TW Creatives: “The Lump” – A Quick Story by Suzanne Kamata

Tokyo Weekender’s sequence TW Creatives options numerous works by Japan-based writers, photographers, videographers, illustrators and different creatives in a bid to offer one further platform for them to exhibit their expertise. The works submitted right here belong completely to the creators. TW solely takes satisfaction in being one in every of their most passionate supporters. This time, we introduce a brief story by Suzanne Kamata.

The Lump

When Lexie first observed the soreness in her left armpit, she thought that it was attributable to a pulled muscle – possibly from carrying that heavy bag of kitty litter – however after per week, she began to get nervous. She was fairly positive that the world was swollen. She considered barging in on Kentaro and asking him what he thought, however they weren’t talking. Or not less than he wasn’t chatting with her. He’d informed her that he was practising dwelling alone, that he was occupied with divorce. Their home was giant sufficient, their schedules completely different sufficient, that they may go for days with out seeing one another despite the fact that they had been nonetheless sleeping beneath one roof – Lexie, in the main bedroom, Kentaro, in a smaller tatami room down the corridor.

Lexie by no means knew for positive what precisely would set him off, however this time it had been due to the cats. She had observed that Fifi, her fluffy black princess, was refusing to drink water from her stainless-steel bowl. She took an previous plastic dish out of the cabinet, stuffed it with water, and set it on the ground.

“What are you doing?” Kentaro requested, his voice dripping with disdain. “That was my bento field.”

“However you by no means use it,” Lexie stated. “And anyway, we are able to wash it.”

It did not assist that two minutes later, Fifi hopped up onto the kitchen desk and began grooming herself.

Kentaro checked out Lexie. When she did not react, he shouted “Get off!” and Fifi scurried behind the couch. “Ugh. She was simply within the litter field 5 minutes in the past. It is like sporting bathroom slippers on the desk.”

Lexie considered exhibiting Kentaro Instagram pictures of a sure designer’s cherished Persian consuming from a silver dish positioned beside her grasp’s plate. After which there was that well-known singer who additionally let his cat sit on the desk whereas he himself dined, generally feeding his pet caviar from his personal fork.

“They most likely soar on the desk and the counter on a regular basis after we’re gone, at work,” she stated. “And we have by no means gotten sick. The germs have most likely helped us construct up our immune techniques.”

That was the final straw. Kentaro had sputtered one thing about “filthy animals” and “completely different values,” and she or he hadn’t laid eyes on him since. Though he had been making breakfast for the 2 of them for the previous three years, he abruptly began leaving the home early, earlier than she received up, and coming dwelling late, when she was already in mattress. She figured he was stopping at comfort shops on the way in which to work for a rice ball and a few espresso. Possibly afterwards, he went someplace low-cost, like Yoshiya, for beef-on-rice, after which frolicked in pachinko parlors. In the meantime, Lexie spent each night at dwelling with a e book, a glass of wine and each cats sprawled throughout her legs. At bedtime, Fifi, and Prince, the tabby, adopted her up the steps and organized themselves round her sleeping physique.

Lexie had all the time recognized that Kentaro wasn’t a cat individual, however he had been the one to convey the animals into their lives. Each occasionally, he’d talked about getting a canine – possibly a poodle, like his mom had had, or a kind of huge affable Akita canine (though the local weather in Shikoku wasn’t actually appropriate for a canine with such a thick coat). Lexie appreciated canine and had fond reminiscences of her childhood pets, however she hadn’t been captivated with getting one in maturity. She knew that she can be the one who must stroll it, and feed it, and take it to the vet. Kentaro’s working hours had been longer than hers. She taught English part-time within the kindergartens and neighborhood facilities space. After which in the future, Kentaro’s highschool good friend referred to as him up and requested him if he needed a few kittens. To Lexie’s shock, her husband stated “sure.”

Kentaro had been the one to purchase and assemble the cat tree. He introduced dwelling scratching posts, and toys, together with mechanical birds that flew round the lounge. He was the one who reached beneath the desk at dinnertime with tidbits of meals. He’d even taken Fifi to the vet for her photographs, and later, to be neutered.

Step by step, nevertheless, he had turn into increasingly more exasperated with the cats, swatting them with newspapers once they clawed on the furnishings and shoving them off of his lap once they dared to playfully chunk his fingers. In an try and self-discipline Prince for hissing at him, he had held the cat motionless and yelled in his feline face, which hadn’t made the tabby any extra submissive or obedient or affectionate. The cats started to keep away from him, preferring Lexie’s delicate contact and delicate voice. Now, he could not stand them. “You behave as for those who just like the cats greater than me,” he sneered, when upon listening to Prince meowing on the door, she jumped as much as open it. “Possibly it’s best to resolve who you’d somewhat reside with – Prince and Fifi, or me.”

Now, Lexie sat on the couch, which had been scarred with claw marks, with Fifi on her lap. Fifi was the extra affectionate and needier of the 2 cats. Her purring soothed Lexie’s frayed nerves. She buried her fingers within the cat’s plush fur. Prince would tolerate a couple of rubs on his head earlier than he would chunk or attain out a claw, signaling that he’d had sufficient. Lexie nonetheless had a scratch from a number of days earlier than. However she wasn’t involved about that. She was changing into obsessive about the lump.

She saved pondering of Kentaro’s father, who had died from lung most cancers. Though Kentaro’s relationship together with his dad had been contentious at finest, he had spent many nights within the hospital on the man’s bedside, wiping his forehead and providing him sips of water. Lexie had walked in on them as soon as to search out Kentaro studying to him, with a voice full of tenderness. In fact, Lexie did not need to be recognized with most cancers, but when she had been, possibly Kentaro would neglect about their feud. Possibly he would flip into a delicate caretaker, bringing her turkey sandwiches and trashy American magazines as she sat propped in opposition to pillows. If she went bald from chemo, possibly he would shave his head in solidarity. She lastly made a mammogram appointment at an area hospital.

