It was one week before Christmas, the boys were still not going on vacation. That would be four days before that celebration, which was expected in the hearts of all the students and teachers of the academy.
The mall was slightly crowded because many were already getting ahead of schedule, and because it was Saturday morning.
It was the first week that Ringo and Aimi would not go to breakfast together, but they were not the only ones who met on Saturdays. Naturally Yumei and Eiji also did, and occasionally Juro and Kazumi, who more and more had forged a friendship that was progressing little by little.
Yurisa and Eiji were walking in the mall, they wanted to give Yumei a good gift for Christmas that year; but both were competing to be the best gift giver.
One of them was competing to be him girlfriend. The other one was competing to be her best friend, but strangely enough, they were not the only ones competing for the same gift.
Kazumi had cancelled Juro's trip to Ueno Park that morning: his parents told him that he would not go out because of the cold and because his younger sister Selka was sick, she would have to take care of her.
So the boy found it easy and simple to go and buy Christmas presents for his brothers, his parents, Ringo and Kazumi...especially for her.
He saw the teddy bears on the shelves, none of which convinced him. The chocolates were so expensive that she would have to sell a kidney if she wanted to give one away on that occasion, so she opted for something simpler but no less important or encouraging: a small sheep of chocolates, wafers and jelly beans. Simply charming.
When Juro was about to take it, Eiji did too. It was the last sheep left in the whole huge shopping center.
Both looked at each other challengingly, then smiled at each other. -Say, we seem to be in a delicate situation. -Eiji said.
-What's going to happen now is that you're going to let go of this sheep and get out of here. -Juro said.
-No, no, no, no, no. We both know that's not going to happen.
-Well, then, as far as the mess we're in, I only see one way out.
-Oh, and what would that be?
-Simple, what sport would you like me to kick your ass in?
(Those who know about good cinema capture the reference despite not being the 100% accurate translation :v)
-In shot put.
-Let's go there!
Two trunks of ten pounds each cut into cubes and put into a sack was what both boys were going to throw. Eiji was going to be the first. They were in Ueno, near the shopping center, so when they finished, the winner would go for the little sheep of candy that each of them wanted for his girl.
Eiji would stretch and warm his arms, Juro would look at him in a mocking way while he practiced his throw.
Lifting the sack with the wooden buckets, Eiji took a little flight, taking a few steps backwards to throw the sack five meters away.
-You tried to overcome that. -He smiled.
-It will be very easy. -Juro went to where the sack was, and since the snow had marked the fall of the sack, there was no need to make any sign of the record.
Juro dragged the sack back to the launch site, picked it up, and thought about Kazumi in the depths of his mind and his burning desire that she should have that little lamb to eat.
But when he threw it, and because he didn't warm up properly, he hurt his arm; throwing the sack less distance than he could reach...even with those he reached the same distance as Eiji.
-Okay, now we have another problem. -Juro mentioned.
-Yes, but there's a way to solve it. -Eiji calmed down.
-Oh yeah? What way?
-Whoever gets there first gets it! -Eiji ran away like a thief while blocking the path to the park by throwing away a trash can.
-Traitorous dog! -Juro went after Eiji, jumping the trash can he had thrown away. -When I beat you, I'll give you the beating of your life, you bastard!
-Try it chicken, I want to see your face when you see me...! -When he couldn't see ahead, Eiji tripped over the root of a tree, falling to the ground. -Shit!
-See you, asshole! -Juro went ahead as fast as he could, which Eiji had to rejoin instantly.
Running through the streets, it didn't take more than once for either of them to be hit by a car or come close to hitting someone, which was an achievement in itself.
As he passed by on a corner, Juro stumbled upon a group of university students who were going to do some field practice in the woods, having to pass between them all, crashing and tripping over each other several times.
Eiji snatched him up, gaining distance for half a block. -Now who's the bitch, bitch!
-Unhappy! -After getting rid of the university students, Juro couldn't keep up with Eiji, who was much more resistant than he was in that respect.
When he found a stick in the snow, Juro threw it with a shot of faith, which hit Eiji's back, knocking him down.
When he passed it, Eiji took it by the foot, lying down in the same way; so they started a fight on the ground, rolling in the snow.
They took hold of coats, scarves and even of pants to prevent one from taking the advantage.
-Now give up, that gift gives me a chance to make Kazumi my girlfriend, let me have the advantage! -Juro pleaded.
