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
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Chapter Ten - "Satoshi and Molly" (Part Two)
With the fact that Satoshi had ended up getting Molly pregnant, there was only one thing that could be done. Yasunobu was adamant about one thing, the new Chikamori child was not going to be an illegitimate off-spring, so thus Satoshi was told that he was to put Molly in wedlock...immediately and as head-of-the-household, Yasunobu set down the rules. Since the mantle of head-of-the-household fell to the oldest of the family, the oldest of the family would end up wielding the decisions of the family. From there, the mantle of family decisions would fall to Haruo as the firstborn son (and frankly, only son) of the preceding generation’s oldest family member. This was the way of Japanese families and as Yasunobu was an immigrant to Canada, that was the way things would go; following the old Japanese traditions.
So...if Yasunobu, head of the family, told Satoshi to “marry Molly” for the sake of family reputation; so it would be. And Molly had no problems with that either – Satoshi adored Sandi as a daughter and he loved Molly and Molly loved him...so it was really no skin off their back.
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“You have dishonored the family, Satoshi!” Yasunobu was absolutely horrified at the casual way that Satoshi had broached the fact that Molly had a nice little bun in the oven. Anata wa kazoku o fumeiyo ni shimashita!Anata ga morī to kekkon shinakereba, watashitachi wa meiyaku kakesareru! If you do not marry Molly, we shall be covered in shame.”
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“Relax, my brother, Rirakkusu, Ani, watashi wa Molly to kekkon shimasu, ima anata wa tamuyu-ka? I will be marrying Molly, now will you ease off?”
Yasunobu shook his head as if frustrated, “How you manage to get yourself into things...I have no idea. Dō yatte jibun o konran sa seru koto ga wakaranai yo...”
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Satoshi shrugged his shoulders as Yasunobu rolled his eyes.
It was quite apparent that Satoshi was quite complacent about the whole deal of Molly's pregnancy. Not that he wouldn't step in and do his part as a father. After all as a Chikamori, he was duty-bound to be a responsible father and to not cast shame on the family name.
This was something that was hard to understand for those not of their family; the concept of meiyaku; shame and family honor - a word that straddled both illusory concepts and made it so that the Japanese as a society were constantly looking to save face. And making sure that if they committed no offence to others, that they would have none inflicted upon them. At least in the latter half of the twentieth century. And they had a long laundry list to atone for in the early half.
But anyhow there were no criminals in the family, as far as anyone knew and except for the soon-to-be mooch who would become the father-in-law to Torao, there really was no shame to be had within the family.
Needless to say, though that the pregnancy had thrown a major monkey wrench into the works. And there would now be a wedding to prepare for after the baby showed up. That was going to make for some fun times for Satoshi.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kcXyoI0JnUc/YFjiXZXAPOI/AAAAAAAAn74/2ZsD-L4SdXojimIvQNdm1Z_rPWXur9BBQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-12.jpg
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Haruo was out fishing. The less he spent time hanging out at home the less likely it was that he was going to fall prey to what he wanted which was full on happy time with River which would have put their desire to wait until the marriage bed into serious jeopardy.
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And of course that night was the night that Bebe and Torao decided that they were going to take the plunge into full on engaged bliss.
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"You know we've been dating each other for how long?" Torao stated as he gazed into Bebe's eyes.
"On and off again since Grade 10 and steady since Grade 12." Bebe murmured softly. She had an inkling of where this was going and was curious if Torao had the same idea.
"You know I've always had feelings for you...". Torao stated. Bebe nodded, mutely. She'd known that Torao liked her a lot and it took quite some time being on-again, off-again friends to finally give them a shove towards being girlfriend and boyfriend in Grade 12. "Aside from the steadiness, we weren't that much different than my cousin". He informed her.
"Yeah. It took them a long time to come to the conclusion they were right for each other." Bebe said. "...and now they're engaged to be married.".
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"So what does that say about us?" Torao grinned.
Bebe smirked, "OMG. That means we're slow?" Both Torao and Bebe burst out laughing at the utter ridiculousness of the whole thing. Bebe had been so focused on getting her friends together that she hadn't realized the extent of the bond she had with Torao.
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"Well..." Bebe found her boyfriend on one knee, "Shall we fix that problem?" He asked holding up a velvet colored box in his hands, open to show her a pretty glittering diamond engagement ring. A nice solitaire cut in a princess cut that glittered reflecting off the ambient light in the room.
