My Brother's and My Miracle Milkshake

The other day, I went out for lunch with my younger brother.
After visiting our father, while on our way to see our mother,
“Let’s go eat something.”we decided.

My brother, who had returned home for the first time in a while, said,
“I don’t really know, anything is fine.”Since it was already a little past lunchtime,
I decided to go into a shop that suddenly came to mind.
My brother, who had lived locally until he was in high school, started to say,


“I feel like there was a coffee shop around here that I came to with Mom when I was in junior high.”He said that the milkshake he drank at that shop left a very strong impression on him.When we eventually arrived at the shop, my brother said,

“The atmosphere is very similar.”


I had been to this shop several times, but I had never ordered a milkshake, so I was skeptical.“If it is this place, that would be amazing.”

Saying that, we entered the shop and ordered the lunch set and a milkshake.

There were no photos on the menu, so I wouldn't know if it matched his memory until it was brought to us.The atmosphere inside the shop did indeed seem “like it.”He said that when he was in junior high, he met up with our mother and drank a milkshake here.

I wasn't there at that time.

It was a memory shared only by my brother and mother.


After enjoying a hearty lunch, the milkshake was finally brought to us.
The moment he saw it, my brother said,

“This is it.”

I never imagined such a coincidence could happen.

My brother had apparently told his wife about this milkshake a little while ago.To think that after several decades, it would be reunited in such an unexpected way...It had a sherbet-like, crunchy texture.It melted in my mouth, and a gentle sweetness spread.

I was able to taste the flavor that was a memory for my brother and mother.It was a shop I had chosen casually.

It was the milkshake that had remained in my brother's memory.
And the timing was while we were on our way to our mother's hospital.
Many coincidences overlapped, and a small miracle occurred.


“I can't believe things like this happen.”


Saying that, we, a brother and sister who were no longer young, were getting a little excited.My brother had returned home due to our father's sudden change in condition.In such an anxious situation, both my brother and I were feeling down and a bit tired.

It was just a small, simple event that happened on such a day.
But because of that, I felt like my heart had become a little lighter.
When I told the shop owner this episode, they were very happy.



“We have kept it the same since the previous owner’s time.”They told us.

A shop that remains unchanged, and a taste that doesn't change.
While feeling relieved, I was also somehow happy.

The shop owner saw us off with a smile.
With our stomachs and hearts full, my brother and I headed to our mother.
That day, my brother and I talked a lot.

About our father and mother. About our future anxieties and worries.
And about each other's recent lives.


It was a time to sit face-to-face and talk slowly for the first time in a while.

Perhaps this time, too, will someday become a nostalgic memory.The milkshake that was a memory for my brother and mother created a new memory for my brother and me.