After another hour of talking and eating, they finally decided to leave the cafe. Although they invited me to come with them to go to some other shops in the area, I outright refused saying that I've had enough for the day and just want to go home. Thankfully, they let me go without any questions asked. Now, on my way back home, my stomach starts to grumble. One would think that after eating at a cafe, you'd be full for a while. But I only managed to eat one cupcake, which barely counts as a meal.
I look at my phone to check the time. It's 1:30 in the afternoon. Too late for lunch but too early for dinner. This is a disaster. Come to think of it, I still have some cup ramen. I guess that'll do to get me by until dinner.
As I round the all too familiar street corner, I see the usual mundane exterior of my house. However, the gate is slightly open. That's funny. I'm sure I closed it when I left earlier. Now entering through the gate, I make doubly sure to close it behind me before proceeding to the front door. It is then that I see a pair of shoes left neatly on the front. The shoes are made of leather and are noticeably free from any smudges and creases.
Now I get it.
I open the door and immediately get a waft of spices blasting through me. Although I can't distinguish them individually, this smell could only come from curry. I hurry to the kitchen and find an old man in semi formal business attire stirring a pot of curry on the stove. His thinning hair and slightly bent posture show the years he has lived.
"Gramps. Why didn't you tell me you were coming home today?"
The old man turned around upon hearing me call out to him. His firm yet kind eyes hidden behind a pair of thick square-rimmed glasses confirm the signature look of my grandfather.
"I wanted to surprise you is all. But I ended up being surprised instead. Why didn't you have any food in the house?"
"I don't cook anyway so it would only go to waste. Though I do have some cup ramen in the cupboard."
"That garbage doesn't count as proper food. In any case, I went ahead and bought some ingredients and cooked curry. Here, sit down and eat."
Same old gramps. We haven't seen each other for two months and now that he's finally home, there's no teary eyed reunion or mentions of missing me. Nope, he just goes into strict grandpa mode and scolds me about food. Not that I'm complaining though. It would be weird if someone with a deep commanding voice like him were to coddle me.
I sit down at the table while gramps puts down a dish filled with rice and a thick coat of curry on top.
"This curry's a new recipe I made while in Tokyo. It's spicy but also mellow and sweet."
"Mmm… Yeah, I can tell. It's good, gramps. You gonna add this to the menu?"
"Yes. When I go back there next month."
"So you're only gonna stay here for a month? That's not too long."
"The manager back there is still green behind the ears. They'll need me for another two months."
"That sucks… So then, why didn't you just get at it right away? Why even come back here?"
"I wanted to check on you, you little brat. And see if the house burned down while I was away."
"I'll have you know that I was doing fine. The house is spotless and everything is as it was when you left."
"That doesn't excuse the fact that there's no food in the refrigerator."
"I already explained that part."
"Still inexcusable. I'm going to stock up on food before I leave and I expect you to maintain it."
Tokyo clearly hasn't washed away gramps' old school personality. As a chef and owner of a chain of restaurants, he views food and cooking as something everybody should know and do. That's the same philosophy he drilled into my dad, and the same one he's trying to drill to me. Unfortunately for him, I have absolutely no interest in cooking. It's a waste of time. All that carefully planned nutrition will only go to waste on someone who is going to die soon.
That being said, his cooking is admittedly amazing. This curry might just be the best I've had in my life.
"So then, how is school?"
"It's fine. I at least haven't failed any classes. At this rate, I should be able to graduate no problem."
"That's good."
"Recently though, it's gotten a bit too rowdy than I would've liked. I would have preferred to have been a side character for the rest of the year."
"Rowdy, you say. Why's that?"
"Well, my guidance counselor tricked me into joining a club. One thing led to another and now I'm pretty much in it for the long haul."
"Tricked? So then why didn't you just quit?"
"The thing is, I don't know. The club isn't particularly appealing to me and there's only one other member… Huh, maybe that's why? If I had to join a club, then I'd like there to be as few people as possible."
"Sounds like an asinine non-answer."
"I don't know what to tell you, gramps. I don't even know the answer, so I can't exactly give you what I don't have."
After taking the last spoonful of curry, I stand up and proceed to wash my plate on the sink.
"Jo, is everything okay?"
"Huh? Why'd you ask that all of a sudden?"
"You just startled me is all. You don't usually talk this much."
"Oh… I guess so, huh? That's weird."
I wouldn't have even noticed it if gramps didn't point it out. He's got a point. My usual meals with gramps are spent mostly in silence. And when he asks me a question, I'd keep my answers short. That's how it's always been for us. But just now, I was actually talking about things that go beyond what he asked me. Am I coming down with something? A cold or the flu maybe?
"In any case, it's a nice change of pace. I don't get to talk to my only grandson that often. So I'm glad to know more about what's been happening to you."
"Yeah well, that's the only glimpse you'll be getting for now. I'm gonna go to my room and get changed."
"Come right back down, you hear? I brought some things for you from Tokyo."
Ah yes, gramps' tacky souvenirs. Knowing him, it's probably a weird trinket that he found in some obscure corner shop. He thinks they're interesting, but I just see them as clutter.
I enter my room and begin to change out of my outdoor clothes and into something a bit more comfortable. I planned on eating cup ramen and lying down on the bed to read manga. But with gramps here, I should go down right away.
… Here it is again. I normally wouldn't care if he's here and still go ahead with what I planned out. So why am I going to go downstairs and look at his souvenirs instead?
This is strange.
From the corner of my eye, I spot my alarm clock on my bedside table. Gramps gave it to me as a souvenir when he came home from Tokyo to sort things out after my family died. I stare at it for a good few seconds before turning away to open my bedroom door.
"Time to see what other funny-looking knickknack he's got this time."