Lexie considered texting Kentaro. Possibly he would supply to go together with her to the hospital. She even went as far as to sort out a message on her telephone, however then shortly deleted it. What if it was nothing? Then she can be mocked for going to determined measures to earn his sympathy. No, it was higher to attend till she had one thing concrete to convey.

In the intervening time, she tried to raised management the cats. Every time Fifi jumped onto the counter, she turned on the tap, and flicked water on the cat till she jumped again down onto the ground, mewling indignantly. When Prince meowed on the door, she counted to 10 earlier than she let him are available in or exit, pondering that he would possibly study to be extra affected person.

Each night, she made a pleasant meal and set the desk for 2, on the off likelihood that Kentaro would come dwelling in meal time. Each night, she ate by herself, then scraped Kentaro’s portion into the trash. She would not be capable of serve it the following day. He all the time complained when she served leftovers.

Earlier than she left for her mammogram, she sat down on the scarred couch and backed the cats with a pat. Fifi instantly bounded onto her lap and rubbed her head in opposition to Lexie’s chin. Prince adopted shut behind, and allowed Lexie to scratch between his ears just a little longer than standard.

“Thanks, guys,” Lexie informed them. “You are the very best.”

On the hospital, she needed to fill out kinds and present her insurance coverage card.

“Do you’ve any particular issues?” the receptionist requested.

Lexie took a deep breath. “I’ve a lump beneath my arm.”

The receptionist’s forehead furrowed. Lexie’s coronary heart started to canter. A couple of minutes later she was directed to the room with the dreaded mammogram machine.

The final time she’d had her breasts examined, there had been an aged white-haired doctor who’d referred to as her “Mom.” She had given no indication that she had kids – and in reality didn’t have any, though she referred to herself as such when chatting with her cats. (“Mommy missed you a lot,” she would say, when coming dwelling from the kindergarten, and discovering them ready on the door.)

This time, the technician was a younger lady with a ponytail, however she was no extra mild than the aged male physician had been as she positioned and compressed Lexie’s breasts within the vise-like machine. Lexie endured the torture, then stated, “I’ve a lump.” In her expertise, Japanese medical personnel did not wish to be informed what they’d discover, and have become irritated when sufferers instructed their very own prognosis, however she needed to be sure that no matter it was she had did not go unnotified.

“The place?” the younger lady requested.

Lexie lifted her arm to point out her. She invited the younger lady to the touch the swelling. “Ah, sure, hmmm.”

See? She wasn’t imagining it.

“You may be seeing the physician subsequent,” the technician stated. She laid her hand on Lexie’s
shoulder for only a second – ​​an uncommon, counseling gesture on this land the place individuals hardly ever touched each other.

Lexie put her bra and shirt again on, then went to a different room the place she was instructed to disrobe once more. She went behind a pink curtain and put her garments in a wicker basket. When she opened the curtain, she noticed a lady physician in a white coat.

“Hiya,” the physician stated, in English. “Lay down right here, and I’ll do an ultrasound.”

Lexie did as she was informed. The physician smoothed gel over her breasts after which Lexie felt the cool wand passing over them. She could not bear to take a look at the display screen.

“No downside,” the physician stated in a cheerful tone.

“However what about this swelling,” Lexie stated, lifting up her arm.

The physician probed with the wand. “Sure, there is a little bit of fluid there,” she confirmed. She pressed the spot together with her fingers, and bit her lip, pondering. “Do you’ve a cat?”

“Um, sure. Two.”

“Has one in every of your cats scratched you latterly?”

Lexie remembered the gash from Prince on her wrist, which had been gradual to heal. “Uh, sure, truly…”

“It is potential that some micro organism have gotten into your physique. I am going to prescribe antibiotics. If it would not clear up, come again.” She chuckled then. “It has been a very long time since I’ve seen a case of Cat Scratch Fever.”

Lexie’s shoulders loosened. She might simply think about what Kentaro would say. She knew that she would by no means point out this go to to him.

When she received dwelling, as she stabbed her key into the lock, she might the cats yowling on the opposite aspect of the door. As quickly as she stepped inside, their yowls turned to purrs. To have a good time her excellent news, she determined that she would pan grill a bit of salmon and serve it with a bowl of fluffy white rice and steamed broccoli. She’d make miso soup with cubes of tofu and chopped inexperienced onions. She took two wine glasses from the cupboard and poured herself a glass of wine. Then she thought higher of it, and put the opposite glass again onto the shelf.

Simply as she was sitting right down to eat her dinner, she heard Kentaro’s automobile pull into the driveway. Shefroze. She heard the automobile door open and slam, his footsteps on the concrete steps, his key within the lock. Then she determined.

Along with her chopsticks, she broke off a morsel of pink fleshed fish and set it on a serviette subsequent to her plate. She regarded down at Prince who sat at her toes. “Right here you go, boy,” she stated, patting the desk. He gazed again at her for a second, maybe disbelieving, after which with a swift swish movement, jumped onto the desk and bent his head to devour the salmon.

Lexie did not shoot him away.

Quick Bio

Suzanne Kamata was born and raised in Michigan, however she has lived in Shikoku for over half of her life. She has written a number of books together with most not too long ago the award-winning novel The Baseball Window and a romantic comedy for literacy learners, Bake Sale, which is about in Tokyo. She loves determine skating, chocolate and cats.

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