-I always argue with Yumei, so I have to be the one to apologize with that Christmas present! -Eiji said, without giving up an inch of ground.
They both crawled to try to get to the mall first, but when one took the lead, the other pulled him back, leaving them very even, until...
And one was walking beside them, watching them with a lot of curiosity and disbelief.
-What are you guys doing? -she asked.
-Ah... snow angels? -Eiji mentioned.
-I'm fine with that. I'm going to the mall, I'll be right back. Go on with your business. -Yumei whistled in the same direction the boys were going.
The two saw each other for a second, got up again and started running as fast as they could. It was no longer a race of two fools trying to buy a candy lamb, now it was a race of two fools trying to stop a girl from buying a candy lamb...weird, but true.
When they entered the mall, it was already late and there were more people, so having to go through all of them was an odyssey, even though they were doing their best.
In the final corridor, Eiji crawled up to one of the shelves to gain an advantage, so he reached the shelf where the sheep was.
A second before he could take it, Yurisa did, his eyes were shining with the beauty of the sheep, so he put it in his shopping cart and whistled away, until he saw Eiji in a complete white color, with his hand outstretched.
-Where the hell were you? I looked for you for a long time but I couldn't find you. Anyway, this is a nice gift for Yumei, don't you think?
Juro arrived with all the fury of the world behind him. He just nodded his head. -Eiji is convinced that this is the best gift for her. -He say, taking Eiji by the neck to smother him.
-Well, now he's following Mom's. -Yurisa left as camped out as she arrived, leaving two boys fighting on the floor of the hallway.
Tadashi arrived at the mall to see the mess, and to see his two young students still fighting over what happened, blaming each other for the failure to win the sheep and for Yurisa stealing them, so he had to interfere.
-All right, you two split up with me or I'll report you first thing Monday morning, so be at peace for once! -Tadashi managed to separate them by getting in the way, he'd had enough. -What the hell are you fighting for?
As Eiji and Juro began to talk at the same time, Tadashi made a surprised face as he didn't understand a damn thing the two young men were mumbling about, so their mouths fell off.
-One at a time, by a demon!
-I was sitting quietly in the mall until this slimy guy came up to me and challenged me to a duel for a damn candy sheep that would look so good being eaten by Kazumi!
-Hey, hold it right there cowboy, you're the one who pr
oposed the duel!
-Damn right you are!
-And who won the duel?
-In case there was a tie... but Yurisa already took the damn sheep from us. -Eiji said.
-And didn't you see the bunch of chocolates in the candy aisle just as you walked in? -asked Professor Tadashi.
-Shit... -They both said.
-My God. Light them up for a second, please.
With a bunch of chocolates for each boy, the shopping was back to normal. Eiji and Yurisa were still looking for gifts, they still couldn't find Yumei even though she had also gone to the mall.
Professor Tadashi was going through the gifts without taking care of anything other than that, so he bumped into someone else's cart.
-Oh, sorry, how much did you... -When she looked around, Aimi was also shopping. -I'm sorry, what are you doing here, teacher?
-To buy food, nothing more, it's not like I came for anything else! -Aimi fumbled, trying to leave quickly.
-Just a second, teacher! -Tadashi took the cart and stopped it, looking at several things that seemed to be gifts.
-You are a... lout! -Aimi slapped Tadashi, to the point of hating even Juro.
Both teachers walked side by side: she rubbed her palm and the other stroked his right cheek.
-You didn't have to be so aggressive, teacher Aimi. -Tadashi cried.
-It was a secret, no one had to know about the gifts. -She mentioned it in a sharp tone.
-Maybe...but I didn't necessarily know who they were for. What if I was going to give them to their relatives?
-Regardless, it was wrong for her to go through the gifts that weren't hers, she should be ashamed.
-Yes, but I'm holding it in.
They were passing through the household goods aisle, so everyone brought what they would need that week. Aimi had gifts for the boys, knowing very well what to give each one, so she brought a small pink towel for Yurisa, who was going to need it more than once during the next rainy season.
Tadashi brought shaving cream and spare blades for his personal use, but since he was around, he started to check that it could be not only to the boys' liking, but also useful.
Unfortunately, he didn't find anything they didn't have very safely at home... until he spotted a perfume that was cheap and smelled wonderful.
