Inspiration for Three Themes - After the Fireworks -
Screech!
The sound of Mom's madder-red bicycle brakes rang out.
"I'm home! Let's have side dishes from Sato's shop today."
Ever since my father passed away when I was young, Mom raised me while working at a textile factory.
"Yay! Fried chicken!"
I eagerly shoved it into my mouth along with some white rice.
"Taichi, you really love the fried chicken from here, don't you?"
Mom smiled.
As the meal was coming to an end, I brought up a topic to Mom.
"Mom, I want to go to the fireworks festival tomorrow, but..."
"A fireworks festival, huh? Shall we go together after Mom finishes work?"
"Oh, no. Not with you, Mom... well... I mean... I wanted to go straight there after school..."
I mumbled my words.
I had been exchanging letters with Aya-chan in our shoe lockers recently,
and when I finally worked up the courage to ask her on a date, she gave me a happy "Yes."
"Ah, I see. You're a middle schooler now, Taichi, so you want to go with your friends, right?"
Saying that, Mom took an envelope out of the dresser drawer and
"It's not much, but go have fun."
she said, giving me some pocket money.
"Thank you."
I couldn't look Mom in the face, but I said it clearly.
The next day.
I went to school excited for the fireworks festival, and I couldn't wait for school to end.
I headed to the station to meet Aya-chan.
But the moment I arrived at the station, my heart froze.
On the station message board, it was written: "I'm sorry. Aya"
I understood everything.
And because it was painful to look at the words "I'm sorry," I quickly erased them.
With my back to the erased message board, I headed home.
Mom seemed to sense something the moment she saw my face.
I held back the urge to cry and said,
"Well, it seems like there's an after-school supplementary class tomorrow too, and everyone was so tired that we decided to just go home. Oh, here's the pocket money back."
"I see. It's a shame about this year, but I hope you can go next year."
Mom said that and smiled.
At that moment, some white powder fell from the pocket of Mom's apron.
"Mom, that is..."
"Hmm?"
Seeing the white powder that fell from her apron, I gasped.
It was white powder I had seen somewhere before.
The next morning.
On the station message board, it was written in large letters:
"To Taichi,
Don't worry about the 'I'm sorry' part.
I bought you some fried chicken.
Mom"
I couldn't help but laugh.
The message I thought I had erased had cheered me up again.