Tsunagari

Chapter III.

A week later...

I left the house at dawn, dressed in my new school uniform, to visit my mother at the hospital.

Today was the first day of the school year. It was the second week of April. We were in Spring.

The whole city seemed to have taken a tint of pink; the Sakura in full bloom. Their beauty and freshness calmed down some of my anxiety.

Just as usual, the hospital was very calm in the early hours of the morning.

As I was making my way up the open staircase heading for the first floor where the room of my mother was situated, I caught sight of the director of the hospital where he was coming into this direction from the right hand-side corridor.

Immediately, I remembered the incident of a month ago. That evening, on the spur of the moment, I hadn't truly realized it but, he had made proof of great kindness by allowing me five more minutes with my mother, while he could have had asked me to leave on the spot.

The truth was that I had always found the man very scary. He always kept his face set in a scowl, and whenever I had come across of him before, it was to see him yelling at one or another employee of the hospital. But, after that evening, I began to ask myself if it could be that beneath his hard exterior, was hidden a very soft-hearted and gentle person, not at all as scary as I believed him to be.

I bowed down respectfully in greeting as he came across of me, but he didn't seem to notice me. He was making his way swiftly down the aisle towards a young male doctor and two nurses who were holding themselves there, conversing with one another.

The man looked more than angry, and he reprimanded the younger male severely about something. I didn't realize that I was gawking at him, until he became silent and turned his head to the side to look at me.

This caused me to jump- though, his eyes were not angry when he looked at me- and in a panic, I greeted him again with another bow, and hurried out of sight.

I take back what I've just said! He's very scary!

As I entered my mother's room, I announced my presence with a greeting, but then, I paused down momentarily to watch her from the doorway, my heart seeming to weigh a ton in my chest.

Every time I would come to visit her, my heart would become heavy with pain. There had still not been any improvements in her condition; she still showed no signs of waking up.

Very quickly though, I erased all traces of sorrow from my expression, and smiling cheerfully, I closed the door and crossed the room up to the window to pull the curtains wide open, in order to allow light to pour in freely into the room.

'Ah! The weather is excellent today!' I exclaimed, taking a deep, rejuvenating breath, and turning back around to face her, I told her, cheerily, 'Today is my first day in Shigeizumi High School, Okā-san! Do you remember that I told you the other day that I'm being transferred?! Ah, I'm so nervous!'

I squirmed a little.

'The uniform is very pretty, you know? It consists of a short, black, pleated skirt, a white short-sleeved shirt, and a red bow tie. I have completed the outfit with black leggings and a pair of brown shoes.'

I wish- I wish you could see me, Okā-san!

At these unspoken words, my heart was filled with grief again. Tears came to my eyes, but I didn't let them fall. For the few minutes that followed, I remained quiet. And then, leaning back against the window, and staring at the floor nervously, I murmured, 'But I wonder if I'll be able to find my place in such a school.'