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It took a long moment for her to realize just exactly what had been said to her and yet it seemed to take no time at all. "Oh...MY GOD!" She exclaimed. "Oh my god. Oh my god..." She repeated.
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Torao was starting to fear he'd broken Bebe since that was all she could repeat for a few minutes. "Uh...Bebe?" He said looking up at her. "Will you do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Chikamori?"
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With one final, "Oh my god!" Bebe said "Yes. I will." Gazing incredulously at the ring, as Torao slipped it onto her ring finger; she admired it and then threw her arms around her fiance nearly smothering him with a kiss.
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"Unlike River and Haruo, even though I have all the respect in the world for their decision to wait," Bebe smirked, "I have no intention of delaying any mutual gratification till the time is right." She raised her eyebrows meaningfully and inclined her head towards the bathroom door. What followed was sheer utter blissful ecstacy for both Bebe and Torao.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HpTxRxyJwl4/YFjl9d-5gZI/AAAAAAAAn9M/s6ZWUdqLBeAQkysno8kgtPRQ0NO0LhpSACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-63.jpg
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River and Haruo on the other hand, curled up together in bed and slept content in the knowledge that one of these days they would give of themselves to one another and it would be sheer utter wanton pleasure for them on their honeymoon. Hopefully they wouldn't end up in the family way before coming back from their post nuptial travels.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4AgEylsXT54/YFjmXv74GvI/AAAAAAAAn9k/rby-p5cxTUcu1bSL_Up3GfyDnTiinyj-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot.jpg
A bun in the oven was not the most economical way to start off their married life.
As far as Yasunobu, worried about the shame that an unwedded pregnancy could cast on the family, was concerned; Satoshi could get married at anytime while Molly was adamant that she was doing no such thing until she could fit into her wedding dress after losing whatever baby weight she had gained. So Satoshi tried to avoid the whole matter by heading into work as a stage-hand, just so he wouldn't have to hear the kvetching from both ends.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RnKirP-0FSw/YFjm61oedqI/AAAAAAAAn9s/2Xp9TvY4pjgpxEsKeK9YPike75BHrU1xwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-5.jpg
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So things were tense all around. The one thing that Bebe and Torao agreed upon was that their schooling came first so they would wait to get married until.after university.
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Fiona was exceedingly busy considering her boss was constantly on her about writing articles and reviews. In fact there were limited restaurants to review. And the movies being put out by Starlight Shores and Hollywood were lacklustre at best.
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Shark Attack looked promising but fizzled halfway through with no character development or a wandering plot that led through a side story about two bullied high-school students luring their classmates onto a boat then all the bullies getting eaten by the shark. Fiona tuned out of that movie after the first hour. If it had a halfway decent plot, maybe it could have worked. It didn't.
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The other option was reviewing the Canadian Soccer League (CSL) Llamas latest field efforts. Soccer or what was known as European football was considered boring by North American standards. North American football was violent and a lot of players got injured but it was exciting. Fiona was more into hockey, that was what she grew up with. With the WHL and then the Canucks entering into the league the year River and Haruo were both born.
Players wore boots with blades on their feet, carried a bladed stick. The pads were generally thinner and more flexible. And oh, it was fast. Names like Hull, Gretzky, LaFontaine, Messier, Lemieux, These were the players in the late 80s that carried the NHL.
The BCHL's Sunset Valley Llamas were the cream of the crop with two Junior Cup wins as far as the BCHL was concerned, but to get drafted and get to The Show was the big dream of many a Canadian kid and to hoist Lord Stanley's mug over their head and do a victory lap around the rink with their team-mates after drubbing their opponents 3-0 on the ice.
It wasn't the case for Haruo. Even though he loved hockey, he knew his meagre skill level wouldn't get him to the show. In fact it would barely get him recognized by Jungle B (Junior B) and it would be a long tough slog to make it to the NHL from there. It was a long shot.
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Maybe he would be good enough to make the fourth line at the college level. Who knew? And the UBC T-Birds had inquired into whether he was interested in playing for them since he'd played minor hockey through his life.
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River was busy with her painting. Having recently received a commission to do ten paintings for an office. She was nearly halfway through the project having mastered her painting skill and was hoping for an inspiration of a masterpiece however the efforts to brush a masterpiece was exceedingly illusive. Unfortunately inspiration was a fleeting exercise in frustration and disinclined to stick around.
