Life Must Go On | Ran TAKAHASHI

A Precious Thing [PART 5]

I'm the only child of my parents. I haven't siblings like sister or brother, so all day I did anything myself at home except with my friends outside. I lived in Fukushima with my parents till the day in 2012 my parents got an accident when they went to Tokyo for some business work.

It was a bad day suddenly my teacher called me to follow him in the office. I got a call from the hospital nearest accident place. And the last I can saw was my school office phone fell down on the floor together with my body. The one thought that day was I'm alone.

Since that day, I'm being quiet. Rejected anything that my aunt gave to me. I just can't breathe, my heart was hard to realize that I'm alone. Till my aunt and uncle decided to bring me with them to Tokyo. Moved to my school there, and the day I met Yuki and Chiharu, I found another light of my life. I started to smile and be happy after the last 2 weeks feels like a hell.

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I lived without families like my friends did it. All moments during my school graduation, even my wedding day I did it without my mom and dad. The precious person I had till 17. During my high school graduation, it was almost 2 years after my parents passed away. I still felt alone sometimes when I saw my friends enjoy their precious moments with their parents.

I'm stood up like a fool even my aunt and uncle come to my school. Give me a flowers bucket and gift for my graduation. Sometimes I felt happy around Yuki and Chiharu. Their parents were always kind to me, they always said: "We're your parents too". After watching Yuki and Chiharu did a group photo with their families, they invited me.

"Ai-chan, come on. Let's take a picture together", I smile and joined them. Prevent my tears which almost down on my cheeks.

It has happened again during my college graduation. Here, I'm alone without Yuki and Chiharu who had a different campus than me. Even I had another friend in Waseda, but there're not each one who closes like Yuki and Chiharu.

My aunt and uncle can't come to my graduation cause they should come to my cousin's graduation in high school which happens to fall on the same day as my graduation. I accepted many congratulatory words from my junior who come to my graduation, of course for some gifts. Another side I felt so lonely, I heard a familiar sound behind me.

"Ai-chan"

Another happiness and smile when I found Chiharu stood 5 meters along bring flowers, and Yuki who stood beside her waved to me. I can hide how happy I am on that time. I waved back to them, ran, and hug them one by one.

"Congratulation for your Bachelors", they said many words for me but the one which I felt is I will never be alone. I've them, and I've Families. Not alone anymore.

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Till the day of 2023 after Ran come to proposed me. I had nervous when he invited me to join their family dinner at a time to introduce me to them. It's not the first time I met them, since I come to their home a day after Yukiko's funeral. But to come as another person who will accompany their son for the rest of his life, I felt nervous.

Many thought on my mind, how if they didn't like me? How if in their eyes Yukiko is better for Ran than me? Or how Ran's siblings will accept me as their older sister since I'm older than him also his siblings.

"Don't worry. They'll accept you", at the time when we took a shinkansen to Kyoto for met his family.

"How if they don't?", I looked at him and he smiles, squeezed my hands with his. Look at me deeply before his next word.

"100% sure, they will accept. We can run to another world if they won't", and I punch his arm while he laughed. At least bring another atmosphere for me to relax. But, my heart still beating so fast till a smile welcome me after Takahashi's door opened.