toward him.
“What time was it that you’re taking Uncle to the hospital?” Norio asked.
“After dinner,” Yuichi answered vacantly, and stepped down from the van.
Norio followed him in and as soon as he entered he was hit by the distinctive odor of a sick person’s house. Despite Yuichi’s presence, the house was that of an old couple, and as soon as you set foot in it, it was as if all color had drained away. The dirty red sneakers Yuichi kicked off at the entrance were the only bright spot.
“Fusae-san!” Norio followed Yuichi, who briskly strode inside, and called out toward the interior of the house. It bothered Norio how the young man just kicked off his shoes and didn’t neatly line them up at the entrance.
As Norio was removing his own shoes he heard Fusae’s voice: “Oh, is Norio with you? We haven’t seen him in quite a while.”
“You’re taking Uncle to the hospital?” Norio stepped up into the house as Fusae came out of the kitchen to greet him, wiping her wet hands on a dish towel.
“He just got released, but now he has to go in again.”
“Yeah, that’s what Yuichi was saying.…”
Norio strode down the hall and slid open the door into Katsuji’s bedroom.
“Uncle, I hear you’re going back in the hospital? Bet you’d rather stay at home, huh?”
As soon as he pulled back the sliding door, Norio caught a faint whiff of urine. The streetlight outside shone into the room, mixing with the blinking fluorescent light hanging over the faded tatami.
“As soon as he goes to the hospital, he says he wants to come home. But once we’re home, he says he prefers the hospital. I don’t know what I’m going to do with him.”
Fusae switched the fluorescent light off, and back on again. In the futon Katsuji gave a muffled cough.
Norio sat down next to the old man’s bed and roughly pulled back the futon. Katsuji’s wrinkled face was revealed, resting on the hard pillow.
“Uncle,” Norio said, and rested his hand on the old man’s forehead. Maybe his own hand was hot, he thought with a start, for the old man’s skin was chilly.
“Where’s Yuichi?” Katsuji asked in a phlegmy voice, brushing Norio’s hand off his forehead.
Just then Yuichi could be heard clomping around upstairs, making the whole house shake.
“You can’t rely on Yuichi to do everything,” Norio said, his words aimed not just at Katsuji, but at Fusae standing behind him.
“We don’t,” Fusae pouted.
“I know you don’t, but he’s still a young guy. If he spends all his time taking care of an old man and woman, he’s never going to get married,” Norio said, deliberately playful.
Fusae’s stern look softened. “I know, but if Yuichi wasn’t here I wouldn’t even be able to give Uncle a bath.”
“That’s why you should hire a caregiver.”
“Do you have any idea how much they cost?”
“That expensive?”
“Well, look at what the Okazakis are paying for—”
“Be quiet!” shouted an angry voice from the futon, followed by a painful cough.
“Sorry, sorry.” Norio lightly patted the futon, stood up, and guided Fusae out of the room.
A fresh-looking yellowtail lay on the cutting board in the kitchen, darkish blood spreading out on the board. The eyes looking at the ceiling and the half-opened mouth seemed to be complaining about something.
“By the way, was Yuichi out late last night?” Norio said casually, standing behind Fusae, who was back at the cutting board, cleaver in hand. He was remembering how that morning Yuichi had looked so pale and had jumped out of the van and vomited.
“I don’t know. He must have gone out.”
“I was surprised he had a hangover.”
“A hangover? Yuichi?”
“He was white as a sheet.”
“He went drinking? But he was driving.”
Fusae was slicing up the yellowtail with a practiced hand, the bones of the fish snapping as she cut through them.
“How about you take one of these yellowtail back to Michiyo? Mr. Morishita from the
“What time was it that you’re taking Uncle to the hospital?” Norio asked.
“After dinner,” Yuichi answered vacantly, and stepped down from the van.
Norio followed him in and as soon as he entered he was hit by the distinctive odor of a sick person’s house. Despite Yuichi’s presence, the house was that of an old couple, and as soon as you set foot in it, it was as if all color had drained away. The dirty red sneakers Yuichi kicked off at the entrance were the only bright spot.
“Fusae-san!” Norio followed Yuichi, who briskly strode inside, and called out toward the interior of the house. It bothered Norio how the young man just kicked off his shoes and didn’t neatly line them up at the entrance.
As Norio was removing his own shoes he heard Fusae’s voice: “Oh, is Norio with you? We haven’t seen him in quite a while.”
“You’re taking Uncle to the hospital?” Norio stepped up into the house as Fusae came out of the kitchen to greet him, wiping her wet hands on a dish towel.
“He just got released, but now he has to go in again.”
“Yeah, that’s what Yuichi was saying.…”
Norio strode down the hall and slid open the door into Katsuji’s bedroom.
“Uncle, I hear you’re going back in the hospital? Bet you’d rather stay at home, huh?”
As soon as he pulled back the sliding door, Norio caught a faint whiff of urine. The streetlight outside shone into the room, mixing with the blinking fluorescent light hanging over the faded tatami.
“As soon as he goes to the hospital, he says he wants to come home. But once we’re home, he says he prefers the hospital. I don’t know what I’m going to do with him.”
Fusae switched the fluorescent light off, and back on again. In the futon Katsuji gave a muffled cough.
Norio sat down next to the old man’s bed and roughly pulled back the futon. Katsuji’s wrinkled face was revealed, resting on the hard pillow.
“Uncle,” Norio said, and rested his hand on the old man’s forehead. Maybe his own hand was hot, he thought with a start, for the old man’s skin was chilly.
“Where’s Yuichi?” Katsuji asked in a phlegmy voice, brushing Norio’s hand off his forehead.
Just then Yuichi could be heard clomping around upstairs, making the whole house shake.
“You can’t rely on Yuichi to do everything,” Norio said, his words aimed not just at Katsuji, but at Fusae standing behind him.
“We don’t,” Fusae pouted.
“I know you don’t, but he’s still a young guy. If he spends all his time taking care of an old man and woman, he’s never going to get married,” Norio said, deliberately playful.
Fusae’s stern look softened. “I know, but if Yuichi wasn’t here I wouldn’t even be able to give Uncle a bath.”
“That’s why you should hire a caregiver.”
“Do you have any idea how much they cost?”
“That expensive?”
“Well, look at what the Okazakis are paying for—”
“Be quiet!” shouted an angry voice from the futon, followed by a painful cough.
“Sorry, sorry.” Norio lightly patted the futon, stood up, and guided Fusae out of the room.
A fresh-looking yellowtail lay on the cutting board in the kitchen, darkish blood spreading out on the board. The eyes looking at the ceiling and the half-opened mouth seemed to be complaining about something.
“By the way, was Yuichi out late last night?” Norio said casually, standing behind Fusae, who was back at the cutting board, cleaver in hand. He was remembering how that morning Yuichi had looked so pale and had jumped out of the van and vomited.
“I don’t know. He must have gone out.”
“I was surprised he had a hangover.”
“A hangover? Yuichi?”
“He was white as a sheet.”
“He went drinking? But he was driving.”
Fusae was slicing up the yellowtail with a practiced hand, the bones of the fish snapping as she cut through them.
“How about you take one of these yellowtail back to Michiyo? Mr. Morishita from the
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