potty training, learning to walk, learning to talk, playing with blocks; and the xylophone; all of which were necessary to advance into a well-rounded individual.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7WPmNSo6xDc/X7q1uAhYZ2I/AAAAAAAAkdM/7oUk1uqWlXwXVX_eZgMu48gvICUKmJZBQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-117.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L6e0gRqp1zY/X7q1uH1bZFI/AAAAAAAAkdQ/AITlRKjetTwCRK0RTua41-j0608eDzkEwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-120.jpg
Haruo was taught by his father to walk. “Haruo-kun. Ī ne... (that’s good)” He smiled as Haruo tottered towards him with outstretched arms and held him as Haruo lost his balance and fell into his father’s arms. Haruo looked up with wide eyes and Fiona felt an overwhelming sense of appreciation for a man that she knew was not available. What a pity, she thought. He takes care of his son in a way that Caeden never would have done for River.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_frEW9yLI_8/X7q2n4CxUyI/AAAAAAAAkdc/W6F_jsnXrF8xBjtMp0UPfBsoFc8F8KZDgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-123.jpg
Fiona did the same for her own daughter by sitting down with her on the hardwood floor and teaching her to talk. It was painstaking and repetitive work as her beloved daughter had a mind of her own and was easily distracted by other things going around her. Several hours would pass before River managed to be able to repeat back a few words and still more time would elapse until she was able to converse at a basic level appropriate for her age.
Mayumi on the other hand, got the stinky job of teaching Haruo how to go potty. Needless to say it was not a very pleasant experience as she had to clean out the potty as well after each time that Haruo had to go. Between that and having to fumigate the washroom every time that a training session happened did not make Mayumi a very happy camper or any less indisposed towards being mean to her son. Nothing made her happier than to heckle him or steal a lollipop from him.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MjC3S0YXF8Y/X7q3Oueli3I/AAAAAAAAkdk/-45ZHRdYjogiyZcfoMDm8jhox3fg6BVLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-130.jpg
Whatever she wasn't allowed to do to her school students she brought home and dished it out on Haruo. When she wasn't teaching him how to talk and letting him know how disappointed she was in the fact that he wasn't a genius...
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Xi0IzrBRT0/X7q4F0umZiI/AAAAAAAAkd0/dPMZUD7LNoQGZnKIrlFabcm8WxmpuuJeQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-133.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ATip8TS_fqc/X7q4FykI9KI/AAAAAAAAkdw/QkqjzET0s1ArS4B4humpF1k8VOPdek3JQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-136.jpg
...she made sure to let him know that he was smaller than her and that she could do anything that she wished to make his life absolutely miserable.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vE4a2fWeuCY/X7q4pgjjlKI/AAAAAAAAkeA/qxpM-dcAReMACQGP5iKL7_29lWGNO-X6wCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-146.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6wkHbgfGjzk/X7q4wePdYFI/AAAAAAAAkeE/2fjB6c0zeHU7n-axU4a5YwblRlRy2WSxwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-150.jpg
River, on the other hand, was absolutely furious, even though she didn't know what was going on between her best friend and his mother. Due to her age, she didn't yet understand family dynamics, but all she knew was that her best friend was miserable and that made her angry.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-01iFgbDPV7A/X7q5S7lrKuI/AAAAAAAAkeU/ZkOLFA9tkdMLM0H9T8brPN5nOjCblpVRgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-152.jpg
...and of course, it wasn't any better when Mayumi picked up Haruo and took him off to the bedroom, just so that she wouldn't have to hear him cry, shoving him in the crib and leaving him to scream and tantrum because he was being ignored. After all, Mayumi needed quiet and she was going to get it...one way or another.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uW-0GSZpTLw/X7q5fffjDRI/AAAAAAAAkeY/ZULXfGgE-Jk1OQokDrSNkQpHBR1BynmXgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-153.jpg
Meanwhile Yasunobu made dinner which was spaghetti with veggie sauce owing to the fact that Fiona was a strict vegetarian and meat dishes made her feel ill. So Yasunobu did what he could to alleviate her discomfort by cooking vegetarian dishes on the side for her. And Fiona was working on her first book, a science fiction mystery which had her glued mostly to her laptop (author's note: yes, I know...back in those days, we didn't have laptops per se. We had big huge things that weren't easily portable from one place to another - just work with me here).
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S_qwWYvsHu0/X7q7YsffcPI/AAAAAAAAkeo/oHYdnbqFEIMcLQ6xgQ9at9OujWboP2zIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-132.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bBDrSSQ0g3w/X7q7YmBwWHI/AAAAAAAAkes/HWyVkSBiGRM2Tq6kCuu-kvPTcUCqs5oYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-154.jpg
Unfortunately; though Yasunobu had hoped that the weather would hold out, in the morning it was clearly apparent that the sky had opened up and it was a downpour. On top of that the fog had moved in and the rain fell to wash over the town.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lqsrw7CqnEA/X7q8WrB1T3I/AAAAAAAAke4/L9aMYAauEXIGZy9g9riklR3oM6FswA63ACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-156.jpg
