My Pearl

Hoping For a Change

She knew that she would not get an answer again but she managed to convince herself this time to ask this to mom; about his brother...

House no. 66 in the Haruna street, one of the oldest house there where Zufumi lived with her family indeed. Zufumi was a really good girl, well-mannered and praiseworthy! The only problem, she was too much attached to her brother.

She took a long breath and without changing her dress rushed down to the kitchen through the creaky wooden stairs. Delicious omelette served on the dining table for breakfast and her mom heating the pan to make another omelette in the kitchen. Zufumi stopped right behind her mom and looked down at her thin foot before pulling her mom's pink long apron without speaking a word.
"Yes, honey?" Her mom asked her decently before flipping the omelette in the pan with the spatula. She hesitated a bit, "Mom..." she said, and stopped for a moment.
"Mom, I wanna ask you something..." She asked in a low voice playing with her fingers. Mom looked at her and nodded silently signaling her to continue. "It's about brother. He..."

Before Zufumi could even complete her question, her mom turned around at once and gave her a deadly stare. With a blink of an eye her mom shouted at her, "I already told you honey that we are not supposed to talk about your brother anymore in this house!" She looked down with teary eyes. Her mom let out a sigh and kneeled down in front of her caressing her shoulder firmly. Then, she said again, but softly this time, "You know why, right honey?"

"He's my brother mom!" She stared at her mom's eye while her mom stared back with a worried face. Her mom tried to convince her," Hon-". Before her mom could say a word she removed her mom's hand away and said in a crying voice, "I know mom but if we don't try to talk to him, who will? I am not a small kid anymore mom, even I know! We need to talk to him when he comes. We can't just let him be like he is and lead him to a wrong path of life." Her voice got little heavy as she continued," Cause, he is my brother and I have faith in him. At least, we should tell him once! I bet he'll listen!"

"Zufumi honey, we already tried to convince him so many times but he didn't listen", her mom said. "Brother taught me to never give up", she looked at mom with a hopeful face. Her mom nodded slightly and stood up to grab the pan on the stove. "This time, just because you said honey, I will try convincing your brother with dad when he arrives", she said and turned towards Zufumi before pouring beaten egg into the pan for another omelette. With the same teary face, she took a step and hugged mom tightly ,"Love ya mom."

She walked towards the kitchen door and stopped at the right side just in front of the phone. She picked the phone up and dialed the number of her brother. She waited for her brother to pick the phone up but he didn't. "Why aren't you picking up the phone brother?! Pick up the phone... pick up...", she murmured while hoping for her brother to pick the phone up. After 11 consecutive tries she gave up. "Whom are you calling honey?" Mom called out. She answered hurriedly, "It's no one mom, just a friend...." She decided to hit the call for the last time and the phone bell rang. Her brother didn't pick up the phone yet. Just the moment she was going to decline the call her brother spoke, "Hello?"

She picked up the phone without a delay and answered," Hello brother, why aren't you home yet? Where are you?!" Meanwhile, her dad entered the kitchen for breakfast and heard Zufumi talk to his brother.
"What are you doing Zufumi?!" Her dad shouted at her loudly. Without even cutting the call she said," Dad, about brother's job... mom said she will talk about it with brother. We can hope, right? He can change!"
Her dad sat on the chair and folded his arms. Silence struck in the kitchen for a few seconds. Zufumi stood up cutting the call without a reply as she took a step out of the kitchen door to go to her room.
Her dad let out a sigh before he called out Zufumi, "You know that you ain't a kid anymore my dear, it's you who decides what is wrong and what is right? Do what you please! For now forget about these things. Don't you have to get ready for the interview today about your new invention?" "I was just heading to my room to get ready, dad", she said and ran upstairs to her room as the wooden stairs creaked as usual.
"You know, our children ain't kids anymore...", her mother told her dad as his dad munched into a toasted bread with the freshly cooked omelette.

After everyone had their breakfast her dad went to his office in his usual car. Zufumi, wore the black DW watch on her left hand; her brother's birthday gift of last year and went for the interview. Zufumi appeared on T.V while her mom sat on a sofa sipping a cup of green tea and watching her interview.

And her brother... Nobody knew where he actually was!