Episode 4:Mimi-Part 3

The rain had gone from a roar to a whimper a day after the “tentacle” incident, the same day that Tommy’s car drove up the driveway of his home. The vehicle, as new as it seemed, was merely a rental; he sold his older car when he learned of the opportunity that opened up in the event of his uncles’ death. As the engine died down, he rested his forehead on the steering wheel, recalling all that had happened since a little more than a week ago.

When given news of his uncle, he packed up what he would need, and left for the funeral. When he got there, the few people who knew his uncle had no idea he had any relatives left; a reaction he knew to expect. It was difficult, but he tried his best to not cry at the funeral, a task that was far tougher when he was called to the podium. What was worse was the now and darkly apparent fact of his existence: he was now the only member of his family left alive. If he died alone, he took his entire family line with him.

But, placing his mind back in the present, he knew he had to move on. For the next week or two, things were going to be busy, and he had to be strong, for both his and Emily’s sakes. As he stepped out of the rental, pulled his luggage from the back trunk and made his way to the door, he hoped deep within himself that Emily was alright. He had left her with very little word of reason, and he hoped that his prolonged absence had not distressed her greatly. No sooner had his better hopes be fulfilled, for the moment he opened the door, a familiar figure cried, “TOMMY!”, and leapt into his arms.

“Oh, I’m so glad you’re home! I’ll help with the bags, they’ll be no trouble.” Tommy was glad that Emily seemed to be doing alright, but as she grabbed the luggage away from his hands, the first thing that he noticed as ‘odd’ was the coat she wore. It was far too large for her frame, and gave her the appearance of an awkward child who snuck into their parents’ wardrobe. He merely ruffled her hair in response, and as they walked along with Emily at lead (and the distinctive clicking of heels matching her steps) he told her, “Well I’m glad you’re in such a good mood. I thought that my sudden leave had upset you.” “It did at first, but now that you’re back, I think I’ll feel much better.”

As she continued to chat on, Tommy now knew that something was completely off. The first sign was the obviously over-sized coat Emily wore, for he knew that there were definitely coats more fitting to her somewhere around the house. The second was the fact that she wasn’t taking them to the living or bed room, but instead the kitchen, the last place anyone would want to put their luggage. It was obvious: she was plotting something related to his birthday. Before he had left, he had noticed all the half-burnt and deformed cakes in the trash, all obvious tries at baking courtesy to Emily. But, to give his lovely gal a drop of amusement, he decided to play along as completely “unsuspecting”.

When they entered the kitchen, as Tommy expected, the place was adorned with as many “birthday” themed decorations as possible. There was even a banner, hand-painted and hanging from the ceiling that boldly read, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMMY”. On the counter adjacent to the entryway, and standing alone and in plain-sight, was a large and smoothly coated chocolate cake, whose top was covered with dozens birthday candles. Before he could even respond, Emily dropped the luggage bag, spun around and threw aside her coat crying “HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMMY!”, and at the same time genuinely shocking Tommy with the only thing he did not foresee.

Emily, posing cutely with a smile on her face, was wearing a red bunny suit he never remembered getting her. Her legs were covered in dark tights, another thing he did not remember getting her, and added to the costume. The outfit seemed to fit her fine, but he noticed that it looked heavily adjusted and tightened around the chest area, giving him the hint that this costume was for someone a bit “bustier” than Emily’s frame. Noticing something was missing, she quickly plopped a red and white bunny-ear headband on her head, and thus completing the image. If Emily had wanted to surprise Tommy, than indeed she had done very well.

“I…..see that you really worked hard on this birthday of mine.” Emily nodded with approval, and pointing at the cake she said, “It took some time, but I managed to find twenty-six birthday candles somewhere in the cupboards.” Her investing such time in such a small matter meant a lot to Tommy, who replied, “I appreciate it very much, Emily. I’m very grateful that you went through so much trouble. But I do want to ask, where did you get the outfit from?” Walking over to the cake, Emily turned around and, with great difficulty at refraining herself from giving any details, said “It’s a……..long story, but let’s discuss it after I light this thing and you blow it out.”

Tommy strolled over to the dinner table, which was already prepped-up with the plates, knives and forks, and sat down. “Actually, before we do that, I want to talk something over with you first.” Emily looked over at him with both curiosity and worry, and carrying the plate with the cake on it (with matches tucked underneath), she set them down on table. Sitting on the chair next to Tommy’s, she awaited anxiously for what he had to say.

“When I left for my uncles’ funeral, I went there knowing how hard it’d be to see the last of my family gone, and to be the last of any family. For you see Emily, I am the last of my family line, meaning if I die, at this very moment, than I take what’s left of my family with me. But, my uncle, knowing somewhere deep down within himself that he’d be gone before I would, left something for me. After the funeral, I found myself called for his will, something only a mere fraction of the people that knew him were invited to. We were all given something, but out of all that were mentioned, I was given more than anyone else. My uncle had apparently been saving some of his earnings from his time at the docks for me, and that amount has grown since, now adding up to somewhere around three million dollars. Not only that, but he also had a private vacation home out of the country. It’s…..it’s a beautiful place; it would make living here seem a bit shameful. I thought about it to myself for awhile, and I believe that if we move there, together, we could have a far life better than here, and with far greater opportunities. I knew it would be much, so I wanted to ask you first. So, Emily, what do you say?”

The past near three minutes had been much for Emily to understand, but the one aspect of it she had troubles gripping with was the “last of family” part; although Emily had Jessica as a “sister”, she could never truly feel the complete loss of an entire family name. She knew well that if she were to die, another one (or more if desired) just like her could be made in her place. However, the connection between her and Tommy, once conceived as an “owner-to-owned” relationship on both parties, had slowly grown to a level far greater than that. And now, with her “owner” taking such far a degree as to allow her to decide a decision of such importance and scale, was a sheer sign of how greatly their bond had changed.

Gazing at the man beside her, a young, handsome man she came to love, and with words being too difficult to make, she merely answered with a nod of ‘yes’. With tears growing in his eyes, Tommy smiled, and reached over to hug the girl he loved back. They softly embraced for a brief moment, but eventually parted so Emily could light all twenty-six of the cakes’ candles. Emily was relieved that Tommy was okay if she didn’t sing, she never fully got the grasp of the tune in time. However, one small but strangely significant question still remained in her mind, and before Tommy could perk his lips to blow, she asked him, “I’m curious, but where is this vacation home located?” Tommy looked at her with care, and knowing she’d enjoy the answer he said, “Japan.”

Emily was silently filled with excitement and joy at such a thing, but she refrained from expelling it yet as Tommy blew out all of the candles on the cake. Emily clapped with enthusiasm, partially fueled by the revelation of their new home, and asked Tommy, “I know I shouldn’t ask, but what did you wish for?” “Well, I wished that you had some leftover chocolate icing. So later we have some ‘fun’, if you know what I mean?” Emily blushed as the hint was very clear; oh yes, there was plenty of leftover icing for them to have ‘fun’.

“Now, Emily, about where that costume came from.”