Lunch was leftover oden and it proved to be just as delicious cold as when hot. In fact, the flavour was enhanced by sitting in my fridge for a couple of days.
I had just finished and was clearing the table when I heard Nanako and Councillor Okada coming down the walkway towards my flat. I considered opening the door before they got here, but as I was supposed to be hiding my superior hearing, decided against it.
A moment later came the expected knock at the door. Today Nanako wore over-knee socks, boots, jacket, and biker shorts – all black. The black contrasted magnificently with her pink fringe.
“You finished early today?” I asked as she stepped inside, surprising me by planting a kiss on my cheek.
“They didn’t request our presence today,” she replied, “All the bigwigs have been called to some urgent meeting.”
"Probably trying to work out what to do about this new Skel threat,” I said, and then, bearing in mind what Michal told me this morning, I turned to Counsellor Okada. “Please join us, Sir.”
He hesitated, but then acquiesced and stepped into the flat. “Thank you, Ethan.”
“You’re looking a lot better today,” Nanako said.
She ran a petite hand down the side of my face, her gentle touch breaking down some of the mental and emotional walls I had built around myself over the years. Walls erected to protect myself from getting hurt by Father and Elder Sister.
“Amazing what a good sleep can do for you,” I replied.
While the councillor remained in the kitchen and stared out the window, Nanako pulled me over to the sofa and we sat facing each other.
“I dropped by this morning, but you weren’t in,” she said.
“I had a check-up with the neurologist.”
“And how did it go?”
“Well, not so good. I’ve been having these strange turns lately, and he said they're a form of epileptic seizure.”
Nanako’s face inexplicably paled. She leaned forward and laid a hand on my forearm. “Oh no! Are they dangerous like the seizures you used to get?”
“They’re not much of a risk, apparently,” I assured her, since she looked so worried. “And they can be controlled by meds I'm supposed to take twice a day. There's one good thing, though – every time I have one of these temporal lobe seizures, a memory flashes into my mind. And according to the doctor, the memories are from the year I don’t remember.”
Nanako grabbed my left arm with great excitement, but quickly let go again when I winced in pain. “Sorry,” she grinned sheepishly, “but that's wonderful! What have you remembered?”
“Just a bunch of mundane items and places I don’t recall having seen before, like a polished floor, a beaten up ute in a factory courtyard, a messy bathroom basin, stuff like that.”
“Any memories of people?” she asked keenly.
“No, not yet.”
She was clearly disappointed. “Well, keep thinking of those memories, and try to trigger more, okay?”
“Don’t worry, I’ve been pondering them over and over, trying to work out how they fit into that year,” I told her. Suddenly I remembered what I wanted to do this afternoon. “Hey, I’m gonna pop over and visit my younger sister, you wanna come?”
“I'd love to, but what about your father?”
“He doesn’t get home 'til five. All the same, we’re gonna to have to sneak into my sister’s room, as I’m not allowed to enter it otherwise, and she’s probably too tired to come out and talk to us.”
And so we headed over to my parent’s place, with the ever faithful Councillor Okada giving us a lift and walking us to the door.
I pulled out my key and then listened carefully, trying to work out where my mother and older sister were. That I could not climb up the back of the building like I normally did was a major inconvenience.
I could just discern sounds in the kitchen – sounds caused by two people. So I slipped the key into the door and opened it noiselessly. Glancing down at Nanako, I held a finger to my lips and crept silently into the house. To my amazement, she proved to be rather adept at walking quietly too.
We went to the small hallway that lead to the kitchen and the women’s bedroom. When the sounds indicated that my mother and older sister were on the far side of the room, we darted into the bedroom.
I quietly closed the door behind us and opened the blinds overlooking the balcony, letting light illuminate the dingy room.
My younger sister opened her eyes and smiled when she saw us. “Hi Ethan, and you brought Nanako too, that’s great.”
I saw the barely touched plate of sandwiches on the bedside table next to her and sighed. “You told me you were gonna try harder to eat,” I chided her.
"Sorry." She avoided eye contact.
