Father's Interlude; The Two Truths

After Ryuuji left for his new, temporary home, Akihiko insisted on staying at the apartment to clean up before starting rehab. He doesn’t want to leave this for anyone else to take care of. Although Scott disagreed with his decision, he was fearful things would get worse and stayed as well.

The apartment was relatively clean, indicating Ryuuji was good on the upkeep. The living area was the only issue. With trash spread about, stains on the couch cushions and carpet, and a deplorable stench that filled the air, the men had a difficult task ahead of them.

“This should be my job alone. Not that you will listen anyway.” Akihiko complains.

“My son mentioned Ryuuji would often say similar things. You’re a strangely particular family.” Scott says.

After a brief pause, Akihiko brings up the one thought that has been in the back of his mind since their meeting at the office, “You’re only doing all of this for my son, aren’t you?”

Scott’s offerings didn’t bother him much at first, but to help with this too, he has no reason to go to such lengths.

“Does it really matter?” Scott says with a sigh.

He looks at Akihiko and is met with a deadpan stare. This is actually the same expression he’s had all day. It may be near impossible for him to show any emotion, a side-effect from heavy drinking. It makes him difficult to read, but Scott can at least tell he means to glare.

“It is true that my son probably wouldn’t forgive me if I didn’t help his friend. But, I also see a man wholost every form of support, even being rejected from his only living relative. Or perhaps you didn’t speak with your son?”

Akihiko looks away, remaining silent. That alone answers his question. He can’t blame him for not wanting to burden his son with this problem, but the results from his decisions only created a bigger issue.

It’s clear that he feels guilty and there’s no point in dwelling on the subject at this point. Discussions won’t do them any good. They need to take action in regards to the problem and clearing out this room is a step in that direction.

The men don gloves, masks, and get right to work. They toss bottles in one bag and garbage in another. They also prepare to dispose of the furniture. There’s no saving it now. This is 7 months of filth that has built up with minimum cleaning done in between.

After a couple dozen minutes pass, Akihiko speaks up,

“You know, the day I was told my ownership of the company was revoked and I was banned from entering the building, I felt humiliated and wanted to break down right there. Then, remembering my son, I knew I had to figure out our living situation before I could no longer hold myself together.”

Akihiko continued to explain that he sold his car, canceled the lease on his apartment, and made sure to move to a place close to a high school Ryuuji could attend. It took about 2 weeks to complete everything and he found each day to be more difficult as time passed. The simple tasks of getting out of bed and going out was grueling.

It’s not exactly that he refused to tell his son what happened, it’s that he couldn’t. If he even had a passing thought about it, his mind would start to shut down, rendering him unable to do anything. After moving here, the way he felt while drinking alcohol and the idea of sleeping all day was too tempting to resist.

Scott didn’t say a word in response. He quietly listened as Akihiko said what he needed to. The first he spoke to anyone about his side of the story, not that it justifies his actions.

Scott planned to do something once he was told the truth of the situation months ago, but didn’t know the severity until this past Friday. He may have been able to act sooner if he was made aware.

When Akihiko picks up another bottle, the shaking of his hands suddenly worsens and nausea consumes him. He drops everything and sits back. Folding his knees up, he leans his head and arms atop, staring down at the dirty floor. Scott asks if he’s alright, in which Akihiko shakes his head.

“Relax, we’re about done. Then I’m taking you to rehab, no questions asked.” Scott says in a stern tone.

“I'll never be able to repay you for what you’re doing.”

“Don’t bother thinking about that. Focus on what you’re about to do.”

Scott throws one last thing in the garbage bag and ties it shut. They ended up filling 5 bags total, taking over an hour to do so. There’s still disposing of the couch and scrubbing the floors, but he plans to call someone to take care of that. The stench should dissipate afterwards too.

“Now, you have your wallet on you?”

Akihiko slowly nods. Without saying a word, Scott goes into the back room and throws a few clothes in a duffle bag. There’s no guarantee these fit anymore, judging by how loose the suit is it’s clear he lost some weight, but even if that ends up being the case, they can always purchase more in the near future.

He then pulls Akihiko up by his arm, helping him to stand so they can leave immediately. The men remained to themselves for the rest of the evening. It was as if they had enough talking, coming to an understanding during the time spent in the apartment.