Childhood

The moonlit arch

Mama took us to a cafe about a minute away from our house. The lady working there smiled and led us to a table. No crayons. Shame.

The lady handed us our menus, and I studied mine. They showed little pictures beside each item, so I could see what my food would look like. I liked that.

Dad pointed at one item on the menu, while Mama pointed to something on the menu.

"Sakana-"

Looks like Mama is ordering fish.

The waitress looked at me and smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. I pointed to one of the pictures, 'kids meal.'

The lady nodded and happily marched off.

"So, Anya, have you thought about the layout of the house and what you wanted to do with it?" Dad beamed.

I nodded eagerly. Dad wasn't going to let me plan the whole house, but maybe we could put some of my ideas in.

"I was thinking we can place the table in that awkward corner of the house, and maybe the couch could go-"
I was cut off by the waitress setting down glasses of water at our table. We thanked her, and she wandered off to serve another table.

"Go on," Dad said.

"I can't, I forget!" I giggled, making the rest of my family chuckle.

"Maybe tomorrow, we can go meet the neighbours! How does that sound?" Mama asked.

"Yes! Maybe there will be someone my age who lives close by!" I smiled.

The waitress came by to drop off our food. I eagerly began to eat. Ever since the plane, I've been starving for food! My meal was comprised of pork, some salad, an egg, and a ball of rice, shaped like a teddy bear. It was almost too cute to eat!

"When the moving truck comes with our stuff tomorrow, we will all help out, right?" Dad asked.
"I can't move everything by myself!"

"Of course we can help, Dad," I said, striking a heroic pose making Mama giggle.

We continued like this, snippets of conversation which I was sometimes only half listening to. Soon, it came time to pay. Dad payed with a wad of cash. Here in Japan, they don't seen to use credit cards too much.

As we left, dad suggested we walk along by the water. We all agreed. Seeing as it was night, you could actually see the reflection of the stars and moon twinkling on the water.
We passed by the famous Buddhist arch, standing in the water. It was so gorgeous, all lit up against the city of Hiroshima in the back.

We sat on a bench together. I listened to the water lap against the shore, and the occasional sound of a car, or a person talking.
Eventually, I felt my eyelids starting to droop, and I yawned, stretching out.

"Looks like someone is tired," dad chuckled, he picked me up and rested my head on his shoulder. I was still very small for my age, so I was still able to be carried. I heard Dad open and close the front door. His body shifted slightly as he took me upstairs.

Placing me down on my sleeping bag, he tucked me under my pink blanket and kissed my forehead.

"Sweet dreams, Anya."