A Ray of Sunlight

Chapter 27 - Sorry (Haruto's POV)

The dishes were starting to pile up, the takeout boxes scattered in the corner of the kitchen, the trash bag was starting to become full and the floor was getting dusty. I peered into father's room where he lay like a dead person. I sighed and walked into the living room where I sat on the couch. What's going on? I'm so confused about why father's so sad. Perhaps he's still trying to get over Yukio's death and his disappointment towards me. What can I do to make this better? Guilt overwhelms me as I think about what had happened and a shiver crawls up my spine thinking about Yukio's bloody face and father's tired eyes. That's it. I can't just sit here. I walked over to the sink and started washing the dishes.

Today's a weekend and for the past week, either Koichi or Uncle Aoi had come over and cooked for father and me or gave me money to buy takeout and I hadn't bothered with the chores because I thought father would do it but I guess I was wrong. Why didn't father care about anything? Doesn't he see what's going on? I took the crusty sponge and instantly threw it in the sink. The sponge had mold on it. Eww. I quickly pinch the sponge up and threw it in the trash before rummaging through the cabinets for another one. After a few minutes of searching, I finally found one and started scrubbing the plates and dishes with lots of dish soap and warm water. When I was finally done, I realized there was no more dish soap left. I placed the bottle next to the dozens of takeout boxes and wrote on a piece of paper of what I needed to buy. I quickly walked back to the sink and took the towel to dry the dishes before realizing the towel that sat on the kitchen counter was also dirty. Damm. How long has it been since father cleaned anything?

I was about to wash the towel when I realized there wasn't any soap so I ran to the bathroom to get some soap only to realize there was only a drop of soap left to spare and the drop was hand soap. How did I not realize there are so many things missing in this house? Did father realize? I took the last drop and took the empty body wash bottle, shampoo bottle and hand wash bottle to the corner of the kitchen next to the dish soap bottle and wrote on my piece of paper of the other things I needed to buy, making sure I also wrote the brand. After washing the towel, drying the dishes and wiping down the dirty counter/stove, I looked at the living room and realized that it was super dusty. I walked to the corner of the living room where the broom was and started sweeping the living room. After that, I found some cleaning wipes and wiped down the dusty furniture and dusty windows. It was kind of gross wiping up all the dirt but also very satisfying to see the dull furniture turn shiny and new. Afterwards, my hands smelled like cleaning products even after rinsing it under water (I didn't have any soap left). After opening the window, I sat down and stared at the list I made with everyday objects I needed to buy ranging from gloves to cleaning wipes to some containers for organization. I sigh looking at the list and walking to my room to grab my salmon red jacket and was about to walk out of the house before spotting the large bin of unwashed clothes. Perhaps I should go to the laundromat first. I bent down and was about to pick up the clothes before realizing I didn't know how to do it. I should ask someone before I ruin my clothes so I called the only friend I had on Sora.

"Hi Koichi." I said awkwardly. I wonder if he's busy right now.

"What's up Haruto! What are you doing?" He replied cheerfully.

"Umm," I paused for a second not knowing if he'll be willing to help me. "Can you teach me how to do my laundry?"

"Bro. I'm at work right now."

"Oh. Sorry-" I said and was about to press the red button that will end this sort of awkward conversation.

"No, it's alright. It's supposed to be my weekend anyway. I'm coming over in 10 minutes okay?"

"Okay. Thank you." I hung up the phone call and sighed again. There was a lot of laundry to be done. And work.

"Alright. So. Someone doesn't know how to do their laundry. Hi Haruto!" Koichi said when I opened the door.