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...
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Generation One
Chapter Five
A Day of Respite (Part Six)
Morning, Chikamori triplex
Haruo's eyes opened at the crack of dawn. It was first light and peering at his fifteen simoleon wristwatch from The Savvy Simoleon store he grinned. It was five forty-five. If he could make it to the city hall, he could do what he needed to do; namely get his homework and get it done before the store opened where he could search for the thing that he wanted to get. After all any other place would be vastly way more expensive than what he could afford on a budget. Maybe he could replace it down the road when he could afford to if River hadn't grown attached to it as a memento. He got dressed quickly and slipped downstairs.
Molly French was in their kitchen as the kitchen next door as the Chikamori's side of the triplex seemed to have appliances that cooked straight through on the recipe timings that were quoted in the recipe books. Haruo put finger to lips as Molly was about to greet him pointing towards the ceiling to indicate Mayumi's presence upstairs and then towards the door as Molly nodded, smiling, as she noticed his attire and light summer weight jacket. After all his jacket indicated that he was slipping out to go somewhere that morning.Molly gave him a silent thumbs up to indicate that she understood what he meant.
And with those silent gesticulations he slipped out the door into the cool morning air. The store would be open around eight oh clock and it was already six-ten. There was a nice sweet scent to the morning air as he walked past some lilac bushes on his way down. He walked past the Bistro and down to his destination at the end of the block which he would go to after the store opened at nine in the morning. The store which he was about to patronize after getting his next assignment done for home-schooling was a retailer town which gave a lot of jobs to those from around Sunset Valley and the surrounding Lower Mainland. But first he had to go to the city-hall to get his assignment.
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Making sure that he got to the city hall the second it opened to maximize the amount of time that he had to do his homework, he sat down in front of the city hall steps with his cousin, Torao who had gone with him to get his own homework, he started doing his homework.
It was at about the time that he’d had twelve percent of his homework done that he looked up upon feeling fingers brush across the back of his neck, “Good morning, honey...” he heard River say as she walked past him heading for the door of the city-hall. She was heading in to get her homework as well. Haruo didn’t want her to know what he was up to so he asked Torao to cover for him.
“Just tell River I needed to get something at the bookstore...” he fibbed. Torao grinned at him and nodded.
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Walking into his destination, Haruo beelined for the department he was interested in. As usual there were no attendants; there never is. Finally he had to flag down a customer service person and ask if there was anyone available to help him. At least what they had to offer was in his price range; perhaps at the top of his price range but still within and that was the key. It would at least be a token of how much he loved her.
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"Well we have a Simmabella 1/3 Carat T.W. Diamond 10 K White Gold HALO Engagement Ring for §698.00, would that fit your price range?"
"May I see it?"
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She held it up and Haruo was able to admire the cluster of diamonds around the single stone and the smaller diamonds embedded in the silver band. Haruo would have preferred to get one that he felt River deserved but they were too far out of his price range. He most definitely could not afford anything in the four digit range let alone anything higher and he thought to himself. When I make enough, I'll get her the engagement ring that she truly deserved from the beginning.
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"We have a good range of sizes, would you happen to know her size?"
"At one point she and I were talking about friendship rings and she let slip that her ring-size was 5 1/2." Haruo said. "But I'd rather go bigger and we can resize it to make it fit."
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"She doesn't know; does she?" The customer service staff-member smiled.
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"No, she doesn't" Haruo admitted, " we just recently got together as boyfriend/girlfriend so she's not expecting this." He explained further,"she and I have been close friends for about eighteen years."
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The customer service-person nodded, "Well, sometimes the best relationships develop from the friendships you've had from childhood. So... would you like to buy that ring?"
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"Most definitely." Haruo nodded. This ring would take a hefty chunk out of his savings but it certainly was worth every cent he spent as he was rung up for the purchase.
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His introspection was interrupted by the customer service-person handing him the bag with a conspiratorial grin, a "good luck..." and a thumbs-up.
Haruo left the store with a smile on his face; his pockets §781.86 lighter and the knowledge that he was going to surprise River with what she probably figured was a few years away. Haruo knew he had the prize in River McIrish and he wasn't about to let her slip away.
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Back at the triplex
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In the meantime, Franz was trying to assist the local mail-lady...
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...to set an all-new unassisted world land-speed record.
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Of course by the time that his vocalizations got to the front gate of the house, it was quite certain that the mail lady had managed to get to the municipality border.
