Jhon's Advice

Panting, Ryoko quietly opened the front door which wasn't locked. It was almost pitch dark inside. Peeking into the living room, Ryoko saw my sister, who's two years younger than me and in the first grade, napping on two cushions side by side. She was still fast asleep.

The kitchen next door was also dark. Only a small light above the stove was on, and Mom was cooking something. Ryoko went into the kitchen for a drink of water.

"Mom, I'm home," I said, filling a glass with water and taking a sip, looking at her.

"Welcome back," Mom replied, glancing at me for a moment before turning her attention back to her cooking. She seemed sad today. It looked like Grandma had been mean to her again.

Ryoko once asked Grandma to stop being mean to Mom. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to say that during the sumo broadcast, because she scolded me. Ryoko can't remember her exact words, but Ryoko remember she looked like a villain from the old Japanese show about a traveling samurai. After that, Grandma only bought gifts for my sister. Right in front of me, she'd give my sister sweets or dolls. Each time, Ryoko wished that samurai would show up.

John, my older brother, always listened to these stories seriously. He advised me to stay away from Grandma's room when she's around. It did help me feel a bit better. He also said that if Mom seemed upset, it's better to give her space.

"The issues between Mom and Grandma should be dealt with by Dad or Grandpa. You don't have to worry about it," John would say. Ryoko thought he was right. But Dad hardly came home, and Grandpa was too quiet.

"I wish that samurai would come to our house and scold Grandma," Ryoko said, lying on the grass and looking at the clouds.

"If I find him, I'll bring him," John replied. Ryoko laughed at that. Suddenly, birds nearby flew off, and the area became silent.

"But maybe it would be better if you found a more peaceful place to stay," John added, also gazing at the clouds.

"Is there such a place? Where?" Ryoko sat up and looked at him.

"I'll find it for you," he said with a smile. Ryoko felt happy for a moment and thanked him. But the thought of a world without my family scared me.

"But I have to go school. I think I'll be fine," Ryoko quickly added, even though she didn't like school.

"Yes," John said, looking at the sky expressionlessly. "That's true." He glanced at me and looked back up at the sky.

From a door across the hallway from the kitchen, Ryoko could hear the news on TV. She turned  to the door and walked through the living room where our family shrine was, heading to my room to put away my school bag.