Nanako sat on the bed beside her and smiled warmly. "How are you feeling, Meredith?"
"Tired."
Nanako peered closely at the sores at the corner of her mouth, and took one of her hands in hers, brushing her fingertips lightly over the slightly upturned nails.
"Do you sleep well?" she asked.
My sister shook her head.
"Do you get leg cramps? Is it hard to breathe when you walk about?"
My sister nodded in the affirmative for each question.
Nanako looked over to where I stood at the foot of the bed. "She's anemic."
"She's what?" I asked, fearing it may be an incurable disease.
"She has less red blood cells than normal. It's from not having enough iron in her diet," she explained, running a hand affectionately through Younger Sister's unkempt, long hair. "Has she been like this long?"
I nodded. "Too long."
"It's easy to treat," she assured us confidently.
"My father won't take her to a doctor," I said resentfully.
"You don't need a doctor," Nanako replied, and then turned to my sister. "Do you want to be well, Meredith, and be normal like everyone else?" My sister nodded. "You'll have to be brave and eat a special diet, even if you don't like it. And if you do, you'll be healthy like the rest of us in no time."
"I'll try," my sister said hesitantly, which was better than a flat out refusal.
The bedroom door suddenly banged open and my older sister barged in, only to freeze with eyes wide in disbelief. "Ethan! What are you doing here? And you brought that girl with you!"
Mother heard the disturbance and rushed into the room, scowling when she saw us. "Ethan, you know you're not allowed in here."
"We wanted to see Younger Sister," I replied simply.
"Then knock on the front door like normal people," Elder Sister snapped. "How did you get in here, anyway?"
"Walked right past you," I replied, and then turned excitedly to my mother. "Mother, Nanako says Younger Sister is anemic and it can be treated easily with a special diet!"
Mother sighed. "Oh Ethan, you know your father won't allocate any more money for buying food."
"You won't have to, Mrs. Jones," Nanako assured her. "You just need to buy some different foods than what you are used to."
"I can't believe we're even having this conversation!" Elder Sister snapped. "Get out of our room, Ethan, and don't ever come in here again!"
"Please don't stop him visiting me," Younger Sister begged.
"You mean he sneaks in here often?" asked my older sister.
"Mother knows," Younger Sister answered softly, "and she never stopped it."
"Well, I wasn't sure, but I suspected it," Mother answered kindly. Like me, she had a real soft spot for my little sister. "I could not think of anyone else who could be buying you such expensive food so often."
"I thought you were buying that food for her, Mother," said my older sister as she glanced from mother to me, and back again. "I thought you were secretly taking money from Father to buy it."
"Oh, don't be silly," mother scolded her. She fetched a pad of paper and pencil and turned to Nanako. "Please go ahead, Nanako. What changes do I need to make to her diet?"
"You don't have any beef in Newhome, but instead of that you can have chicken, eggs and fish. Always eat whole grain breads and cereals, and also spinach, lentils and peas, nuts, and dried fruits like prunes, apricots and raisins. And give her citrus fruit with each meal, it helps the body absorb the iron better," Nanako said as my mother wrote.
"Thank you, I will incorporate as many of these as I can into her diet, and I'll find a way to do so without Father complaining," my mother replied enthusiastically, "Tell me, how do you know so much about food?"
"It is a Japanese tradition for mothers to instruct their daughters about nutrition and healthy eating," Nanako replied, "Our schools also provide healthy lunches to the children. They are not allowed to bring their own."
After that, Mother and Nanako fell to talking about food and recipes, so I sat with my younger sister and chatted with her, hoping against hope that she would co-operate and eat this special diet and recover from her condition. And if she did, one of the heaviest burdens that had weighed my heart down for so long could lift away.
We left my parent's flat at four-thirty to ensure there was no risk of running into my Father when he came home from work. He was still very angry this morning, apparently.
My Japanese friends drove me home again, and Nanako told me she would come back and cook dinner for me after she had gone shopping.
While she was gone, I lay down for a much needed rest, my mind racing with thoughts about this girl who was taking such an interest in me. It was a most peculiar experience, which both worried and excited me at the same time.