(End Part 2)
Chapter Ten - "Satoshi and Molly" (Part Two)
With the fact that Satoshi had ended up getting Molly pregnant, there was only one thing that could be done. Yasunobu was adamant about one thing, the new Chikamori child was not going to be an illegitimate off-spring, so thus Satoshi was told that he was to put Molly in wedlock...immediately and as head-of-the-household, Yasunobu set down the rules. Since the mantle of head-of-the-household fell to the oldest of the family, the oldest of the family would end up wielding the decisions of the family. From there, the mantle of family decisions would fall to Haruo as the firstborn son (and frankly, only son) of the preceding generation’s oldest family member. This was the way of Japanese families and as Yasunobu was an immigrant to Canada, that was the way things would go; following the old Japanese traditions.
So...if Yasunobu, head of the family, told Satoshi to “marry Molly” for the sake of family reputation; so it would be. And Molly had no problems with that either – Satoshi adored Sandi as a daughter and he loved Molly and Molly loved him...so it was really no skin off their back.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y0m2WWseQNI/YFlbDbL9LII/AAAAAAAAn_A/BkVcyplAuqUIlMhA-kC7I61G8t_YZjjjwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-112.jpg
“You have dishonored the family, Satoshi!” Yasunobu was absolutely horrified at the casual way that Satoshi had broached the fact that Molly had a nice little bun in the oven. Anata wa kazoku o fumeiyo ni shimashita!Anata ga morī to kekkon shinakereba, watashitachi wa meiyaku kakesareru! If you do not marry Molly, we shall be covered in shame.”
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“Relax, my brother, Rirakkusu, Ani, watashi wa Molly to kekkon shimasu, ima anata wa tamuyu-ka? I will be marrying Molly, now will you ease off?”
Yasunobu shook his head as if frustrated, “How you manage to get yourself into things...I have no idea. Dō yatte jibun o konran sa seru koto ga wakaranai yo...”
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Satoshi shrugged his shoulders as Yasunobu rolled his eyes.
It was quite apparent that Satoshi was quite complacent about the whole deal of Molly's pregnancy. Not that he wouldn't step in and do his part as a father. After all as a Chikamori, he was duty-bound to be a responsible father and to not cast shame on the family name.
This was something that was hard to understand for those not of their family; the concept of meiyaku; shame and family honor - a word that straddled both illusory concepts and made it so that the Japanese as a society were constantly looking to save face. And making sure that if they committed no offence to others, that they would have none inflicted upon them. At least in the latter half of the twentieth century. And they had a long laundry list to atone for in the early half.
But anyhow there were no criminals in the family, as far as anyone knew and except for the soon-to-be mooch who would become the father-in-law to Torao, there really was no shame to be had within the family.
Needless to say, though that the pregnancy had thrown a major monkey wrench into the works. And there would now be a wedding to prepare for after the baby showed up. That was going to make for some fun times for Satoshi.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kcXyoI0JnUc/YFjiXZXAPOI/AAAAAAAAn74/2ZsD-L4SdXojimIvQNdm1Z_rPWXur9BBQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-12.jpg
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Haruo was out fishing. The less he spent time hanging out at home the less likely it was that he was going to fall prey to what he wanted which was full on happy time with River which would have put their desire to wait until the marriage bed into serious jeopardy.
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And of course that night was the night that Bebe and Torao decided that they were going to take the plunge into full on engaged bliss.
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"You know we've been dating each other for how long?" Torao stated as he gazed into Bebe's eyes.
"On and off again since Grade 10 and steady since Grade 12." Bebe murmured softly. She had an inkling of where this was going and was curious if Torao had the same idea.
"You know I've always had feelings for you...". Torao stated. Bebe nodded, mutely. She'd known that Torao liked her a lot and it took quite some time being on-again, off-again friends to finally give them a shove towards being girlfriend and boyfriend in Grade 12. "Aside from the steadiness, we weren't that much different than my cousin". He informed her.
"Yeah. It took them a long time to come to the conclusion they were right for each other." Bebe said. "...and now they're engaged to be married.".
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"So what does that say about us?" Torao grinned.
Bebe smirked, "OMG. That means we're slow?" Both Torao and Bebe burst out laughing at the utter ridiculousness of the whole thing. Bebe had been so focused on getting her friends together that she hadn't realized the extent of the bond she had with Torao.
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"Well..." Bebe found her boyfriend on one knee, "Shall we fix that problem?" He asked holding up a velvet colored box in his hands, open to show her a pretty glittering diamond engagement ring. A nice solitaire cut in a princess cut that glittered reflecting off the ambient light in the room.
