Behind a strong man [Ushiwaka /Oc]

Chapter 52 - A suppressed past

The ants on the ground became more and more fascinating the longer she waited. Readjusting her glasses on her nose Tamiko took a twig and blocked their path. Everyone was gone already. The bell had rang 15 minutes ago and she was still waiting to be picked up. Since it wasn't raining she waited by the school gate but she wasn't alone. Her homeroom teacher waited with her. As the minutes passed the woman grew more concerned if Tamiko was ever going to be picked up by anyone.

Both looked up when the girl's name was called. A man waved from the other side of the road, waiting at the traffic light. When it turned green he jogged over the road to the school gate. His forehead was glistening from sweat and his breathing heavy.

"How was your day, sweetie?" he asked.

"Good but what took you so long, dad?" she asked.

The teacher asked the same thing. He was held up at work, an excuse which was accepted. It would be best if he called, should he be held up again, something he promised to do from here on out. He apologized again and then turned to Tamiko, looking at his watch.

"Oh look at the time," he exclaimed. "We are too late for your piano lessons."

Tamiko blinked and then saw the slow grin growing on her father's face. A happy hum escaped her as she grinned back.

"Want to go to the park?" he asked. "I brought some snacks as well."

"Yeah," she squeaked.

And so he carried her on his shoulders to the park. There they went to the playground where he pushed her on the swing, went down the slide with her and watched out while she tried to climb a pole. When she took a break on a bench he read her out of her favourite book while she munched on an onigiri. About two hours later they returned home.

"Why was your phone on silence?"

Her father let out a heavy sigh at the greeting when he took off his shoes. Tobio walked over to his sister and asked her to play with him. Tamiko knew that a quarrel was about to start and she escaped upstairs into her bedroom with her brother. There they couldn't hear the quarrel as much but it wasn't silenced.

"Do you even understand what you did, Koji?" Shiyori asked.

"No, please care to explain," he answered, rather annoyed.

"I told you countless times that Tamiko has very important and expensive piano lessons to attend," she began. "What is supposed to become of her if she slacks off with you all day?"

"She will be a happy child," he argued. "She is still young and you already want her to have the schedule of an adult? Are you mad?"

"You know very well that it is for the best," she said. "She can make it big the earlier she learns."

"Did your parents do that with you too?" he said. "Take your childhood away because of lessons outside of school? Our parents didn't have that and they were fine."

"That was in the past. We live in a society where competence and skills are everything. That's just how it is."

"Isn't that the problem? I guess society has shaped you to its wish and I am the only one in this house with proper sense and own thoughts in their brain."

Tamiko and Tobio both flinched when they heard their mother get even louder. Still they kept playing. This was their family. This was their reality. Although since Tamiko had started primary school it has gotten even worse. When dinner was ready it was passed in silence. Their mother then put them both to bed and in silence of the evening the siblings heard them argue again. Tobio didn't take it well.