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River was looking at an easel on her in a catalog to an art store wishing she knew where Haruo had gone. I really want this easel. She thought as she browsed the offerings from the ArtsPlus website offering art materials for lower cost than going to a brick and mortar.
She had the feeling that she needed to make that switch to painting in order to ensure that she had a good stream of money coming in in order to boost their savings. She smiled slightly. "Our savings?" She grinned looking up at the ceiling, "We're boyfriend and girlfriend, I might be jumping the gun here if I look at what we both earn as ours." It never hurt to look ahead but to just keep in mind that the future was always changing and nothing was for certain. All she knew was that her constant best friend in the world was now her boyfriend. And whatever came afterward would come.
Certainly she would love it if it came down to spending the rest of her life with Haruo. And he had a lot of upside to him; hardworking, quiet, an introvert like her, not prone to flamboyant displays of obvert masculinity except when needed, and he was tough. Shellacking the ever-lovin' shit out of VJ Alvi and Jared Frio. Of course they deserved every bit of those beatings. River was never a person who chose violence as a course of action but even she felt they'd stepped over the line and deserved the thorough pasting they got from Haruo.
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She was wondering if she should just go ahead and buy the easel when her mother looked over her shoulder.
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"You know you should really get that easel and those paints." Fiona commented by her left ear looking down at the catalog on River's lap as River's jaw dropped. The easel was not cheap. §300.00 out the window if her attempts were unsuccessful.
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Fiona must have noticed as she squeezed her daughter gently in a hug and said,"I know you can, River, you've always had an artist's eye for things."...and River was reminded just how much her mother had always supported her aspirations...and how her boyfriend had never been supported in the way that she had been; emotionally. Everything that he had to do, he did without knowing if he would get targeted by his own mother for doing which created an air of uncertainty for the entirety of his life.
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"I love you, Mom." River said as she made a list of what artist's supplies she would need. And on a few other items she wanted including an artist's palette, a complete set of artist's oils, watercolors and a set of artist's pens and pencil crayons. After all, might as well go for the gusto while she had her mother's permission. Maybe Haruo would like to go to the art store with her. But of course that would have to wait until he got back.
(end Part Six)
Generation One
Chapter Five
A Day of Respite (Part Six)
Morning, Chikamori triplex
Haruo's eyes opened at the crack of dawn. It was first light and peering at his fifteen simoleon wristwatch from The Savvy Simoleon store he grinned. It was five forty-five. If he could make it to the city hall, he could do what he needed to do; namely get his homework and get it done before the store opened where he could search for the thing that he wanted to get. After all any other place would be vastly way more expensive than what he could afford on a budget. Maybe he could replace it down the road when he could afford to if River hadn't grown attached to it as a memento. He got dressed quickly and slipped downstairs.
Molly French was in their kitchen as the kitchen next door as the Chikamori's side of the triplex seemed to have appliances that cooked straight through on the recipe timings that were quoted in the recipe books. Haruo put finger to lips as Molly was about to greet him pointing towards the ceiling to indicate Mayumi's presence upstairs and then towards the door as Molly nodded, smiling, as she noticed his attire and light summer weight jacket. After all his jacket indicated that he was slipping out to go somewhere that morning.Molly gave him a silent thumbs up to indicate that she understood what he meant.
And with those silent gesticulations he slipped out the door into the cool morning air. The store would be open around eight oh clock and it was already six-ten. There was a nice sweet scent to the morning air as he walked past some lilac bushes on his way down. He walked past the Bistro and down to his destination at the end of the block which he would go to after the store opened at nine in the morning. The store which he was about to patronize after getting his next assignment done for home-schooling was a retailer town which gave a lot of jobs to those from around Sunset Valley and the surrounding Lower Mainland. But first he had to go to the city-hall to get his assignment.
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Making sure that he got to the city hall the second it opened to maximize the amount of time that he had to do his homework, he sat down in front of the city hall steps with his cousin, Torao who had gone with him to get his own homework, he started doing his homework.
It was at about the time that he’d had twelve percent of his homework done that he looked up upon feeling fingers brush across the back of his neck, “Good morning, honey...” he heard River say as she walked past him heading for the door of the city-hall. She was heading in to get her homework as well. Haruo didn’t want her to know what he was up to so he asked Torao to cover for him.
“Just tell River I needed to get something at the bookstore...” he fibbed. Torao grinned at him and nodded.
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Walking into his destination, Haruo beelined for the department he was interested in. As usual there were no attendants; there never is. Finally he had to flag down a customer service person and ask if there was anyone available to help him. At least what they had to offer was in his price range; perhaps at the top of his price range but still within and that was the key. It would at least be a token of how much he loved her.
