Nathan stared at his phone for at least 5 minutes, occasionally looking out the window, his mind awhirl from the message he had just received.
They were late.
Both of them.
... Both of them were late.
Both
of them were
LATE!!!
... Jesus fucking Christ!
What the fuck was he going to do!?!
Chewing on his lip, Nathan eventually wrote back.
I'M AT WORK NOW. LET ME CALL YOU LATER
Akane's response appeared moments later.
WILL BE ASLEEP LATER. CALL ME TOMORROW
OK
He paused. Feeling guilty for ending the conversation abruptly. he wrote one final message.
I LOVE YOU
Almost instantly she replied with a big heart emoji.
LOVE YOU TOO
Nathan managed a smile and with a heavy sigh, he returned his phone to his pocket before going back to work. He could hardly focus on his tasks, his mind preoccupied by the seismic news.
When he collapsed into bed that evening, he slept badly, his myriad thoughts shooting off in a thousand directions at the speed of light.
After darkness overcame him, Nathan dreamt of the house he had grown up in before being sent to the care home. He remembered the cold silent atmosphere occasionally punctuated by barely restrained fury and sadistic punishments regularly being doled out for minor (and occasionally imagined) transgressions.
He woke soon after, his brow beaded with sweat, his mind troubled.
The bedside clock showed 03:07.
Whatever happens, Nathan thought, whatever I have to do, I won't allow any kid of mine to endure that. If he had to work 2 jobs, sleep in his car, and eat ramen noodles for 18 years, Nathan knew he would do it.
With a sacred inner promise made, he found himself able to go back to sleep.
He didn't dream again.
_________________________
Weeks passed.
Then months.
The initial shock at learning of Akane's and Michi's pregnancies slowly turned to stoic acceptance, and eventually, even seeds of anticipation.
Nathan regularly spoke with both of them, checking that they were doing okay, sending them what money he could, and wishing he could be with them. He studied Japanese in the evenings and even attempted to learn some kanji.
When the girls sent him images of their first sonograms, he felt a lump in his throat.
He was struck by a sense of unreality as he studied the images. Could these little shapes on a screen
actually
be his children? He was already on his way to being a father. It didn't feel real. It was scary to think about... but maybe living with Akane and Michi, and having a blended family would be ok. Maybe they could make it work. Just because Nathan's family had been so fucked up didn't mean his future needed to mirror that.
One afternoon, Nathan was hanging out at a local Starbucks with his friend, Jae.
The two had met years prior in adolescent residential care after Nathan ran away for the third time. It was a crazy period of their already crazy lives, and for Nathan, it was not much better than being at home. A quiet, reserved Jae had been invited one day to play board games with him and a couple of the other guys. Usually, the tougher kids fought to play the only Playstation in the games room, so Nathan and his friends found anything they could to pass the time under the radar.
That day they played a well-worn Game of Life. During the game, Jae got the 'doctor' profession. Being Korean, Nathan joked about him living up to Asian stereotypes. They all laughed, including Jae. He hardly spoke when they played, but seemed to become a fly on the wall from that day on. As the others cycled out of the care home, Nathan and Jae eventually became roommates, and their friendship grew.
Jae was a little odd but harmless. The short, pudgy younger teen always wore huge, baggy hoodies and would only get changed once Nathan had left the room. He also woke Nathan up countless times by the vibrations of Jae jerking off in the bunk below him. As Nathan felt sorry for the kid (and kind of found it funny), he never insulted him over it.
As time passed, Nathan opened up to Jae about his messed up family and his spoiled brat sister who seemed incapable of doing any wrong in their parents' eyes. Occasionally Jae talked a little about his family... but always seemed to stop short of finishing his stories.
Nathan never pushed the issue, but he had his suspicions.
They stayed in touch after Nathan aged out, speaking to each other at least once a week. The pair shared the kind of unspoken understanding that comes with being stuck together in a horrible place for a long time, with only your friendship for comfort.
"So... you still thinking 'bout goin' to Japan?" Jae asked as he slurped an iced latte.
"Hell yeah, man! Should have enough saved in 6 weeks. You should come too!" Nathan offered. "The girls over there are fuckin'
gorgeous!"
Jae pursed his lips. "Nah, thanks though. Japanese chicks are cute, I guess. But I prefer whities."
Nathan laughed, though he realized he had never actually seen Jae pursue
any
girl. Not for the first time, he wondered whether his friend could possibly be stuck in the closet.
"Well, either way, you should come visit once I get settled in."
"... And you still goin' to move in with your waifu?" Jae asked drily. Nathan didn't like the mocking look in his friend's eyes. Jae had soft features and pouty lips and wasn't particularly masculine. Once or twice in nightclubs, he had even been mistaken for a girl.
Despite that, Nathan was surprised his friend had never had a girlfriend before.
"That's the plan," he replied coolly. "I'm sure she probably has a friend with impaired vision... if you wanted to maybe double date?" Nathan grinned, and Jae couldn't help but chuckle.
"Is 'date' Japanese for 'team'?" Jae replied with his usual quick wit. Caught off guard, Nathan laughed hard, spewing coffee out of his nose.
Just then Nathan's phone buzzed on the table, and he scooped it up. Akane's face blowing a kiss was visible on the screen. "Speaking of Akuma..." he said quietly.
Jae rolled his eyes theatrically.
Nathan answered the call.
"Helloooooo, Nathan!" Akane said, excitedly. Nathan heard Michi say something in the background.
"Hey babe! What time is it there? I thought you'd be asleep by now."
"It's... 4:21!" Akane said before bursting into laughter.
Nathan looked at the screen of his phone. It showed 16:21.
... What the hell?
"Uhhh, what? Where are you?"
"We just landed... in JFK!
SURPRISE!!!"
"Holy shit!!!" Nathan immediately waved an apology to the glaring mother in the next booth. "Are you serious?"
Akane switched the call to video, and Nathan could see both her and Michi standing in the arrivals lounge at JFK airport, barely 15 miles away.
"Hi, Nathan!" Michi smiled.
"Jesus! I can't believe it! Stay right there and I'll pick you up!"
"OK, baby!" Akane replied. The two blew kisses to Nathan before he hung up.
Nathan turned back to Jae. "Goddamn man! Can you believe that shit!?! They flew over to see me!"
Jae's expression was sour as he stirred his drink. "We were