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Chapter Four
Solitary Tear
"Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward
of his hands shall be given him."
~ Isaiah 3:11 ~
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Izumi returned home that evening, she found her mother standing by the window, sobbing.
Concerned, Izumi started to cross the room, but Anna heard her coming, and motioned
her to stop.
"Izumi, the police were just here. Your father killed himself this morning.
He jumped off a bridge ..." Anna's voice trailed off. Collecting her thoughts
she added, "They found his body two hours ago." She stood gazing out the
window, tears streaming down her face.
Suddenly, as if something within her snapped, Anna's sorrow turned into rage. She
looked up to heaven and screamed, "You win!" Angrily, she began stuffing
suitcases with clothes and small belongings. "Get up, Izumi. We're leaving!"
Izumi was huddled on the floor, crying. She quickly obeyed.
Izumi packed frantically, as if running from some evil person who was threatening
her life. But Anna, in her wrath against God's judgment, moved with a coldbloodedness
that made Izumi even more frightened than she was already. The packing was done without
any thought. Soon they had everything within eyesight, jammed into four suitcases.
"Where are we going?" she asked. Anna didn't hear her daughter's frightened
question, for they were in a taxicab before Izumi could close her mouth.
"To the airport", Anna commanded, "and step on it!"
"Which one?" asked the startled cab driver.
"The closest one!"
The cab ride was quiet, except for the occasional hiccup from Izumi, who had been
sobbing all evening. With the oncoming of darkness, Tokyo city became alive with
bright neon signs. The sidewalks were crowded with carefree people, coming and going
from one store to the next. All this remained unnoticed by Izumi. In one evening,
her whole world had turned upside down. It seemed ages ago since she last visited
the zoo, chatting to any creature who would listen. Her loneliness suddenly became
terrifying. Izumi leaned her head against her mother's shoulder for comfort, but
Anna jerked it away. She had not forgotten her first beating from Yoichi came when
he found out that Izumi was a girl, and not a boy. With a bowed head, Izumi turned
to the cab door for comfort.
Forty-five minutes later, they reached the airport. After paying the fare, Anna picked
up two of the suitcases and told Izumi to do the same. They were a bit heavier than
Izumi could easily manage, but with some determination, she was able to keep up with
her mother's fast walk. When Anna came to a sudden stop, Izumi bumped against her.
"Sit here, and don't move." Izumi obediently sat down on one of the yellow
benches, her eyes never leaving the ground. A single tear slid down her cheek and
splashed onto the airport linoleum.
"What's down there that you find so interesting?" asked an English voice.
Izumi understood English perfectly, but was too shy to look up and see who was speaking
to her. Maybe the voice was speaking to someone else, she decided.
"I said, 'What's down there that you find so interesting?'" the voice repeated
slowly, thinking that maybe she didn't understand English.
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