Ideal

Back To Work

The alarm clock blared at around 7:00am, waking up both Retsuko and Haida. Retsuko reached over and turned it off, letting out a sigh. "Do we really have to go to work today?" She asked, groaning and covering her face with a pillow. Haida sat up and stretched, yawning a bit. "Yes Retsuko, we do." Haida looked at Retsuko. "But at least Ton isn't going to be there." Retsuko uncovered her face, nodding. "Yeah, at least that's true.." Retsuko sat up and looked at Haida. Haida smiled and gave Retsuko a kiss on the cheek. "Let's get ready." Haida said, getting out of bed. Retsuko slipped out of bed as well, heading into the closet to find her work clothes. Haida followed along, also grabbing his work clothes from the closet. They got changed and headed into the kitchen. They didn't really have time for a full meal, so Haida just grabbed out some cereal from the pantry, handing it to Retsuko. "Want me to make you your coffee?" He asked, smiling a bit. Retsuko smiled back at him. "Sure, but don't you need to eat?" Haida shook his head as he turned on the coffee maker. "Nah, I'm not hungry this morning." Haida started to make Retsuko's coffee, and Retsuko frowned a bit. "You always eat breakfast though." Haida chuckled. "Guess I wanted a break today." Retsuko shrugged, and poured herself a thing of cereal, eating it as Haida finished making her coffee.

Haida checked the time, sighing a little bit at the realization they needed to leave soon. Haida, like Retsuko, really didn't want to go back to work. He has been enjoying this time off, but they did need the money if they wanted to keep the house. At least they wouldn't have to stay an hour late anymore, thanks to Ton being gone. However, the nerves of going back to work after so long were there, and there wasn't much he could do about it besides, well, go to work. "Alright Retsuko, ready to go catch the train?" Haida asked, smiling a little bit. Retsuko stood up, and nodded. "Ready as i'll ever be." She replied, sounding like she was dreading it as well. Haida took Retsuko's hand. "Let's go do this thing." He stated, trying to sound positive. Haida and Retsuko walked out the front door of their home, locking the door behind them. After a short walk, Haida and Retsuko made it to the train station, right as the train was arriving. Haida, still holding Retsuko's hand, got onto the train.

Once the train arrived at the stop, Haida and Retsuko stepped out of the train, and headed into the office building. Everything was the same as it was when they were here last. Not that they expected it to be any different, but it was reassuring that nothing had burned down. The two of them stepped into the elevator, taking a deep breath. Haida glanced at Retsuko, smiling at her. Retsuko returned the smile, trying to stay as positive as she could. The main reason Retsuko hated her job, was the unequal distribution of work between her, and the rest of her coworkers. Ton always chose her to do the hardest work, Tsubone always chose her to dump the work on. Was it because she was too nice to say no? So vulnerable that she was blind to the fact that her kindness was being used against her? Well, we'll never know now. Ton is gone, and this was the opportunity that Retsuko has been waiting for; a chance to like her job.

The two of them stepped into the office building and, sure enough, almost everything was the same. Some people were at the break room, some were already working, and some were just chatting amongst themselves. The major difference of course, was Washimi sitting where Ton used to sit. Her desk was neat and clean, versus Ton's, which was always messy. Some people smiled at Retsuko and Haida as they walked in, some giving thumbs up, and some even saying "Congratulations." Washimi smiled at them as well, waving them over to her desk. The two walked over, relieved that nobody was freaking out over their marriage. "Welcome back guys! How was your time off?" Washimi asked, giving a welcoming smile. Haida returned the smile, rubbing the back of his neck a little. "It was nice! Much needed, that's for sure." Haida chuckled a bit, then sighing after. Washimi noticed that Haida looked a little stressed. She looked at Retsuko. "How about you? Did you enjoy your time off?" Retsuko smiled. "Yes, of course!" She stated, without an ounce of doubt. Retsuko was better at hiding emotion than Haida was, but it was still a little obvious from Haida's reaction that going back to work would take a bit of getting used to.