-With no doubt, with this Juro is going to conquer the girl he likes. -Tadashi smiled as he put the perfume in the shopping cart.
Aimi looked at the detail (too much detail and suspicion), which she could give to Ringo. As she literally walked down the aisle that said "They", she dared to look around for a while, observing all sorts of things that impressed her.
They ranged from shavers, perfumes, some photo frames; books, notebooks. In short, a lot of things that gave her less chance to choose quickly.
There was nothing to convince her to give to the boy who had changed her life so much in such a short time, months that could be counted on the fingers of one hand.
Professor Tadashi noticed Aimi's indecision and uneasiness, so without her realizing it, he put in a very nice men's watch.
-I don't think I need to look any further. The gift was already chosen by the Holy Spirit. -He whispered to her, and Aimi looked at the watch, convinced after a few seconds that it was the right thing to do.
Yurisa and Juro had met in one of the corridors, smiling at each other. Naturally the boy wanted a second opinion as to what Kazumi's gift was going to be, since he couldn't make up his mind.
There were many buts in his decisions, as no gift seemed good enough or worthy of Kazumi, as he found a small flaw in them all, no matter how small.
Yurisa put the first thing she saw in the shopping cart: a three-foot tall teddy bear that was on sale. It was dark brown, with a slightly lighter nose and skin and a nice smile made of threads.
-Did you consider this as a gift? -Yurisa asked.
-I did, but I thought it was too much for her taste. -Replied Juro.
-You are quite clumsy, my friend. Women should only be offered the best of the best, nothing half-hearted.
-I'll take that into account for the next one...
Juro hid in his scarf, blushing.
-And by the way, were you planning to give me something? -Yurisa smiled perversely.
-Obviously, I couldn't forget my best friend! -Juro got nervous.
-Why don't I forget about you, best friend. -Yurisa smiled again, pulling Juro's cheek in a scolding manner.
Everything was ready as far as shopping and gifts were concerned, only the most important thing was missing: the wrapping. Juro had a problem, where would he put a bear of such size? He went to the section of the store where the gifts were wrapped.
The line was huge, but so was the boy's ingenuity. He went to the box section, bought the biggest one there was, and would buy the wrapping at some stationery store near the school, as there were so few of them around.
It was almost as if the bear was looking at him in a guilty way, telling him "You are a slug, because you didn't choose me before". So he put him in the box to stop torturing himself psychologically.
Tadashi and Aimi were in line, angry at the long wait that was involved...so he started reading a little book that he found around, one of those little books that you almost read with a magnifying glass.
A guard noticed it, so naturally he went to reprimand him.
-Sir, can't read the books just to distract himself.
-I know, and since I'm not going to finish it, I'm going to buy it. The truth is interesting to be so small.
The guard left without being able to say anything about that event.
Tadashi continued reading as if nothing had happened, making some gesture of surprise as he turned the pages, something that Aimi found very funny because of the faces he made or the comments he made. More than a few "don't invent" came out from time to time.
She wished she had a cigarette right there so that the waiting would be less tedious. According to Aimi, smoking altered her perception of time, as it passed more "quickly". Only God knows if that was true or not even the case with reality.
When she got so angry about the wait, she took the booklet away from Tadashi, who instantly gave her a bad look, almost as if he were a child who had had a candy or his favorite toy taken away from him.
-Excuse me? -He asked.
-We could talk about something to make this happen faster. If you are so "Marxist" I think you should not be the only one who monopolizes entertainment. Aimi scolded.
-That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard with all due respect, but it's the truth. I've never heard of anyone "monopolizing entertainment in a gift line" before.
-Same thing, you have to talk about something, don't be so antisocial. -Aimi, smiling, tapped Tadashi's shoulder with her elbow, who had a "Somebody Kill Me" face.
-I wish I could die. -He sighed. -Well, well, well, why don't we talk about your relationship with your favorite student? Ringo.
-I'll do it only because we've already talked about it. -Aimi answered with suspicion. -But please don't tell anyone or I'll kill you in your sleep.
-It's a deal.
The line moved slightly forward, Aimi came close enough to Tadashi to speak at a low volume where they could barely hear each other.
-The truth is that this boy causes me a lot of upset, mixed feelings...I don't want to say that I'm in love with him, how could I fall in love with one of my students? That would be the end of my very nascent professional career.
-You don't know if you're in love...you don't have to be a genius to know when love rules.
