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Part Two / Chapter Fifteen
When Yurina was eight years old, she was deathly afraid of the dark.
If any room, hallway or corner was swallowed in shadows, she would refuse to cross paths. Any and every light would have to be turned on as soon as she entered and shut off just as she exits.
A nightlight helped her sleep better ▬ a frog one that her father bought at a local farmers market. She cherished that piece of plastic with her entire life, turning it on and off became her daily routine. Ferdinand the Frog had soon become her protector ▬ until he burnt out one night. That same night Yurina had woken up to use the bathroom, freezing in her bed when she realized the nightlight had shut off.
She kept the covers below eye level as she scanned the bedroom for creatures or monsters. The closet door that was perched open, or the space behind the bedroom door, even the bottom of her bed became hotspots for any demon to hop out and drag her to the deepest depths of hell.
That same fear washed over her as she entered Antonio's, straightening her dress while scanning the restaurant for her mother.
What if they couldn't manage to get along? Would the evening end with Yurina storming out of the restaurant? Sitting near the window, a woman dressed in elegant silks, hair twisted and tied to the top of her head, nails freshly painted and jewelry wrapped around her neck, wrists and stapled between her ears.
Michiko Sasaki was an intimidating woman, just from the way she sat in a restaurant and looked at the menu, you'd know she was a force to be reckoned with if she had her own daughter trembling in fear to approach her.
Michiko's eyes met Yurina's. She was used to seeing them filed with anger, resentment and disappointment, especially when she looked at her. This time, her eyes seemed to soften at the sight of Yurina, all dolled up in her pink dress. While getting ready she hadn't realized she dressed herself up through the eyes of Michiko Sasaki, all Pretty in Pink.
"My baby." She let out of sigh of relief, standing up to hug Yurina. However the teens arms remained at her side, stiffening at her mothers touch. "Please, sit down. Order whatever you like."
Antonio's used to be their spot. Until Yurina reached the age of 16, she and her mother came to Antonio's every Sunday. They indulged in the same meals every week and every week was better than the previous. She'd be lying to herself if she said she didn't miss spending that time with her mother, before Yurina became what her mother loathed the most ▬ careless.
As soon as the food arrived, Yurina stuffed her face with Alfredo pasta. The uncomfortable silence between the two felt somehow vindicate now that they were both eating.
"Have you started applying to colleges?" Michiko asked.
Yurina forced the last of her good down her throat. "Nine months of not seeing you, not a single phone call or letter, but now you're suddenly concerned with my academic future?"
