Oma's Theory Of Happiness

The Story

     I've never lived an ordinary life. Would it be called extraordinary if your parents died in a car crash and you ended up living alone? Would it be called unusual if your brother was murdered and you finally got the recognition you wanted from your parents? Would it even be odd that a twelve year old boy was able to make a living before eighteen and care for himself like nobody else could? Then I would be extraordinary, unusual and odd all at the same time. A nobody like me who was loved by his parents, but never acknowledged. A nobody like me who saw his parents die in the car crash outside his house. A nobody like me who witnessed the murder of his brother, but did nothing to save him. I was worth nothing after these events. I had stopped going to school and tried my best to take care of myself. There aren't many kind people out in the world nowadays however. You can never tell when someone is going to strike you with a bat and leave you cold and broken in an alleyway.

     I carefully opened the window to my dark and small room. It didn't matter what it looked like as long as I had one. The night air felt so hot against my cold skin. Winter was coming. I had to prepare. I climbed out the window and grabbed onto the long pipe outside of it. Sliding down, I slowly crept down the narrow alley to the streets. There were stray cats sitting out in the front, freezing from the cold weather. I'd come back for those. I kept walking until I reached my destination. A place where old and unwanted things could get sold for money. My uncle had tried to sell me here once. He was an idiot.

     I opened the door and shivered, letting the cold air leave my body as the warm air embraced me. "Oma-san? What brings you here this late?" A tall woman, in her late thirties, was placing things on shelves and counting more money. "I was wondering if I could ask Iruma-chan for something?" The tall woman nodded and pointed to the back. A girl with strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes was working with a piece of old technology and looked like she didn't want to be bothered. "Iruma-chan. Can I ask for a favor?" Iruma looked at me, her tired eyes filling with excitement. "Oma-chan! You're just in time! I need your help for this! In turn, I'll do your favor!" I nodded and sat down in a stool next to her. 

     "What exactly do you need?" I asked, curious as to what she was building this time. "I'd like to see if these contact lenses work. They're supposed to drop eye drops into your eyes while you wear them to keep you awake. They haven't been working how I've wanted them to though, so they still need a bit more work. It's supposed to be a gag of sorts." I nodded and widened my eyes as she placed them on my iris. "How is it?" she asked. I closed my eyes a couple of times and tried to see if eye drops were being placed. "I don't think it's working yet. Try adding more contact solution for it." She nodded and jotted down notes. Iruma takes this seriously..

     "Okay! What did you need my help on again?" she asked, moving her goggles on her face. "I need you to make something for me. I know it already exists, but could you make me a heater? In my apartment...it's...broken, so I need a new and better one." Iruma nodded and smiled, taking parts of scrap metal off her mother's counter. "I'm on it Oma-chan! It should be done same time tomorrow! By the way, are you coming to my school tomorrow? You said you would visit me during lunch time." I nodded and pulled out my bus card. "This should get me there, right? Everything else has been sorted out. By the way, are there nice people at your school?" Iruma nodded happily and pulled a picture out of a box on her desk. "This is Amami-chan! He's really nice if you get to know him! What about your school?" I sighed and fiddled with my thumbs. "Yonaga-san is cool and all, but she talks about a lot of stuff that doesn't make sense sometimes. Kiibo-kun is nice, but he gets flustered and offended very easily, so it's best not to tease him. I should go before the landlord finds out I'm gone. Bye Iruma-chan. And thank you!" She nodded in response and started working on my heater.

     Over the years, I had become close to Iruma because I went to this shop so often. Her mother introduced us 6 years ago and we've been friends ever since. Sometimes I think it's nice to have a friend that'll do things for you. I pay her for her inventions and she makes more for me. I walked back to my apartment, happy that prepping for winter wasn't going to be difficult. As I turned back into the alleyway, I saw a girl with long brown hair and purple eyes sitting against the wall. The stray cats from earlier were playing with her hair, but she didn't seem to notice or care. Her head was resting on her knees and her arms were folded over them. I couldn't help but notice how sad she looked. "Hey. Who're you?" She looked up in surprise and started getting up, most likely thinking I would either beat her up or tell her to leave. "No wait, don't go!" I yelled grabbing her wrist. She turned back to me and started trying to let her wrist free. There were dried tears on her porcelain face. 

     "I'm sorry," I said, letting go of her wrists, "but I want to talk to you. I promise I won't hurt you." I raised my hands in defense and looked at her with desperate eyes. She slowly sat back down and rested her head on her knees again. "What's your name?" I asked, afraid she would try to run again. "Mitsumi..Shoko.." she mumbled under her breath. "I'm Oma Kokichi. What are you doing out here in the cold? Aren't your parents looking for you?" She shook her head and slumped down further. "Oh....do you..have anywhere to stay?" She shook her head again, sighing in annoyance. 

     "If you don't have anywhere to stay, why don't you stay with me? It's not luxury, but it's livable." She looked up at me in surprise, inspecting me for possible threats. "Who exactly are you? How do I know you won't hurt me or rape me or something?" I laughed a little and knelt down in front of her. "I promise I won't hurt you. I'm just a nobody who's parents died in a stupid car crash. You'll be safe, I promise." She looked at me hesitantly, then stood up, scooping up the strays in her arms. "Can the kits come too?" she asked. I chuckled and nodded, taking her hand and leading her to my apartment.

This is a story that came to me after listening to "Ouma's Theory Of Happiness" on YouTube. It's beautiful and you should check it out. Happy Easter everybody!