Dishonor to the School Part 1

May 25th, 1959.
The Occupied Continental State of North America.
South California prefecture.

It had been 13 years since the Greater Co-Prosperity Sphere had triumphed over the United States in the Pacific. 13 years since the Imperial Japanese had occupied the west coast, before being driven back to the initial beach head at Los Angeles. 13 years since President Truman had signed the peace accord that split the state of California in two.

For Alvin Brooke, it had been precisely 13 years since his birth. The boy had never known anything except the rule of the Japanese, and their veneration of the Emperor and the code of "bushido". Of the old America, he knew little. His parents were meek and servile bureaucrats of the city, they didn't dare talk of the time before the war. Their son would have reported them both to the Kenpeitai instantly if they did. The shadowy military police that had the authority to arrest, sentence, and execute anyone they suspected of having rebellious thoughts. Alvin led a life driven by a desire to succeed under the flag of the Rising Sun. He excelled at academics and athletics both, gaining the romantic admiration of many schoolgirls at the Mitsuo Fuchida Junior Highschool, where he was captain of the baseball team. His admirers no doubt were also attracted to his handsome looks, his fit body and sharp eyes.

This was before Alvin's fall from grace. Two scandals rocked the school in the spring of 1959. First was the defeat of the Fuchida Tigers during the prefecture wide junior highschool baseball league championship. The Tigers were widely seen as the rising stars and sure to win the cup. The loss was highly damaging to the reputation of the school. Second was the shocking discovery of Alvin and Martin Steenkamp, the 3rd outfielder, kissing each other in a state of undress in the school sports equipment room. In isolation, both scandals would have been serious enough to warrant expulsion. In combination, the dishonor brought upon the school meant that the principal had no choice but to hand down the ultimate punishment.

That Monday began like any other Monday. The sun rose, casting golden light across the quiet, trimmed lawns of the sleepy suburbs of San Francisco. Alvin woke up from his fitful slumber and rubbed his eyes. He forced himself to stand up and begin to dress. Alvin slipped on a pair of boxers, then the starched gakuran pants and dress shirt. He paused, and laid his hands over his stomach. He thought of the thin layer of skin and fat that separated his guts from the outside world. An involuntary shiver passed through him.

The milkman came around, gently laid the weekly crate of milk bottles down on the porch of the Brooke household, and tipped his cap to Mrs. Brooke. A breakfast of pancakes and eggs was prepared, and soon both Mr. Brooke and Alvin were sitting down to eat. A strained silence permeated the air, broken only by the scraping of fork against plate, and the chewing of food. The discovery of Alvin's homosexuality had been a huge shock to the Brooke family, only compounded by the disgraceful loss of the championship, and the cruel punishment awaiting their son at school. Alvin pushed the plate away and stood up. "Alright mom, dad", he mumbled quietly. "I'll see you later". He picked up his backpack and headed out the door.

When Alvin arrived at school, none of his friends would look him in the eye. He put his pack away and walked to his desk in the homeroom classroom. Just as he sat down, the PA system crackled to life. "Will Alvin Brooke please come to the principals office?" the distorted voice of Ms. Ritsuko blared over the school grounds. Alvin took one last look around the classroom and found nothing but averted eyes, and the odd contemptous look. The boy stood up, bowed towards his homeroom teacher and left for the principals office.