Stardust House: 1st Year Spring

CHAPTER 1: That Fifth Pitch Scar on the Forehead

Mom never really wanted me to move to the countryside in the first place when she decided to find her own personal destiny. When she was offered a teaching position for a small village of only a thousand with a very small population of children, Mom felt that this offer became a destined call for her to go out to the world and discover her real self. This, however, made me realize that even if you become a lucky wife with a perfect husband with all the goods every individual wanted in their lives that you can never be satisfied with your married life. A simple person with simple dreams; that was how everyone who knew her usually describe her. Mom wanted a simple life, with a husband who can provide all he can to support the family, and at least a son and a daughter to complete it all. There was nothing wrong with that after all. She already had what she wanted: a loving husband who happens to be the famous CEO of a major talent agency, Starcatcher Talent Promotions (StarPros for short), a son and myself, a daughter. A beautiful home with so much space, a floral garden sometimes reminiscent of a countryside meadow, and other extras, from a giant swimming pool to a sports center around the corner of the acres, a palatial life.

All of that, Mom had it all, and yet, she was still not satisfied. None of us, not even Dad, understood what was it that was dragging her down. Dad may have the big name in the industry here and there, but he was a proud and honest man who takes more pride of his wife and mother of his children than his own talent agency or the vast collection of talent that the agency serves. If only Dad wasn’t so busy with work that maybe Mom would have just go with the flow with the present and would have stayed home with the family. An honored elementary school teacher, Mom won many achievements and charitable recognitions to her dedication towards educating the young throughout the country. That one charity seeking for educational help at a small remote village triggered the dissolving of what should have been a long lasting married life. Dad was completely heartbroken when Mom decided to leave the city and become a permanent teacher at that countryside village. Along with the terms, Mom decided to take me with her for equal custody with the children. Ah, the life of a legally separated family, but not all the way divorced.

Taisuke-niichan, my brother one year my senior, was only nine, while I was eight, when Mom and I took on the quest to live in a brand-new environment where nothing was bustling and nothing was ridiculous crowded. Since we were under ten back then we really didn’t understand what was going on between our parents at that time. Our parents did make arrangements that both Tai-nii and myself would visit each other every other weekend. For example, this weekend would be my turn to visit the city to spend the weekend with Dad and Tai-nii, then the next weekend it would be Tai-nii’s turn to spend the weekend with Mom and me. During Golden Week and other public holidays, depending on the schedules, we would have a long vacation together as a family somewhere other than the city that the men live in and the countryside that Mom and I live in. Sadly, around the time I turned eleven, the family visits stopped. Dad became so busy with his talent and Tai-nii decided to become one of those busy idol talents in training that the StarPros became well known for in the entertainment industry. Even if Tai-nii and I regularly communicated with each other regularly I felt bad most of the time. He would send me current photos of himself from home cameras to his professional modeling shoots that would eventually show up on billboards and teen magazines. I, on the other hand, were as nowhere as sophisticated as his photos and ended up sending copies of my official school yearbook photos instead. Dad and Tai-nii would always be busy in their idoling businesses and were always away from home, so even I no longer have a chance to visit and spend time with them.

Starting this week though, the lost contacts will no longer be lost. Two weekends ago, Mom succumbed to the overwhelming destructive powers of aneurysm whom we all thought was just a nasty headache. Who would have thought that the next day after trying to sleep it off that she would no longer wake up. Last week was her funeral that took place here at the countryside town that she decided to dedicate her entire life to. In fairness, Dad, Tai-nii, and all our relatives and friends came to pay their respect and say their goodbyes. I was able to reunite with my old childhood friends, Chie Kondo (slim and pretty but those thick-framed glasses could kill off her natural beauty), Tomi Sakuraba (still as obese as before, not to offend her of course), and Dori Matsuzaka (same as Tomi, except this lucky duck scored himself a sweet and dedicated girlfriend back in middle school and still going strong). I was happy that these three still recognized me from the last time I visited the city, stating that nothing much really changed with me in comparison to Tai-nii, whom Chie and Tomi used to have huge crushes on back in middle school days, but not anymore.