My Voice - Tsukishima Kei

2- Japanese Lunch Time Rush

Eva Thomas

I love my parents. They do whatever they can to provide for me. My mother is a very kind woman. She's soft spoken and sweet (until you get on her bad side, or if she's working. Then she's totally badass).

Growing up she has always shown me unconditional love, which I'm very appreciative of.

And my dad...well, my new dad (the whole reason why we're even in Japan in the first place), is also a very kind man. Sometimes he's a bit strict, but I think it's just a cultural difference thing.

He and my mother met while he was on a business trip in California. My mother, despite her soft spoken nature, is a lawyer. One day when my mother went to celebrate a winning case with her client and their family at a fancy restaurant, they crossed paths. Ueno Shin, my new father, said it was love at first sight. He could not take his eyes off of her for the entire night. My mother, of course, noticed this and thought it was super creepy.

At the end of the night, he had secretly paid for my mother and her client's meals and drinks. And this is how their love story began.

All of this happened two years ago. Having enough with doing long distance and just wanting to 'be able to wake up to the love of my life everyday', Ueno Shin asked my mother to marry him and move to Japan.

She said yes, we got citizenship, and now here we are. My mother is partially fluent in Japanese already, since she started studying once the two started dating, and now they're in the middle of planning their wedding.

From the very beginning Ueno Shin welcomed me with open arms and treated me as if I was his own kid. He's been my 'new dad' ever since 6 months into him dating my mom. The face he made when I called him that without him ever suggesting it...was priceless. He was on another business trip and stayed with us for one day. I woke up to him and my mother in the kitchen making breakfast. I nonchalantly said:

"Oh, new dad is here."

Two hours later we were on a shopping spree and he tried to buy out the entire H&M because he was so happy.

So yeah. I love my parents. They do a lot for me and I'll always be grateful.

But right now...I think they want me to suffer.

I look at the note in my hand, telling me where to go. I look at the multiple signs in the train station, trying to match the Japanese letters to them but I can't seem to find anything.

Why do I have to run the errands? I understand that both my parents have very demanding jobs, and on top of that they're trying to plan a wedding...

But why me?

I'm about to cry, which is a terrible thing because when you're black in a country like this, people are automatically going to stare at you. So now I'm about to cry in front of a bunch of strangers who are already looking at me like I'm weird.

"Eva-San?"

I turn around at the familiar voice and almost burst into tears.

My saviors.

"Tsukishima-Kun!" I exclaim then look at the boy beside him. "Yama- Yama...?"

"Yamaguchi Tadashi" He smiles.

I bow in apology.

"Yamaguchi-Kun." I greet.

I turn back to Tsukishima, my eyes wide and hopeful.

"Please tell me you have time right now?" I ask

He looks at me for a second, seemingly racking his brain before speaking.