-In Aimi, only Aimi rules, nothing else.
-You can tell she studied history. But returning to the subject, if you'd in love with Ringo, what's wrong with this? As long as she doesn't flirt with him or make a pass at him, either in front of everyone or in solitude, she's perfectly fine.
-Oh, I really do have love problems, what can I do to overcome them?
-Don't read, under any circumstances, Love in the Time of Cholera or any romance novel, that would be suicide!
The person behind Tadashi tapped him on the shoulder, which he turned to. The man asked him the time, but Tadashi refused to answer flatly, although Aimi ended up giving him the time.
-Why did he say no? -she asked.
-I know that one. When I went to Mexico, they asked me "What time is it?" I said, "It's five o'clock." The guy pulled out a gun, pointed it at me and shouted "Pues a las cinco valiste madres! Since that occasion I no longer give the time and he also took care of me when it was five o'clock... I don't see that time like I used to. (At five o'clock you already fucked)
Aimi looked at Tadashi in a surprised/scared way because of the curious anecdote. The professor had the misfortune that something always happened to him on his trips, whether to Mexico, Cuba or France, where a wallet was stolen when he had just left a leather store.
Aimi was lucky not to be a tourist in Paris... since she knew the tricks of the thieves in the city. Unfortunately for Tadashi, he had to learn it the hard way, always with practice and error.
-That still doesn't answer my existential doubts with the boy. Aren't you supposed to have studied psychology? -Aimi asked.
-Correction: I studied two semesters, I didn't finish my degree. I know the basics anyway, but that doesn't mean I know everything and can solve all the problems in the world! Well, I just tried to accept it, but if you accept it and nothing changes, it's because you never really liked it.
-Accept it? In what way? Just say "I like it" and that's it.
-Yes... What else did you want? Some psychoanalysis exam, an IQ test, some x topic interview.
-That's the clumsiest thing I've ever heard in my life.
-Same thing about monopolizing one-line entertainment. Which, by the way, is your turn. -Tadashi pointed in front of Aimi to indicate that it was his turn. By her good fortune the packing and wrapping was faster than the line itself, which is ironic.
Outside the supermarket, Yurisa had the gifts for Aimi, Yumei and Kazumi. Also for Ringo and Eiji...although secretly he had something for Juro, but he didn't want to tell him.
The gift intended for him was "camouflaged" as a Christmas present that was for his brother...but she didn't have it.
Juro already had the gifts for his good friends...and for Kazumi, who was the most bizarre box he was carrying in his arms, because she was the biggest and longest...you could tell that the box weighed more than the contents themselves, which was really very curious and funny.
It was about eleven o'clock in the morning, and Ringo was just getting up, yawning as he stretched out his arms.
Not even God himself knew the time the boy had thought of going to sleep, as he had "important things to investigate". One of them was that he was going to give his mom and sister a present; as well as sending his father a little present with a mother's note on it...ironically.
Ironically, the letter said: "You are a malinchista, damn your mother, don't show up again because she already accepts that you are not coming back... and Merry Christmas, by the way". I had learned from Yurisa how to talk to her mother just like a Mexican from the popular neighborhoods of the capital city: Mexico City.
In addition, the term "malinchista" in a nutshell was the not-so-rude version of "son of a bitch. Ringo was surprised at how rich and extensive the pejorative verbs are in the language of Spanish speakers on the other side of the world.
As such, the gift that had the third place of importance (because for him, there was nothing more important in his life than his mother and sister), was that of Aimi, which he definitely cared for.
Not only because of what she lovingly represents, the gift was something very delicate! It was Led Zeppelin IV, which no doubt his teacher would like for his musical tastes. In that aspect it was very similar to Tadashi, who also listened to rock from the 70s and 80s.
In fact he had another album, only now it was going to be a present for Tadashi: it was one of Queen's that compiled his greatest hits.
The inn would be held on Monday to celebrate the end of the semester: Aimi had brought Ringo as a rag, he was even in the extra of literature.
Although that was synonymous with something nice...more or less. He would be the only student (if Yumei didn't get in the way), to see the teacher after the Christmas holidays.
Something that, without a doubt, excited him a lot.
____________________________________
Poor Tada, always insulted by women :v
next week there will be a more fucking romantic but long chapter, more than 5000 words D:
It'll still be worth all the money in the world
See you until then
Siempre tuyo: