French Cup: A Neighborhood Story

Chapter 82: -Gyeong-Wan- Wake Up

"Yesterday at approximately 2PM, a coffee shop was attacked." 

The words of the TV on low garbled as I poured kibbles into Kuro's bowl. I popped open a can of wet food, put this in the bowl, too. With a spoon, I mixed it around. It was definitely too much food, but it felt like he needed comfort, too.

The TV went on. "Filled with people celebrating New Year's Day, a bundle of firecrackers was thrown inside. A young woman received second degree burns on her arms and hands, and a ninety year old woman received treatment for shock. Others were admitted to the hospital for smoke inhalation." 

The TV cut to a short clip that they'd apparently shown on TV last night on the same channel. In the very late evening, we'd been surprised by a large group of people coming to French Cup. Kazuya was trying to clean again and I was trying to clean with him. I'd just gathered a bunch of the food in trash bags, when they started to file in. I didn't recognize any of them and huddled with Kazuya, holding him to myself in protection. An instinct, left over. 

But, without words, the group began to clean. Some came up to us, offering words of comfort. Saying they'd heard about what happened on the news. They were LGBTQ like us, part of a local group. They'd organized quickly and came over. Wanting to help. They grabbed our cleaning supplies and dove in, doing much more than we ever could have on our own. There had to be twenty people there. 

At this, Kazuya had sat at a table and wept again. I wanted to cry, too, but I needed to comfort him. Rubbing his shoulders, his back. Loving him like he needed, like I wanted to. Trying to show him that even though this had happened, it would be okay again. Somehow, these people were cleaning it all up. French Cup would look new again, but even if they could erase the stains, it wouldn't erase this in our minds. But, we could return to something like normal. Okay didn't mean it was all better. It was a middle place. Maybe that's all we could ask for. 

On the TV now, Nikki was there. He was in his normal clothes, and he was standing outside of Chirp's. Apparently a lot of people had gone there after and had still been there and that's where the TV crew had heard about it. He looked absolutely enraged.

"Somebody came into my coffee shop. It's called French Cup. They ----ing blew it up! They hurt people! They hurt my friends! We think it's hate motivated! A hate crime! Because we display proudly that we're LGBTQ over the door with our rainbow flag! Someone targeted us when we were at full capacity, on New Year's Day of all days! What kind of sick mind- what kind of sick sack of ---t would do that?! There were children in there! There was a ninety year old woman! A girl got badly burned from it! We're not going to sit quietly for this! We've been being attacked for over a month! This is the end! Something needs to be done about it! People got injured! We're suffering! They hurt all of my friends!" 

The clip got cut off, but it was the same Nikki I'd seen yesterday. Miyuki had egged him on, both of them getting incensed. After I'd finished throwing up, they'd marched out of the kitchen together, demanding justice. I wasn't against them. They just had no idea who they were up against. Who'd actually done it.

How would they react if they found out it was a fourteen year old and a ten year old? From the younger Matsuda's reaction, I didn't think he'd actually done anything. It was entirely the older one's fault. He'd done it. I still didn't know how to react myself. 

They were here in the hotel. Several floors above me. Facing no consequences. Probably didn't even tell their parents. 

The news went on, switching to another story like what had happened to us was just another interesting tidbit to share. So, my mind was allowed to wander. 

Those boys. They were here for about another week. Should I tell the hotel what had happened? What if they asked how I knew it was them? What evidence did I really have? What kinds of consequences would they expect? Would anyone want to press charges, or were pressing charges even necessary for the amount of wrong they'd committed? Do you need to press charges for a hate crime?