Chapter 15: By
Chapter summary:
Kame illness.
Jin's solo concert.
Jin's new girl in his life.
Kame's letter to Pi.
****
Pi told me, Kamenashi didn’t lose his memory, and he wasn’t crazy either. Kamenashi’s brain merely lost control of his body. It meant that Kamenashi knew what he was doing, and what he should do, but he couldn’t instruct his body to do so. It was a rare disease in medical history, and it was the first in East Asia.
Kamenashi knew how to unlock the door but his brain couldn’t instruct his body to do so. Thus, he could only stand at the door and wait to regain control of his reflexes, or waited till Papa returned home.
At night, it was worse.
He lost the ability to shift about in his sleep. Papa had to wake up at intervals and change Kamenashi’s sleeping posture every three hours so that there wouldn’t be prolonged pressure on any part of his body.
Once, Papa went away for a 4-day photo shoot, and the lazy attendant forgot to change Kamenashi’s posture nightly. After just 4 days, Kamenashi developed bruises on his shoulders and ankles because of the constant sleeping posture.
When Papa returned from the shoot and saw the bruises, he was felt so sad. And he felt angry with himself too.
From then on, Papa took care of Kamenashi all by himself, and he would not take up jobs that couldn’t be completed within a day.
“That season was probably Kame’s happiest moments in his life. Or should I say, in eternity. Jin’s life practically revolved around him. Jin rejected additional work because he wanted to spend all his time with Kame. Other than the daily housework, Jin had to go through simple reflex training such as, baseball throwing sessions and woodblock piling sessions with Kame everyday too”, Pi told me.
“Kazumi, you know the meaning of ‘watching after’ right? It was in that old house that I saw the true meaning of that. It was only then that I learnt that one could love another to such an extent...”
I still felt sorry for Mama, who had been devoted to Papa all these years.
But… I didn’t wish to push all the blame onto that person too.
That’s because I knew how much loneliness he went through during the last few years of his life. He couldn’t contact his friends because they all thought that he was in US. His family gave up and stopped contacting him because they didn’t understand why he was so persistent in staying put in Japan.
For thousands of days, Kamenashi was alone in that hospice. His ward, sealed by four white walls, was his entire world. Unable to go out, Kamenashi could only look at the changing seasons through his windows.
He would wait for Pi to visit him…
He would wait patiently for Papa’s concert in Hokkaido, and then tried all ways and means to escape from the hospital just to go to Papa’s concert. He would disguise himself among the crowd and was contented with watching Papa’s performance from a safe distance.
Even in the later period when Mama accompanied Papa on his concert tours, Kamenashi still insisted on watching the concerts. Irregardless of the doctors’ scolding and Pi’s begging, he would go to all concert locations that were within his physical limitations.
By then his brain was already in great stress, and he suffered acute headaches that couldn’t be controlled by medication. He often fainted from the acute attacks. But even so, he insisted on watching as many concerts as possible. Standing a distance away, he watched Papa perform his medleys.
Then, he saw that scene.
Papa held Mama’s hand, turned his back… and left.
*****
Dear Pi,
Last week I went to see Jin’s first concert. When the audience shouted ‘Encore!” at the end of the concert, I cried for the first time after years. Indeed, all the loneliness that I put up with was worthwhile. I made the right decision. Jin was more suited to shine on stage after all…
He is born a star, isn’t he? That was his first solo concert tour, and he performed through the concert with ease. He was so natural on stage. I have to say, his smile is even more charming now.
Although I didn’t have the zest like everyone else around me, and I couldn’t scream along with them, I finally understood how it felt to be a fan in the audience. The feeling of standing below the stage just to see the person you yearned for… and the feeling of hoping that the person on stage would turn and look at you even for a split second. I could clearly understand these feelings now…
During the CM, Jin thanked many people whom I know, with exception to the last name.
You don’t have to hide it from me deliberately.
I know, she is Jin’s girlfriend.
Jin did mention in an interview that she is his future.
Last week after the concert, I entered the carpark by the side door.
I just wanted to take another look at Jin…
And I did see him… but he was with her.
Jin held her hand as they went up the van and she sat down next to him.
She gave him a gentle smile, and then he kissed her on her cheek lovingly…
These are all what I hoped for from the moment I decided to vanish from his life four years ago.
Jin, enthusiastically back at work, having a successful career, and loving someone else. I should be happy that he was finally able to fall in love again.
But when the van went out of the basement carpark, I lost my self-restraint and cried on the spot.
My heart hurt like crazy, and I could feel a pair of hands squeezing through memories in my head. The Akanishi Jin who brought me along to buy our couple rings, and Akanishi Jin who kissed his girlfriend in the van… they were two different person.
I know that time can change many things.
But Pi, I AM jealous. I just couldn’t control the jealousy that erupted in me.
I am so jealous of that girl.
That seat beside him, the intimacy with him… all these were rightfully mine in the past…
Jin told me, he would love me forever.
I’m such a horrible person. I should be happy for Jin… but I could only feel despair and sadness now. Images of Jin kissing her flashed through my mind over and over again.
I wanted to run towards the van and question Jin, “You kissed her. What about me?!”
I thought I was the one he loves the most? I was just right behind him, why didn’t he turn back to look at me then?
I wanted to bombard him with questions.
But I knew, I have no right to do so now…
Because four years ago, I was the one who turned my back against him first.
Because I was the one who wanted him to forget about me.
Because I didn’t have much time left in this world.
Because I told him to look for happiness and to find somebody new…
We all know that Jin takes his relationships seriously. He must have loved her very much to bring her along for concert tours.
Pi, I know this was what I wanted. But I really can't handle all these pain now.
The pain of knowing that I’m not in Jin’s heart anymore.
Before this, I yearned to live longer, because I thought I would be happy by watching him from afar.
But I am wrong, Pi, I’m not as mature as I thought.
I don’t want anything else now. My head hurts like crazy. I just want to get a good peaceful sleep. I don’t want to cry myself to sleep anymore. And I don’t want to wake up crying because I dreamt about Jin kissing that girl again.
I just don’t want anymore tears…