I have been noticing some changes in my wife lately. For example, she has stopped making breakfast and lunch altogether, not only that, we've been having nothing but take outs. We've been having pizza a lot lately as well, it was for dinner just the other night and the night after. I wanted to ask if she was not feeling well but it's really none of my business. I don't really care about her or whatever phase she is going through right now as long as she stays away from my hair, I'm fine with anything. She's still seeing our conditions through and she's not causing any problems to me like always, so I've got nothing to complain.
And, I have been seeing her less and less at home too during weekdays, which is what I want, and on weekends, she spends the whole day with her family on their ancestral home, giving me a lot of free time at home, then comes home before dinner with takeout on her hand. We've had chicken and beer last night. I don't mind at all, except, it's just like I'm back in college with my carefree cousin as my roommate again. Not only that, she ate the chicken and drank the cold beer on the living room while watching TV, just like what my cousin and I used to do back in college.
'Seriously, what's her deal?' I have been spacing out lately at work because of that, it would seem.
"Sir, sir, sir?" the head of the budget department was calling my attention during one of our weekly meetings in the company.
It wasn't until my secretary gave me a soft nudge that I was taken away from my reverie.
"What?" I asked in alarm.
"Sir, they're asking what your decision will be, if we should go on or not with the budget plan for this month?" my secretary whispered to me.
"Yes, of course. It's approved. Just leave the documents with Mr. Fujiwara so that I can sign them later," I said to save face but I didn't really listen to a single word uttered in that meeting.
"This is the first time our boss has spaced out during a meeting," I heard one of my employees whispering to the others.
"I heard he also hurt himself the other day by gulping down his hot coffee," another one added.
'What the heck is going on with me?' I cursed myself silently as I made my way back to my office.
I busied myself with the paperwork that was waiting for me on my table when my secretary suddenly came inside.
"You mother is on line two, sir. Said she needs to speak to you now," he announced.
"Okay, I got it, thanks," I said brushing him off.
I pressed two and put it on speaker.
"Mother?" I spoke.
"Ryo, my dear, how are you? You haven't been contacting me lately and you guys haven't been to visit me in quite a while now," my mother's powerful voice echoed across the room. The woman's presence commanded even when she was not actually there, that must be because she came from a family of top lawyers.
"We've just been very busy at work, you know," I said.
"How is Sachi? I hope you're taking very good care of her, Ryo?" there was a tone of warning in her voice.
"Of course. She's excellent, thank you for asking. I'll let her know that you're sending your regards to her," I said to my mother.
"Good. And how's the baby making project coming up? Any luck?"
'And that's one of my main reasons why I don't come to visit you, why we don't come to visit you as often as we should. It's because you always bring that topic up to no fail,' I said to myself. 'At least my wife's family is not as crass as you in that regard.'
"Mother, this is hardly the right time to discuss that," I said in a curt tone.
"Come on, I'm your mother. I have a right to know about such things," my mother said matter-of-factly.
'No you don't,' was what I wanted to say, but I just sighed in response.
"If you don't have anything important to say, I'm hanging up," I told her as a warning and a reminder, I doubt it she gave me a call just to check up on my hopeless marriage, but of course, she doesn't know that.
"Your father's death anniversary is coming up in two weeks, you know. I called to remind you about that in case you're forgetting," mother said softly.
"How can I forget? I'm even taking 2 days off work just so I can spend more time there with you," I blurted without thinking because I did forget about it all. 'In two weeks, huh? Crap, I just blurted it out without even checking with Fujiwara if I am available on those days or not.'
"Ryo, that's great. That would mean not just more time with me but also with the wife, if you know what I mean," my mother bantered.
"Mom," I said as a warning.
"Okay, okay, geez, can't a mother who only wants to have a grandchild joke around?" my mother said in pretend exasperation.
I let out another sigh.
"Okay, I'm hanging up now, see you both in two weeks and love you," my mother said.
"Love you, too. See you," I said and my mother ended the call.
'Crap, how can I forget that that was coming up?' I said to myself. I buzzed for my secretary and asked him to clear next week's Thursday and Friday for me.
"I don't have any important matters to attend to on those days, right?" I asked him, unsurely.
"Nope, you're cleared," my secretary said with a smile.
"Okay, great. Thanks," I said and dismissed him again.
Later that night, my wife ordered Chinese for us for dinner, and as usual, she was eating hers on the living room with the TV on, while I ate mine in the dining room alone. As I made my way to my room and passed her, I stopped on my tracks to tell her about our upcoming visit to my house.
"Your mother already called me about it," she said with a thumbs up sign and a smile, then she turned her attention back to the screen again.
I walked to my room begrudgingly, it's like she suddenly stopped caring all of a sudden about everything else.
'Again, not that I care,' I told myself again.
The night before the trip, it was already past 7 when I went home. The house was dark and empty when I got home. I haven't had my dinner, too. Sachi might be out buying takeout somewhere so I decided to wait for her and killed some time by watching some TV.
She arrived at half-past 8, I did not even notice the time as I did not notice that I dozed off on the sofa. But, I woke up as soon as I heard her voice. She was talking to someone.
"Come on, let's go inside. Don't be shy now," I heard her say from the door. I pretended to still watch the TV and not pay attention to her or to whoever it is that she brought home at this hour of the night.
'Lately, This woman has become bolder in her dealings with me,' I told myself.
"What's wrong, huh? Come here, bud," I heard her and then she entered the living room with a beagle in tow. It wasn't just any beagle, it is her pet beagle, Kuma-chi. I met him on a few occasions before we got married, I told her no pets when we got married so Kuma-chi stays with her family and she's been visiting him there.
"My dog is coming tomorrow, whether you like it or not," she declared. "I already asked your mother and she agreed."
"Whatever," I said to her.
"Come on let's go to sleep," she told the dog.
"What about dinner?" I asked.
"It's already half past 8, I've had my dinner at home," Sachi said. "Don't tell me--"
"I've also had mine," I cut her off even before she could finish her sentence. "I was just wondering if you have or you haven't."
"I have," she said and shut the door to her room behind her.
"What the hell, I haven't eaten anything since lunch," I grumbled to myself as my stomach grumbled while making my way to my room to sleep.
Fifteen minutes later, I could not sleep due to hunger, I heard a knock on my door.
It was Sachi holding a tray with a glass of hot milk, and a plate with two pieces of chocolate chip cookies, one sliced apple, and a banana.
"I know that you've already had your dinner but I just thought you might want to have a glass of milk so that you can sleep soundly tonight and be ready for tomorrow's drive," she said, shoved the tray to my hands and hurried back to her room.
I gently closed the door to my room behind me and set the tray down on my bed. I picked one cookie and begun munching silently on it.
***