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It took a long moment for her to realize just exactly what had been said to her and yet it seemed to take no time at all. "Oh...MY GOD!" She exclaimed. "Oh my god. Oh my god..." She repeated.
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Torao was starting to fear he'd broken Bebe since that was all she could repeat for a few minutes. "Uh...Bebe?" He said looking up at her. "Will you do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Chikamori?"
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With one final, "Oh my god!" Bebe said "Yes. I will." Gazing incredulously at the ring, as Torao slipped it onto her ring finger; she admired it and then threw her arms around her fiance nearly smothering him with a kiss.
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"Unlike River and Haruo, even though I have all the respect in the world for their decision to wait," Bebe smirked, "I have no intention of delaying any mutual gratification till the time is right." She raised her eyebrows meaningfully and inclined her head towards the bathroom door. What followed was sheer utter blissful ecstacy for both Bebe and Torao.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HpTxRxyJwl4/YFjl9d-5gZI/AAAAAAAAn9M/s6ZWUdqLBeAQkysno8kgtPRQ0NO0LhpSACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-63.jpg
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River and Haruo on the other hand, curled up together in bed and slept content in the knowledge that one of these days they would give of themselves to one another and it would be sheer utter wanton pleasure for them on their honeymoon. Hopefully they wouldn't end up in the family way before coming back from their post nuptial travels.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4AgEylsXT54/YFjmXv74GvI/AAAAAAAAn9k/rby-p5cxTUcu1bSL_Up3GfyDnTiinyj-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot.jpg
A bun in the oven was not the most economical way to start off their married life.
As far as Yasunobu, worried about the shame that an unwedded pregnancy could cast on the family, was concerned; Satoshi could get married at anytime while Molly was adamant that she was doing no such thing until she could fit into her wedding dress after losing whatever baby weight she had gained. So Satoshi tried to avoid the whole matter by heading into work as a stage-hand, just so he wouldn't have to hear the kvetching from both ends.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RnKirP-0FSw/YFjm61oedqI/AAAAAAAAn9s/2Xp9TvY4pjgpxEsKeK9YPike75BHrU1xwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-5.jpg
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So things were tense all around. The one thing that Bebe and Torao agreed upon was that their schooling came first so they would wait to get married until.after university.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TQddh9s3C7A/YFjnQxmqN2I/AAAAAAAAn98/EmIESSzvIswJyFC6TFZLa2NSdzwLWnu7ACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-30.jpg
Fiona was exceedingly busy considering her boss was constantly on her about writing articles and reviews. In fact there were limited restaurants to review. And the movies being put out by Starlight Shores and Hollywood were lacklustre at best.
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Shark Attack looked promising but fizzled halfway through with no character development or a wandering plot that led through a side story about two bullied high-school students luring their classmates onto a boat then all the bullies getting eaten by the shark. Fiona tuned out of that movie after the first hour. If it had a halfway decent plot, maybe it could have worked. It didn't.
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The other option was reviewing the Canadian Soccer League (CSL) Llamas latest field efforts. Soccer or what was known as European football was considered boring by North American standards. North American football was violent and a lot of players got injured but it was exciting. Fiona was more into hockey, that was what she grew up with. With the WHL and then the Canucks entering into the league the year River and Haruo were both born.
Players wore boots with blades on their feet, carried a bladed stick. The pads were generally thinner and more flexible. And oh, it was fast. Names like Hull, Gretzky, LaFontaine, Messier, Lemieux, These were the players in the late 80s that carried the NHL.
The BCHL's Sunset Valley Llamas were the cream of the crop with two Junior Cup wins as far as the BCHL was concerned, but to get drafted and get to The Show was the big dream of many a Canadian kid and to hoist Lord Stanley's mug over their head and do a victory lap around the rink with their team-mates after drubbing their opponents 3-0 on the ice.
It wasn't the case for Haruo. Even though he loved hockey, he knew his meagre skill level wouldn't get him to the show. In fact it would barely get him recognized by Jungle B (Junior B) and it would be a long tough slog to make it to the NHL from there. It was a long shot.
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Maybe he would be good enough to make the fourth line at the college level. Who knew? And the UBC T-Birds had inquired into whether he was interested in playing for them since he'd played minor hockey through his life.
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River was busy with her painting. Having recently received a commission to do ten paintings for an office. She was nearly halfway through the project having mastered her painting skill and was hoping for an inspiration of a masterpiece however the efforts to brush a masterpiece was exceedingly illusive. Unfortunately inspiration was a fleeting exercise in frustration and disinclined to stick around.
(End Part 2)
