It was July of 1999, Japan’s summer. I remember being blessed with an ice-cream store just around the corner that did cheap and tasty ice-creams, my mother and i used to go there every second day after school. I always used to get a French vanilla or a honeycomb, my mother a strawberry cream and we would always bring home my father a rum and raisin.
“Hey mummy my teacher Jyukaji-sensei asked if I wanted to make a song with him for the school culture festival. Do you want me to do it?”
“Well it’s up to you; I think it would be wonderful, your father and I would surely close the shop and come and see you preform. You remind me of your father when you play so sweetly. Did you know he used to always compose me songs, play all the instruments and write the lyrics for me? Your father is a very sweet man.”
“Really, What type of songs did he make for you mummy?”
“Plenty of songs, all about how special I am, He wrote one when I was pregnant with you, it was such a lovely song, ask him to play it tonight. When he became a father it was the happiest moment of his life. He stopped smoking and drinking, he helped me so much, and when you were born he always used to sing songs to you and do everything for you, clean you, feed you, bathe you and changed your diapers.
We walked home, it was pretty much uneventful, I kicked a coke can for a few metres and found a ￥100 coin, spent it on a claw machine and won a little Totoro doll.
When we walked through the door, my father had just made a sale on an old Gibson Les Paul that we had on sale for 25% off.
“That’s the third one today, I am going to have to ring up the factory and order some more in.” my father said wiping his brow with his sleeve.
“Hey baby girl, thank you for the ice cream.” He said as I ran, gave him his ice cream and gave him a huge hug.
“No problem daddy, look what I won.” I showed him my Totoro doll, I was very proud of it.
“Did you win this all by yourself? My you are getting talented.”
“Yes I did, mummy said you used to write a lot of songs for her and me when I was little.”
“Ah yes I did, would you like me to show you one I wrote for you when your mummy was pregnant?”
I didn’t need to say yes, he picked up the guitar from a shelf, sat down and began playing, this song was not very complex but the emotions it tugged at in my heart made me watch in awe. I ended up picking up a half sized guitar sitting down next to him and started to copy his progressions. My mother watched us both she was smiling and looked very happy. I was happy too, that moment was probably the happiest of my life that I remember. My father was always proud that I learned how to play guitar with him, he taught me everything I know, pretty much up to this day, but here I have had some lessons and now capable of doing solos.
“I’m very proud of you Hisako; you have become a very talented young girl.” He said patting me on the head and giving me a kiss on the cheek. It was a good time for me; I had a loving family and a great life.
It was Tuesday, Jyukaji and I had started our composition on our new song.
“Now Hisako, would you like to sing with me or are you shy?”
“I’m never too shy to sing Jyukaji-sensei; I can play and sing at the same time just like you and daddy.” Truth was I was getting pretty nervous I had never played in front of a crowd, just a few people in the music store when I am sitting on the big couch and play with people.
We worked on our song every Tuesday and Thursday. As the days fastened to November the 3rd, we ended up practicing our song, a lot more, A week before the Culture festival we ended up playing it to our class, they loved it and I instantly became popular with my peers. The whole experience of becoming a composer brought me and Jyukaji-sensei a lot closer.
Today was the day we preform our song, it took forever to choose an appropriate name for it, Natsu no Ame, Summer’s Rain.
The Culture festival was pretty good there was cosplaying, food stalls, music, selling of miscellaneous goods and a haunted house. I looked for my parents in the crowd but I couldn’t find them, I thought that they would be off in the food stalls. It was time for me and Jyukaji-sensei to play our song, I was nervous and excited, I bet when my parents hear this they will cheer for me. The idea of being home and getting shown off by mum and dad made me all tingly inside
I tried to find them among the crowd, no luck, oh well when they hear the music they will surly come to me, my father loves his music and he loves me.
I walked onto the flimsy stage with Jyukaji-sensei and my guitar. I was ready.
I introduced us “Hello everyone, this is me and Jyukaji-sensei preforming our song Summer’s Rain.”
We broke off into our chords and our voices in perfect pitch, it was one of the best times I have played even up until now. The song finished with me playing an acoustic solo and finishing on an E minor. Jyukaji was over the moon but was called to the faculty room for some news. I went off and bought some yakitori made by the 3rd year kids.
Jyukaji came back you could see he had been crying. “Hisako-san” this was the first time he sounded serious, and was so formal to me.
“Hisako-san, we need to talk.”
we walked off to the lake behind the school and he told me to sit down on the broken tree that had fallen down in the big storm that had occurred just a few weeks ago.
“Hisako, I need to tell you something very serious.” What he said turned my life upside down and started the shit storm that happens to this day.
