Tickets

I had a lot of fun just walking around aimlessly with my dad: the experience gave a new perspective to the places that I passed by every day. It felt wholly uncharacteristic of him to be familiar with the area, but I suppose he had never lived here while I was alive. It was a brief insight, I suppose, into his life before he had me. Although I definitely felt closer to my mum, I had to admit that at least as a friend, I got on much better than my dad. Despite barely ever seeing me, he’s always able to talk about my interests, get me things that relate to what I like, and be candid in a way that people tend not to be with me. I suppose it’s how normal people must feel when they talk to the people close to them, which is why it was slightly bittersweet that this was the only time I got to feel that way in person.

“Hold on,” my dad said, reaching into his pocket. His phone was buzzing loudly. “Let me get this.”

His face soured as he looked at its screen, and the conversation seemed somewhat heated. It occurred to me that I never really asked why he was even in Japan in the first place. I had assumed it was to do with work, but I don’t think it makes sense to come here for four days in that case. When he’d finished the call, he came back to me, and sighed.

“Sorry about that. I’m going to have to go now. Emergency.”

“What the hell?” I was genuinely pissed off at this. “You see me for a few hours and then you disappear? When am I going to see you next, in a year?”

“I moved mountains to come here and see you, especially with the price of flights these days. But, it's serious stuff. I’m really sorry. You know how my side of the family is, right? But I’ll come back. Sooner than a year. How about I make it up to you?”

He beckoned me over to a bench, and then reached into his suitcase. “Here, I got some gifts for you. I talked to that professor whose books you liked, and I got an early draft of his next book just for you. And, I got you new trainers as well! I hope they fit, they're your size.”

He gave me a shopping bag full of the items he mentioned. “I wanted to give them to you after we’d done everything, but this is probably the end of the line. Oh, and…”

He reached into his blazer pocket, and pulled out two tickets.

“These are for that museum exhibition in an hour and a bit, but I don’t think I’ll be able to make it. Why don’t you ask your mum?”

I sighed. “I don’t think we’d make it in time. There’s the trains, and then getting home, and then getting here. This place is easy to get to from school, but not so much from home - not at this hour.”

He smiled solemnly. “Ah, so it is. Well, at any rate, I think this is goodbye for now.”

“That abruptly?”

“Well,” he said. “Unfortunately.” He stood up, and extended his arms for a hug.

I hugged him weakly, and then sighed, picking up the tickets and the bag of presents he gave me. I looked at the tickets, then at my watch, and frowned. I couldn’t make it home in time.

“Dad,” I said, my eyes still fixed on the ticket.

“Yes, Yorito?”

“Goodbye. I love you. And, I have to go as well.”

I ran as fast as I could towards my destination, taking constant glances at my watch. I couldn’t make it home and to the exhibition in time, but there was somewhere else I could make it to.

“Oh, we were just closing up, Yorito! How did it go with your father?” Mrs. Shimizu was ticking off some things on a clipboard as I rushed into the cafe, gasping for air.

“Turns out,” I said, panting, “He had to go early. Is Una here?”

“Just in the kitchen,” she said with a smile.

I caught my breath for a bit longer. “Thank you.”

I made my way to the kitchen, and noticed Una was wiping the counters. She made a mocking, overly-happy smile as I walked in

“Not using the back entrance?”

I rolled my eyes. “You know I’m not working today.”

“Well… you shouldn’t be back here then.” her tone was vaguely playful.

“Yeah, yeah, well everything’s nearly over. Look, my dad had to leave early, and I have a spare ticket to a museum exhibition in town. Are you interested?”

She raised an eyebrow. “A… museum exhibition? Are you fifty?”

I grumbled. It didn’t occur to me that I had no idea what Una even did in her free time. I guess it’s easy to assume that everyone has the same interests as you, but of course in my case, that’s hardly ever true.

“I’m inviting you somewhere, for free. You don’t have to be rude about it, I just thought you might appreciate it.”

She smiled a little, although I couldn’t tell how earnest she was being. “I was joking. A bit. It doesn’t sound like the sort of thing I’d go to, but, if you’re going anyway, I suppose it might be nice to go. When is it?”

“About an hour.”

“An hour? That’s a bit soon isn’t it?” She took a glance at the clock.

“Well, you don’t have to come. But if you get changed quickly, we’ll easily make it. It’s not that far.”

Una seemed amused by the proposition. “And this isn’t some sort of clever trick your dad set up? You know, seeing someone like me and deciding to leave you with a spare ticket? That’d explain why it’s something so grown up and boring.”

My tone was the exact same as before. “You don’t have to come.” I was trying to hide some irritation. “The exhibition was something I suggested, not him. And if you think my dad-”

I realised that any sort of arguing was a bit pointless, and she didn’t really care. “Why do you keep picking on me anyway? Don’t answer that. I know why. Just, stop it.”

Her frown seemed both as if it were genuine, but also as if she didn’t quite understand why I was even upset. Almost as if she was sad at the concept of me being upset without realising that she had hit a soft spot. I decided to clarify.

“Sorry, I’m just upset that my dad had to run off early.”

Una hopped onto the counter, sat down, and started swinging her feet. “You two seem like you get on well. You looked like really good friends.”

I nodded. “Yeah. We are good friends.” I sighed and looked at the tickets. My face reflected in the shiny foil around the edges of the ticket. I cringed, and looked away, turning to Una, who was still sitting happily.

“You might as well get changed now, we can go and catch the train.”

She kept kicking her feet for about 10 seconds, before leaping off the counter, and strutting towards her bag. “Alright, well, I’ll see you outside then?”

I handed her one of the tickets. “Sure. The back door or the front entrance?”

She made an exaggerated, playful sigh. “The back entrance, of course. Didn’t I teach you anything about working here?”