PART 22
Natsuki slowly opens the front door so as not to disturb her father in case he's asleep. She tip-toes into the entryway and closes the door behind her, careful not to let go of the handle until the door is fully shut.
She slides off her shoes and pushes them to the corner where the shoe box once was. Now it, like much of the other furniture in the house, has become another space to store miscellaneous items.
"I'm home." Natsuki says to herself. Looking into the living room, she notices her father's chair is empty and she lets out a gentle sigh of relief. She wades her way through the piles of garbage in the living room, though the desire path to her kitchen. Not every day can she find an excuse to bring baked goods into the club room, so she often goes home on an empty stomach.
She opens the fridge, hoping it's been restocked since this morning, but to no luck. Little remains but some expired condiments and a few cases of beer. The freezer is no good, so she doesn't bother checking in there. The pantry proves bountiful however, and Natsuki is able to find a cup of ramen inside. She double-checks, as if not believing what's in front of her, and takes it.
Natsuki leaves the kitchen and heads for the bathroom, where the only working faucet is. She fills the cup to the line inside and heads back to the microwave. She places the cup inside, starts the timer, and waits.
There's a shuffling coming from the hallway. It grows louder and closer until Papa stumbles into the kitchen, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. His gaze passes right past Natsuki as he drags himself to the fridge and searches inside. Grabbing a beer off the shelf, he shuts the door and heads to the pantry.
He says nothing as he opens the door, looks to the bottom shelf, and shuts it again. He only looks at Natsuki, who is frozen in the corner, and then to the microwave. It beeps.
Natsuki trembles as he walks closer before finally stopping just a few feet in front of her. He opens the microwave door, carefully pulls out the cup by the rim and places it on the counter. He turns to Natsuki and takes a step towards her.
"Did you think this was yours?" he asks. His breath reeks of alcohol.
Natsuki remains silent. She almost tries to wipe away a tear, but her hand barely moves before she stops herself.
"Answer me."
Natsuki squeaks at his orders. She doesn't know what answer he's looking for, so she slowly shakes her head.
"So why was it in the microwave?"
Natsuki collapses on the floor and covers her head with her hands. She braces for a fist as her voice wavers, "I w-was hungry..."
Natsuki flinches as she imagines a fist slamming into her head.
But nothing like that comes.
She peaks out from behind the cover of her arms and sees her father, standing still with a forlorn look on his face. His eyes seem to be looking through her, but their focus shifts to her face. There is a long, sustained eye-contact between the two before he collapses to his knees.
Papa wraps his arms around Natsuki. She's too stunned to hug him back.
And for the first time, she hears him cry.
"P-papa?" Natsuki puts an arm on his back.
"Kid, I'm sorry." He says. "You're so thin... Your skin is like paper in my hands."
Natsuki is about to wrap her other arm around him when he stands up. Papa walks to the fridge and takes the rest of the beer out. He returns to the sink and opens one. He hesitates for a while, but looks down at Natsuki and clenches his fist. He pours the beer down the drain.
He takes each of the other cans and one by one, pours them out, too. When he finishes emptying the last one, he sets the empty can on the counter with a clang.
Papa sighs and reaches around his pockets. He produces his wallet and pulls out a few bills.
"Here you go, kid." He hands the wad of cash to Natsuki. "This is beer money for this week. Buy yourself lunches with this."
Natsuki looks through the bills in her hand, counts them, and hands a few back. "There's too much here. I don't need all of it."
Natsuki's dad smiles and pats her on the head, pushing her hands back to her. "Buy yourself a book or something, ki- Natsuki."
"It'll bring a hell of a lot more happiness than what I woulda bought."
