Ellie-chan (COMPLETED)

Thirty - Little box

My heart is beating so fast, it feels like it's going to jump off my chest.  In a few seconds, the pregnancy stick will tell us whether I'm indeed preggy or not. I can't wait. I can also see Hayato's excitement in his face. He's not taking his eyes off the stick. When a red line starts to appear on one side, I bowed my head and looked at it intently. Hayato did the same. We both waited. But the second line did not appear.  I picked up the instruction sheet that goes with it and read it again, hoping that I made a mistake somewhere.  But it just confirmed that I did everything right. And there should really be two red lines for pregnant and one for not. The result simply showed that I AM NOT. My heart sank. I thought I was. So all the signs - my nausea in the morning, feeling of bloatedness, frequent urination, and breast changes - all were just false alarm. I'm so disappointed.

Hayato put his palm on my thigh and said, "We can try again. Don't worry."  He didn't seem disappointed at all. In fact, I caught him smiling when he saw the result. While I was checking the instruction sheet and the pregnancy stick again and again, there he was - smiling. Or was he beaming?  Didn't he want me pregnant? Why is he not disappointed? Maybe he changed his mind about the whole idea. Maybe he didn't want me to be the mother of his child afterall. Just thinking about it made me sad.

Before I could reply, his phone rang.

"Yeah, I'll be there. I'm on my way now," he said. He kissed me on the cheek and stood up. Before he went to the door, he turned and told me, "Do not worry, okay?  There's still a lot of chances."

I nodded and walked him to the door. When I went back to the living room, I picked up the pregnancy kit and threw everything in the trash can angrily.  But then I realized, I shouldn't be mad. If I'm not pregnant then that means Hayato and I can try and try again. More chances of making love with my train man. Isn't that great?  Was that why Hayato was smiling?  Because he thought he still has an excuse to make love to me?  C'mon! Stop assuming again!

I decided to go window-shopping at Yodobashii Camera near Kyoto Station to take my mind off the failed pregnancy attempt. I grabbed my purse and went outside. I should have decided a bit earlier. I could have asked Hayato to drop me off the electronics store. It would have saved me time waiting for the next bus.

A few minutes after, I was already in Kyoto Station. When I saw a long queue of people for a bus going to Kiyomizu Dera (Kiyomizu Temple), I changed my mind. I found myself moving towards the bus with a bunch of tourists. Soon, I was on my way to one of the most popular sightseeing sights in Kyoto.

The walk towards the temple was a bit difficult because it was uphill and the road was busy. There were lots of cars going up plus a throng of noisy gaijins (foreigners).  After walking for ten minutes, my feet complained. I decided to drop by the Hello Kitty shop and looked around. I didn't stay there for long because as soon as I got inside, a group of teenagers came rushing in and they were so loud. I hate it.

I continued walking but after a few yards I stopped because I saw a sign for a traditional Japanese restaurant. I felt a pang of hunger so I decided to check the restaurant. I like the plastic dishes displayed on their window so I asked the waitress standing by the entrance if they have an extra table for one person.  She smiled at me and ushered me in.  I was about to sit down when I saw Rika. She was sitting across from a guy whose back was towards me.  I recognized him right away and I felt like somebody grabbed my heart and squeezed it tight. I gasped then I decided to leave. But before I could turn my back, the witch saw me.  She seemed surprised.  But she was able to bounce back and she gave me her victorious smile. That's when the guy turned to me.

"Ellie!"

I turned my back and hurriedly walk to the door. He called my name again. I didn't stop walking. Then, I felt somebody grabbed my hand.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Spying on you," I said sarcastically.

He frowned. "This meeting doesn't mean anything. We're just talking about business."

I raised one of my eyebrows.  "You don't have to explain. I'm not your real wife, anyway. You can now go back to her."

"Did I hear it right? You are not Hayato's real wife? So my hunches were true afterall."

Hayato and I turned towards Rika who is now looking at both of us with scorn on her face.  My gosh! I just put myself and Hayato in trouble.

"She was just jealous. She didn't mean it," Hayato replied.

"No! I heard it. She just admitted that she is not your real wife. I knew it! I knew that you just married her for convenience because you want to help her with her visa. Oh, the immigration officers would love this!" and she walked back towards the restaurant.

I bowed my head in embarrassment. Me and my big mouth! I felt like crying. Just when my tears was about to fall, I felt Hayato's arms around me.

"You have nothing to worry about. Wait for me here. I'll just grab my suit jacket and I'll take you home," he said calmly. I felt guilty.

On our way home, there was an awkward silence between us. I want to apologize for my little outburst but I don't have the guts. I have no idea what Hayato is thinking. If he's mad at me, I think I deserve it. What was I thinking, blurting that out when Rika was just within hearing distance. I was so stupid!

When we were both out of the car, I managed an almost inaudible, "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize."

"I --- I w-wasn't spying on y-you. I just decided to go to Kiyomizu Dera on a spur of the moment. I -- I just want to take my mind off the --- the ---, you know."

"I know. And I'm sorry, too. I should have stayed with you today to comfort you. But I prioritized business matters. I guess, I also deserve it."

When the elevator reached our floor, we went out in silence.  A few meters away from our unit, we suddenly stopped walking. Hayato immediately grabbed my hand. I could hear the pounding of my heart as we walked towards the two men in suits waiting for us outside our door.

The two immigration officials didn't waste time. They bombarded us with questions right away as soon as we ushered them inside our home. These are different men from the ones who came last time. They seemed more strict and busines-like. For every answer that we provide, they have a rebuttal. They made us sound like we were actually hiding something from them.  I have a feeling that the more we explain our relationship, the more they become doubtful. I could see them exchanging glances often. Just when I was about to lose hope, I saw one of them stepped on something. Then, he picked it up. He gave it to his companion. It was the pregnancy kit box. I think it fell off my hand when I grabbed them to be thrown to the trash this morning.

"This is a pregnancy kit box," one of them said.

Hayato looked at the box lazily before saying 'yes'.  "My wife checked herself this morning because she had been feeling bad lately."

"And?" the other guy asked.

"It was just false alarm. She's not pregnant. That's why she was upset and went out. That's when she caught me and an ex-girlfriend having lunch together. She thought we were cheating on her. So in her anger she said something to me that made my ex believed that our relationship is not real. I'm pretty sure it was my ex who called you up to check on us. Believe me, we are not hiding anything."

At first, the two guys denied it. But they admitted it later on. After a few minutes, they told us they're done asking questions. Hayato asked them what their verdict was.  They said they cannot reveal for now. But they apologized for disturbing us. And for the first time, one of them smiled at both of us.  I think we passed the test!  Thanks to the little pregnancy box.

I hugged and kissed Hayato's cheek in relief. He hugged me back but instead of giving me a peck on the cheek, he kissed me hotly on the lips.

"Hey!" I protested.

He lifted me up and carried me to our room. "It's time to try again."