The alarm rang loudly, waking up Mr. Tanaka in his deep sleep. Everything was a blur when he opened his eyes, but when it became clear to him where he was, he wished that it would be a blur again.
He swiped his alarm off, and everything became silent. This building was supposed to be deserted at this time. It's only 6:00 in the morning, and there's no way his co-workers would be here. He rubbed his forehead in agitation when he remembered the report he needed to finish. It's due by the end of this week, and he can't afford to submit it late.
He was supposed to be used to this now, but why does this bother him so much?
He let out a shaky sigh because he knew what the reason was. He gazed outside and saw that the sun was gradually showing.
"I need to grab a break fast before the pandemonium breaks out," he muttered as he grabbed his suit coat and headed out of the building.
It was all silent again.
"Say, Mr. Tanaka, when will you marry?"
He looked up to her for a few seconds before he scoffed in disbelief. Her antics were never new to him, but he didn't expect her to bring up that futile topic.
He bowed his head when he saw her sympathizing look. He never liked it when she looked at him like that.
"I don't know, and why are you asking me that? You know that I don't have a lover—and if ever I do, I know she'll just be wasting her time with me," he answered without looking up at her.
The woman gently put down the coffee that he ordered. She smiled sadly at him because she knew that wasn't exactly what he wanted. She pulled the chair across from him and sat on it. She placed her elbow on the table and rested her head on her open palm.
"Is this really what you want, Tanaka?", she asked carefully.
His expression hardened, but later on it was replaced by a look of resignation.
"You know I don't have a choice, Aoi," he said as he sipped the coffee. It was more bitter than he expected, but he continued to savor it as if sympathizing with its bitterness.
"You have Tanaka, but you chose not to go for it."
He looked at her for a brief moment, and then after that, he looked away in contempt. "I'm no fool, Aoi—I can't jeopardize my whole future just to follow that uncertain dream. I can't afford to be a failure... again," he muttered dejectedly.
She stared at his hopeless expression. It seemed that he was fully resigned to the thought of living his life this way.
She sighed loudly, and then she reached out to pinch his face.
"You're better than this Tanaka," she said indignantly.
He grimaced when her pinch got painful. He swatted her hands off his face.
"I know, I know...", he said while glancing at her. He immediately looked away when she caught his eye.
"You know what? You're the owner of this place; you're supposed to be entertaining other customers. Stop wasting your time with me," he continued as he gazed outside the cafe.
She looked at him for a moment, and after realizing that what she's doing is maybe futile, she stood up.
"I like the old Tanaka," she said out of the blue. "What did you do to him?", she asked with a face etched with longing.
'He's gone,' he thought.
She stole him one last look before she turned and walked out of his sight.
He remained silent for a while before he continued sipping his bitter coffee. He never liked this coffee, but what puzzles him is that he continues to order it every time he comes into this cafe.
He rubbed his chin when he remembered what Aoi had said a while ago.
"Is this really what you want, Tanaka?"
Of 'course, he didn't want any of this.
'But I'm a coward', he thought miserably. A streak of warm light hit his face, and with that, he remembered something.
He checked his watch.
'6:30'
He stood up and headed towards the door of the cafe. He wanted to look back, but he knew he could not—and should not.
He stretched out his arms when he finally finished his report. He was about to take a nap on his desk when his phone vibrated violently.
He frowned when he saw that it was Aoi calling him. He was about to accept it, but he hesitated for a brief moment. The call persisted for many seconds until it died down. He heaved a sigh of relief, but not for long; it vibrated again. This time, he answered it.
"Hello—
"Tanaka, come here in the hospital—", Aoi said in a cracked voice. It's evident that she's crying on the other line because he can clearly hear her sniveling.
Alarmed, Tanaka started to gather up his things.
"What happened? Why are you crying, Aoi?", he asked, completely perplexed by what was happening.
"Gramps—Gramps is dying...He needs you here, Tanaka. He needs to see you..."
He frozed. Gramps can't be dying. He thought that maybe this was one of her antics to get fair with him.
The line became silent, and later on, he laughed without humor.
"You can't be serious, Aoi, sensei (teacher) is—he can't be dying," he said with finality.
Her sniveling and suppressed sobbing were the things he heard across the line.
He turned his phone off and grabbed his bag.
He decided that he needed to see Gramps, and with purposeful strides, he walked out of the building.
"Where is he, Aoi?", he asked as he grabbed her shoulder.
Aoi just stared at him sadly. She looks so tired, and with that, he felt a sharp pain in him. He pulled her towards him, and before he knew it, she was already sobbing uncontrollably.
"Tanaka...I don't want to lose him. I—I... he's the only one I have now. I can't afford to lose Gramps..You know that, Tanaka... ", she said in between her sobs.
Tanaka hugged her tighter. She continued to sob for a few more minutes, and after that, silence reigned once again.
"Is he awake?", he asked, breaking the silence.
She looked at him, tears welling in her eyes again. Then she looked away and wiped it.
"I dunno," she said in a muffled voice.
"Will he not really recover again?"
"The doctor said that his frail body wouldn't last long," she said, her voice cracking up in distress.
"Frail? Gramps was never frail," he said lightly.
She tried to laugh, but her desperate attempt to laugh became a sob.
"When will this torment end?", she said, sounding almost bitter.
He looked at her intently. He's not used to watching her in this state. She had been optimistic all the time.
'But not this time.'
She's silently leaning against the wall behind them.
'When will this end? Do we have a tomorrow that will come?', he thought impatiently.
The hospital's hallway was silent except for the machines that were beeping.
He stared at the plain walls across him. His work was like these plain walls. Plain and hard. Useful yet bland. As the days pass, he's becoming unsatisfied with it.
He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, a realization struck him.
'Maybe it's worth risking for'
He opened his bag and pulled out his laptop. Then he started drafting his resignation letter.
'If this won't work, I know there'll be another chance.'
This time he'll try because maybe it would work.
"Oh, you're here, Tanaka; don't you have work?", Aoi asked while peeling the apple carefully.
"I resigned from my work," he said nonchalantly.
"Ok, so you resigned—wait, what?! You resigned?", she asked loudly.
"Shhhh, you're going to wake up Gramps," he said calmly as he picked an orange to peel.
"I thought... I thought you gave up..."
"That's what I thought also, but I guess the stubborn Tanaka is still with me," he said while grinning.
Tears welled in her eyes, and before he knew it, she was hugging him tightly.
"I'm back, Aoi," he said as if he just realized it.
"I know... I know... thank you for coming back, Tanaka," she said, burying her face in his shoulder.
He smiled. Another day had bloomed.
