Shining Girl Ch. 04

At last we came down from that peak, our bodies plastered in sweat as we lay together, hearts hammering from our exertions; I'd never come like that before, like my heart had exploded and poured into her. Teruko was obviously feeling it too, a small tear in the corners of her eyes as she slowly calmed down, the adrenaline shock slowly dissipating. Eventually she turned to smile sleepily at me, kissing me gently on the corner of my mouth.

"Thank you my husband, I think Jakku san and I made baby tonight! Thank you, I love you very much, my husband, my Onii-san!"

EPILOGUE.

It was a strange feeling to be standing here in the Uriwari Memorial Park in Osaka, at the memorial to my father and his wife; even though he'd been the mainstay of my education, he'd never been a part of my life; part of the blame for that lay with me, of course; I'd never made any effort to form any kind of relationship with him, and then had come the news that I would never be able to. His death had brought Teruko into my life and my family, putting something there that had been missing; if mum was the heart of our family, then Teruko was its soul, the glue that had held us together. Now she'd brought me here full circle to meet them properly. She had wept, of course; I would have felt that there was something wrong with her if she hadn't, but then she'd taken my left hand in hers, putting both our hands on their memorial stone so they could see and feel our wedding rings and know we were joined in a bond of love. She'd murmured a polite greeting to her parents, then placed an offering on their stone, before turning away to bury her face in my chest as she wept. I stroked her hair and reminded her that this was a joyful meeting, that she was here to introduce her husband to her parents, and to ask them to bless our union. She'd smiled at that, and led me away.

The rest of our trip was taken up with Tokyo; shopping on The Ginza, enjoying the view from our enormous room in the Shibuyan Tower Hotel, walking through the towering business and embassy district of Minato-Ku with its upper-echelon Sararimen and their ranks of high-powered sports cars, the noise and clatter of the Pachinko parlours on Shinjuku, eating teriyaki and drinking beer from Styrofoam cups while watching the weirdo's and outrageous fashionista's with their Animé-inspired costumes lounging around and posing in Harajujku, visiting the Nippon Budokan in Kitanomaru Park, and having an uneasy moment accompanying Teruko to the Yasukuni Shrine to pay her respects to her ancestors, knowing as I did that War Criminals were honoured there as well as the great and the good.

The last thing we did was return to Osaka so she could say farewell to her parents. Once there, again she left an offering, shedding a few tears, not crying sadly this time, more wistfully than anything. As she stood with her head bowed, a small butterfly, like an animated jewel, fluttered past her then circled in to make a landing directly on her outstretched finger. She looked at me, smiling happily.

"Look, my husband, parents are pleased, they have sent a sign. They are pleased I have married a good and kind man...and they send blessing for my child!"

I stared blankly, then suddenly realised what she was saying.

"Baby, do you mean...?"

Teruko smiled happily, her hand holding her stomach protectively.

"Jakku san, we will have baby one day soon, a strong son, I have wish for a strong son, to have your courage and heart, a son to be proud of, and carry your name proudly. Parents are pleased, and all is well, look, they have blessed me!"

*

Back in England, more good news awaited us. Mum was overjoyed to hear she was having a grandchild, and Grandad was even more so. He took Teruko and me aside for a private chat.

"Jack, I used to wonder if you'd ever settle down, and with what kind of girl. You picked the right one there, she's everything you need, and she loves you more than you deserve, and I think it's about time you knew that! Your mother and I have been thinking about things while you were away, and we've come to decision. I'm getting too old to rattle around in that place by myself anymore, and to be honest, now that you're both married and gone, she's going to be even more alone. So I'm going to move in with her; she gets to look after me, I get to spend more time with my little girl again, and that house up in Oswestry, well, it's been in my family since 1767, and it would have gone to you one day anyway, but I'm signing it over to you and Teruko now. I can't look after it anymore, and I know Teruko loves the house, the grounds, and especially her chickens; there's space there for as many children as you can manage, and it needs a family to live there and love it as much as I do; you and Teruko, and that baby and all the others will do that, I know."

I couldn't speak for the huge lump in my throat, but Teruko wordlessly hugged him and kissed his cheek, thanking him and showing him how much she loved him.

*

So that's my story; I transferred from Woolwich to Donnington, just a little way down the road from Shrewsbury, and Teruko and I now live 20 minutes drive from mum, so they spend most of their days together, mum fussing over her as her pregnancy progresses, Grandad still doting on her, and me watching her blossom from girl to woman to mother. I have the best family in the world, and the best friends a man could ask for. Sai is also pregnant, so she and Teruko have their own little pregnant-female Freemasonry thing going; Harry and I avoid them when they're together, as we can't possibly win.

And they're both having boys! Harry and Sai are going to be our baby's Godparents, and Teruko and I will be Sai Fong's baby's Godparents; you're supposed to pick Godparents who will be a good influence on the child as they grow, well, I can't think of a better example of love, honesty, honour and commitment than Harry and Sai Fong; they'll be good for our son, I know that.

Every day I fall further and deeper in love with my Shining Girl, and every day I find a new and better way of telling her how much I love her. I'm truly, madly, deeply in love with her, and I love every second of it!

Sayonara!

Author's Note: For those not familiar with my story worlds, Harry and Sai Fong's own story is told in 'All I Ever Wanted'. Harry and Sai also have cameo roles in 'In Love With Lori' Ch 7.2 along with Jack and Teruko, and Andy and Linda (Shining Girl Chapters 5 & 6) as guests at David and Lori's wedding.