Dad Who Disappeared Like a Lemon Squash — A Three-Part Dialogue Story
A sharp-looking guy is bowing apologetically.
"He's not here."
Mom
"Ah! What is the meaning of this!!"
I froze at the entrance.
—
On the TV in the living room,
Joji Shimaki's 'poko-poko head' was ringing lightly.
On the table were a Shinkansen receipt and a half-drunk lemon squash.
—
Tsumugi
"Hey, Mom..."
Mom
"You, keep quiet!"
Tsumugi
"But this... if it's a Shinkansen, then..."
Mom
"Don't say it!"
(Pause)
—
Hiro Yoshida on the TV shouts.
"There's a flower petal in the udon!"
Tsumugi
"Oh, the 'eyebrow-bone' guy."
Mom (bursts out laughing)
"What is that?"
Tsumugi
"Eyebrow-bone!"
Mom
"Stop it."
Tsumugi
"Eyebrow-bone!!"
—
Mom (suddenly returns to a serious face)
"……So, where did that man go?"
Tsumugi (after a short pause)
"……He didn't go to work, Dad didn't."
(Pause)
TV
Poko-poko poko-poko
Tsumugi
"Is that carbonation?!"
Mom (smiling a little)
"You really are funny."
(Pause)
Mom
"What 'poko-poko head is a man's romance.' He's gone crazy from hitting his head too much."
Mom let out a big sigh.
"……From today, it's just the two of us."
Tsumugi
"Yeah."
Mom
"We're going to live and laugh!"
Tsumugi
"I'll cry sometimes, though."
Mom
"That's fine. Crying and laughing is okay."
—
That's when it started.
The daily 'ogiri' (comedy) routine between Mom and me began, and it continues to this day.
—
Mom
"Starting today, a fresh start, life in Kobe!"
Tsumugi
"That's a lot of information all of a sudden."
Mom
"Come on, let's think of a greeting for a transfer student. 'A transfer student from Osaka, what's your first line in the classroom?'"
Tsumugi
"Stop it, I'm busy!"
Mom
"Give it your best, Tsumugi."
Tsumugi
"Yeah, I'm off!"
Mom
"Go make the whole school laugh."
Tsumugi
"If they're feeling down, I'll make them laugh in a flash!"
This is a story from just before a whirlwind of laughter hit Buntoku.
<The End>
I participated in Harato Keisan's project this time. Thank you very much.