𝚂𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚂𝚊𝚍𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜

Chapter-50

I'd spent all morning on the phone with Vanessa, she wanted me to be involved with the promotion aspect of the movie too. I liked that she was so supportive about the ideas I'd come with, she was so happy with them she wanted me to come discuss things with the marketing team.

I was more than glad to have a change of scenery, it didn't take much for her to convince me to come to L A. I put aside my excitement to go see the city, it was time to go see what plans Sofu had for the afternoon.

"You're done with work?" He asked.

"Yes!"

"Go put your shoes and hat on, we're off!"

"Off to where?"

"You ask too many questions!" He laughed putting his shoes on.

I slipped my shoes on too, following him with no idea where we were off to. We took the bus to the closest metro station, and things were starting to make sense again. We took the same route I took to my university, the view from the windows of the compartment felt so familiar. Yet there were bits and pieces that looked different.

In a matter of moments, we were walking to the eatery where my love for Udon started. I remember it so well, it was the second year of living in Osaka, I had just gotten feedback on my paper so far, my professor praised it and I wanted to celebrate it.

Sadly, my poor social skills and strange dialect of the language didn't exactly make people feel the need to befriend me. So I came home, happy about the paper, but a little hurt that I didn't have people who would understand what it meant to me to celebrate it with me.

Sofu, who had just started getting better decided we needed to celebrate. Taking shit from absolutely no one, he took the metro with me to this eatery. And I remembered as we ate our bowls of Udon with Tempura, he smiled at me and said I was never alone. He was always here for me. We could talk about life over a bowl of noddles.

We took a seat, I was very close to tears. Because he'd meant every word he had said that day. He ordered our food and waited with a smile on his face. Words will never be able to sum up how much strength he gave me, how much of a wonderful and funny experience he made life. I was so lucky to have Sofu around me.

"Today is not a sad day. Today we are celebrating a change in your life." He declared.

"A change?"

"Yes. A change. You went back to a city you wanted to forget, you took your chance on the boy who had your heart for a long time. You have ticked off two things on your list. That is a incredible!"

"Not really Sofu, I feel like I'm back to square one. I lost friends, so if anything that city has become a colder place to me than it already was." I sighed, "And the boy who had my heart, I'm certain he still does. But he wants nothing to do with it."

"We call it an experience. A beautiful but tragic experience. You cannot stop living life because something didn't pan out the way you wanted it to."

"Mhm." I nodded.

"You are young, you have so many years ahead of you. If there's one thing life has taught me is that it is unpredictable. Things will never go how you anticipated it to. But it isn't the end of the world, there is an even more magnificent memory waiting for you at the end of all the things you've endured.

"You're bright, you're intelligent and you're a good person. I know in my heart that there are so many good things coming your way. If your life is a painting, this was just one part of the masterpiece that's being painted. If you stay stuck here, you won't be able to see the finished project. And in order to see the finished project, you have to enjoy the journey. Not suffer." He finished.

"But how do I stop the suffering?" I asked.

"By being honest, by letting emotions you're holding onto go. Set them free."

"How? They're ugly and messy. They make me wish I didn't feel at all." I sighed.

"You wouldn't be human if you didn't feel. You wouldn't be the artist you are today if you didn't have emotions, allow yourself to cry when you want to! It's how you cope that matters." He smiled.

"I'm afraid I can't cope at all. I don't have that energy in me." I said flatly.

"That's why you let me, your father and mother take care of you. Just for now. Just until you feel like you can cope on your own."

"I'm not a child-"

"You may not be a little child anymore, but you will always be our child to look after. Your mother loves you, don't push her away when she's trying to be there for you okay?"

"Fine."

"And eat the fruit your father brings you okay? He picks the ripest and freshest of them for you hoping their sweetness will cheer you up."

"Oh gosh I'm going to cry about how loved I am now." I laughed.

"That's a better reason to cry about!" He laughed along.

We finished our udon and thanked the owner for our lovely meal and decided to go home again, we made a stop by the market, picking up some fruits and vegetables. Sofu decided a good way to show my appreciation would be to cook a meal, of course he would be head chef as he ordered me around and supervised my cooking so that I don't burn the house down.

It sounded like great fun, even living in my own I didn't cook as frequently as I thought I would. Instant noodles had become my best friend. We came home to find my mother, rearranging decor and art pieces around the house again. The idea of sitting idle didn't quite appeal to her.

When she heard we were going to make dinner, she tried to get involved too, but Sofu was firm. This was my meal to cook, she could just sit back and enjoy. Which didn't happen, it had been three hours since the stock market closed for the day and she decided she should sit down and study the news for the day.

"Have you considered starting your own business?" Sofu asked her.

"Definitely not! I'm too old for that."

"No you're not! Your mind is still sharp, you don't like sitting still, and you have the network. If the word gets out you're managing portfolios on your own I'm sure you'll have clients lined up." He encouraged her.

"I don't think I'm young enough to have a fresh start."

"Nonsense." Sofu scoffed. "When I fell ill, you uprooted your life in Geneva, moved here and still did so well. You started again, and finished sooner than you were expecting. Doesn't that mean you're brilliant!"

"You're too generous with compliments." My mother laughed.

"Between you and me, you're far smarter and capable than my son. The better banker for sure." He smirked.

"I heard that!" My dad walked in.

"When did you get home? How was work?" My mother asked him.

"Good you heard it. It was for you to hear!" Sofu teased him even more.

"Work was good, I just came home to be betrayed by my own father." He shook his head dramatically.

"Can your wound be healed by a nice hearty meal cooked by me? It's almost done." I grinned.

"Yes of course my dear, just seeing you happy is enough to fix everything." My father beamed.

"Okay go freshen up! I'll get everything ready on the table."