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"Well we have a Simmabella 1/3 Carat T.W. Diamond 10 K White Gold HALO Engagement Ring for §698.00, would that fit your price range?"
"May I see it?"
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She held it up and Haruo was able to admire the cluster of diamonds around the single stone and the smaller diamonds embedded in the silver band. Haruo would have preferred to get one that he felt River deserved but they were too far out of his price range. He most definitely could not afford anything in the four digit range let alone anything higher and he thought to himself. When I make enough, I'll get her the engagement ring that she truly deserved from the beginning.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QePJrAqyT5o/YAC9jCxm3hI/AAAAAAAAl7o/u2XMprd9EVA2q-qEsR_Y5Wus_Z1sDnrcQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-262.jpg
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"We have a good range of sizes, would you happen to know her size?"
"At one point she and I were talking about friendship rings and she let slip that her ring-size was 5 1/2." Haruo said. "But I'd rather go bigger and we can resize it to make it fit."
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"She doesn't know; does she?" The customer service staff-member smiled.
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"No, she doesn't" Haruo admitted, " we just recently got together as boyfriend/girlfriend so she's not expecting this." He explained further,"she and I have been close friends for about eighteen years."
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The customer service-person nodded, "Well, sometimes the best relationships develop from the friendships you've had from childhood. So... would you like to buy that ring?"
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"Most definitely." Haruo nodded. This ring would take a hefty chunk out of his savings but it certainly was worth every cent he spent as he was rung up for the purchase.
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His introspection was interrupted by the customer service-person handing him the bag with a conspiratorial grin, a "good luck..." and a thumbs-up.
Haruo left the store with a smile on his face; his pockets §781.86 lighter and the knowledge that he was going to surprise River with what she probably figured was a few years away. Haruo knew he had the prize in River McIrish and he wasn't about to let her slip away.
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Back at the triplex
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In the meantime, Franz was trying to assist the local mail-lady...
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...to set an all-new unassisted world land-speed record.
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Of course by the time that his vocalizations got to the front gate of the house, it was quite certain that the mail lady had managed to get to the municipality border.
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River was looking at an easel on her in a catalog to an art store wishing she knew where Haruo had gone. I really want this easel. She thought as she browsed the offerings from the ArtsPlus website offering art materials for lower cost than going to a brick and mortar.
She had the feeling that she needed to make that switch to painting in order to ensure that she had a good stream of money coming in in order to boost their savings. She smiled slightly. "Our savings?" She grinned looking up at the ceiling, "We're boyfriend and girlfriend, I might be jumping the gun here if I look at what we both earn as ours." It never hurt to look ahead but to just keep in mind that the future was always changing and nothing was for certain. All she knew was that her constant best friend in the world was now her boyfriend. And whatever came afterward would come.
Certainly she would love it if it came down to spending the rest of her life with Haruo. And he had a lot of upside to him; hardworking, quiet, an introvert like her, not prone to flamboyant displays of obvert masculinity except when needed, and he was tough. Shellacking the ever-lovin' shit out of VJ Alvi and Jared Frio. Of course they deserved every bit of those beatings. River was never a person who chose violence as a course of action but even she felt they'd stepped over the line and deserved the thorough pasting they got from Haruo.
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She was wondering if she should just go ahead and buy the easel when her mother looked over her shoulder.
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"You know you should really get that easel and those paints." Fiona commented by her left ear looking down at the catalog on River's lap as River's jaw dropped. The easel was not cheap. §300.00 out the window if her attempts were unsuccessful.
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Fiona must have noticed as she squeezed her daughter gently in a hug and said,"I know you can, River, you've always had an artist's eye for things."...and River was reminded just how much her mother had always supported her aspirations...and how her boyfriend had never been supported in the way that she had been; emotionally. Everything that he had to do, he did without knowing if he would get targeted by his own mother for doing which created an air of uncertainty for the entirety of his life.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e2vWfk-gPJM/YAD1R94xuSI/AAAAAAAAl9s/Y4LNP1C3HMkSsY1f66p5w-uK0DxkUJjgACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-301.jpg
"I love you, Mom." River said as she made a list of what artist's supplies she would need. And on a few other items she wanted including an artist's palette, a complete set of artist's oils, watercolors and a set of artist's pens and pencil crayons. After all, might as well go for the gusto while she had her mother's permission. Maybe Haruo would like to go to the art store with her. But of course that would have to wait until he got back.
(end Part Six)
