Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
~~~~~ Makoto has gained two new students at the swimming club he works for. They were siblings who not only looked completely different from the other kids but were different from each other as well.
Maliki, the older brother, was 12 years old and adventurous. He wanted to be an inventor or scientist so he could travel the globe and discover new things. He took up swimming because he could not only eventually scuba dive, but also look out for his little sister.
Mercedes, the younger sister, was 8 years old and much preferred the more conservative lifestyle. However, her dream was to become an Olympic swimmer so she can join all the other great black Olympic Champions. Her inspirations were World Record swimmer of 2008, Compatriot Cullen Jones, and First African American Female to win an Olympic gold medal in Swimming, Simone Manuel.
They were polar opposites of each other, but he enjoyed teaching them how to swim so that they both could achieve their dreams. After a while, they started bringing sweet gifts on behalf of their mother for always looking after them. Touched, he started sending thank you notes for the siblings to give to their mother. By the way they talked about her, he pictured a very stern but sweet figure who not only teaches them about how to live in Japanese society but also of the history of their people so they never forget where they came from. Makoto really wanted to meet the pair's mother, but she was always busy at work most of the time and got off late.
It was the siblings' first swim meet and they were both so excited. Makoto was also excited because he would get to meet their mom for the first time. He was helping his students warm-up, so he missed the opportunity to spot their mom in the audience when they pointed her out. By the end of the meet, both siblings came in first for all of their competitions. After the meet was over, Makoto and his students went outside to be greeted by friends and family. While Mercedes ran to hug her mother, Maliki pulled Makoto over to finally meet the mother of his best students.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Oh, hello. You must be Coach Tachibana. My name is Miranda Joseph. Nice to finally meet you." the shorter woman greeted, bowing respectfully. Makoto was a bit flustered, considering that the woman in front of him, looked to be the same age as him. "Nice to meet you too, ma'am. I'm glad to have been able to teach them.". "Likewise. I'm glad they were able to find something they both enjoy. I have been meaning to thank you in person for looking out for them, but my work schedule is complicated.". "That is totally fine. Now that I can put a name to a face, I hope to see you often.". "Absolutely. I planned my entire work schedule around their meets, so get used to seeing this face.". "Sure. No problem.". With that, Miranda rounded up her babies and walked away with promises of ice cream. That day marked how their story together began.
After every meet, Makoto would accompany them to celebrate their wins. While the kids would talk about how cool they were during the meet, the adults would be talking about their week and getting to know each other. They got so close that even after the swimming season was over, they still hung out both with and without the kids. Makoto started liking Miranda more than just the mother of his students or as a simple friend. He wanted to be more than friends, but he was afraid of the difference in lifestyle and circumstances causing a rift between them. Although he was 23 with a good living as a swim coach and an athletic trainer, she was a 30-year-old single mom who had lost her ex-husband right before Mercedes was born. They even have a memorial of him in one of the empty rooms that they pay respects to. As much as he longed for Miranda to be his to touch, to hold, to kiss, to love on, to make love to, to have her as his as much as he was hers; he refused to force her into that relationship.
Makoto was at the Joseph residents for dinner, since it was Christmas day and he had spent Christmas Eve with his family and friends. It was wonderful to see the kids' reaction to all of the presents they received from Miranda, Makoto, and their family back home. Makoto even got Miranda the gift of a plushie of her favorite anime characters, which she adored. After all the gift opening, eating, and Christmas movie marathons; Maliki and Mercedes got ready for bed before going to sleep. Makoto stayed to help clean up and put the food away. They were casually talking when Miranda accidentally tripped but caught herself by grabbing onto Makoto's arms. They look at each other to see if the other was okay when they locked eyes. Miranda was about to look away when Makoto stopped her before taking that chance to kiss her. He pulled away slightly just to be pulled back down, the kiss becoming more desperate. When they separated, Makoto uttered, "I love you, Miranda. I would like you to be my wife.". Miranda couldn't help but chuckle at his statement. "Well, I would suggest dating first, but I'm sure we can work something out." her remark caused the taller man the blush a bit. Nevertheless, he was happy and pulled her into a hug; kissing the top of her head. This was by far his favorite Christmas present.
