Matsumoto Family Values

His in-laws’ house looked nice, all things considered. The others who were participating in the game would’ve likely scoffed at that assessment, but it was true. They’d held onto the property, which sat on the outskirts of the city, for most of their lives. It had risen in value until it now sat to where it was likely equal to, if not greater than, the net worth of several of those players. They’d redone the interior plenty of times, but the exterior had only been repaired and repainted; never remodeled. His in-laws were people set in their ways, for better or worse, and the exterior of their house very much reflected that fact.

John rang the doorbell. Waiting felt excruciating. The house didn’t look damaged, but for all he knew, that was nothing but a pleasant façade. Behind the cozy exterior of the home, his loved ones could have been enduring countless forms of torment at the hands of people with a grudge against him. He could almost hear their cries of pain and agony in the back of his mind.

When the door finally opened, revealing the face of his mother-in-law, a part of him wanted to hug her out of relief and joy, and another part of him wanted to run away from the inevitable conversation he knew was coming next. He fought both instincts, knowing full well that there was someone else with him, someone who he had to set a good example for. Someone who needed at least one good example to follow in his life, even if it wouldn’t be the greatest one.

“Hello, Carolyn,” John said.

“John,” his mother-in-law replied with a tone as serious as cancer. “Who’s this?”

Lee extended his hand. “I’m Lee, an acquaintance of Mr. Matsumoto’s.” Carolyn’s face contorted into a smile, something incredibly rare for a woman as cynical as her to do. “I don’t have a place to stay, ma’am, but he told me that you might have a spare room.”

Her smile widened. Evidently, bringing Lee had done him a world of good as far as bridging the gap between him and his in-laws was concerned. “I’ll see what I can do for you, young man. Come on in, you two, it’s still cold outside.”

She ushered them into a house filled with décor which starkly contrasted the exterior. While the outside had seemed old and homely, the inside was filled with furniture which was all brand new. More often than not, that furniture was equipped with some kind of technology, too, which made the contrast even more baffling.

On the couch – which John couldn’t help but notice was completely different since the last time he’d visited – sat Rebecca, holding baby Matthew in her arms. He ran up to the two of them and embraced them tightly.

“I was so worried about you,” the two of them said in near unison. Matthew babbled, evidently trying to say something along the same lines. When they separated, some brief laughter was shared.

“You look exhausted, honey,” Rebecca said.

“Astute as always,” John replied, his smile a little weaker than before. The two of them sat down alongside each other as he began to fill her in on what had happened over the course of the past few hours (including who Lee was). While they caught up, his mother-in-law talked with Lee and escorted him to a guest bedroom.

When he had finished catching her up on everything that had happened, Rebecca said, “That sounds like a lot. Did you have any opportunities to rest?”

“No, sadly. Not even for a minute.” He began to rub his temples when Rebecca grabbed his hands and glared at him.

“Then you’d better head into the other guest bedroom and take a nap right now, mister. No objections, no nothing. You’ll recognize our suitcases are already in it. Just go in and take a nap, I’ll deal with my mother.” When she wanted to, Rebecca could be awfully persuasive. It was either that or he was too exhausted to bother arguing.

“Thank you very much, that sounds like a wonderful idea,” John said with a yawn. He made his way to the bedroom in question, passing the room Lee was getting settled into on the way. The boy seemed to be having very few issues. If all went in his favor, he’d be pampered beyond belief by two old codgers who were in desperate need of someone to pamper. He chuckled to himself at the thought.

As he laid down in the bed, not bothering to take off his shoes or close the blinds, he wondered if sleep would be difficult for him to find. The answer came to him a matter of seconds later when he lost complete consciousness and fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.

///

When he awoke, John’s mind was a mess. It was like his brain was filled with jelly and his body had been encased in concrete. Despite that feeling, he knew that the nap had been the best thing to happen to him since the ART had made its home upon his wrist. He held up the device to check the time.

33:14.

He’d slept a solid eight hours, which would make his wife happy, at the very least. Both him and his in-laws, on the other hand, not so much. He wanted to be on the move, especially in case his location was leaked to anyone who wanted to hunt him down. His in-laws, on the other hand, simply hated it when he was around for too long. He shuffled off of the bed and made his way towards the living room, where he saw Lee, Rebecca, and both of his in-laws sitting and chatting. Only baby Matthew was unaccounted for, but he guessed that he simply hadn’t seen him in the guest bedroom.

“Morning, everyone. Or afternoon, I guess,” John said groggily.

“Morning,” everyone in the room said at varying times. John took a seat in a rocking chair next to Lee.

“So, what did I miss? What did you all talk about while I was away in the land of dreams?” John asked facetiously.

His family exchanged awkward glances, clearly unsure as to who should speak up first. It was Lee who finally worked up the courage. “We were talking about you, actually.”

“Me?” With a cough, John’s tone became more somber as he settled down further into reality. “Right, I’m sure you have a few questions to ask me.”

“Just one, actually,” Rebecca said. “What did you do that got you involved in all of this?”

“You asked me that last night and I told you to trust me. That it wasn’t a big deal,” John said. It wasn’t an answer, but it was something. “I know now that with everything that’s happened, what I said isn’t enough. What I did is a big deal.” He stood up and made his way to the fireplace. After taking a deep breath, he turned towards the family. 

“I’ll tell you, then. The reason why I’m in Gallagher’s game of death.”